AP Literature - Literary Terms

abstract

• diction term

• referring to a word that signifies a general idea, concept or condition that is intangible

colloquialism

• diction term

• words and phrases used in casual conversation and given new, informal meanings, could originate from a dialect, but does not have t0

concrete

• diction term

• a word that specifies what is tangible; a word whose meaning we understand with one or more of our five senses

connotation

• diction term

• the implied or understood meaning of a word that is more than or different from its definition

denotation

• diction term

• dictionary definition

diction

• diction term

• the specific word choice the author/narrator/speaker employs

anaphora

• syntax term

• the exact repetition of the first few words or phrases at the beginning of successive sentences or clauses

repetition

• syntax term

• repeated words or phrases

cataloguing

• syntax term

• a list

juxtaposition

• syntax term

• the placement of words or phrases next to or near each other for effect

• function: to imply a correlation, to emphasize or to make a point through comparison or contrast

caesura

• syntax term

• a pause/interruption/break near the middle of a line, often emphasizes what follows

allusion

• figurative language

• a reference to a historical event, a literary work, biblical story/character, etc.

analogy

• figurative language

• an extended comparison between two unlike things that share some similarities, it is similar to an extended metaphor and simile but the difference lies in the fact that what is compared shares some similarities

• function: to explain or clarify some unfamiliar or difficult idea or experience by showing how the idea or object is similar to the one that is familiar

hyperbole

• figurative language

• exaggeration

imagery

• figurative language

• refers to words and phrases that evoke sensory experiences for the reader, images appeal to what can be seen, felt, tasted, heard, or smelled, if an author employs this, it is your job to identify the type of imagery the author is using, merely stating the author uses this is inefficient, there are seven types: visual, olfactory, tactile, gustatory, auditory, kinesthetic, and organic

metaphor

• figurative language

• the comparison of two unlike objects without the use of “like” or “as,” extended ____ continue throughout the passage and are easily confused with analogies, however, analogies share some similarities, ____ share none

simile

• figurative language

• a metaphor using “like” or “as”

irony

• figurative language

• a contrast between expectation and reality, three types of ___: verbal, situational, and dramatic

metonomy

• figurative language

• one term is substituted for another term with which it is closely related

personification

• figurative language

• human qualities are given to inanimate objects, ideas, or animals

• function: like so many of these devices, the function depends on context, when analyzing ____, analyze

symbol

• figurative language

• a person, place, or thing in a narrative that suggests meaning beyond its literal sense

paradox

• figurative language

• a statement that seems contradictory but actually points to a truth

• function: the function is as the definition indicates: to point to a larger truth in a concise and thought-provoking way

understatement

• figurative language

• the reverse of hyperbole, the seriousness of an event is understated

allegory

• terms that describe style and genre

• a story, poem, that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one, the story occurs on both a symbolic and a literal level

anecdote

• term that describe style and genre

• a brief narrative or a retelling of a story or event often based on the speaker’s own experience

apostrophe

• term that describe style and genre

• an address—usually poetic—to an inanimate object or to someone not present

satire

• term that describe style and genre

• a literary work in which the ideas, customs, behaviors, or institutions of society are ridiculed to effect change, ___ range from mild to harsh, irony and exaggeration are the main weapons of ____

stock

• term that describe characterization and character type

• a common or stereotypical character who occurs frequently in literature

round/dynamic

• term that describe characterization and character type

• characters that are portrayed in great depth and are given more generous details, these characters tend to develop over the course of the story

foil

• term that describe characterization and character type

• a character that stands in contrast to the main character

epiphany

• term that describe characterization and character type

• a moment of insight, discovery, or revelation by which a character or a character’s life is altered

flat/static

• term that describe characterization and character type

• a character with only one outstanding trait or quality, ___ characters tend to stay the same throughout a story

objective point of view

• narrative technique

• camera angle

  • reader placed in the position of spectator

  • reader must draw her own conclusions about what is occurring

  • all that is relayed is what characters say and do and hear

  • feelings/emotional states must be inferred

  • purest form of ___ narration would be dialogue only

stream of consciousness

• narrative techniques

• seeks to depict how we think

• flow of inner experiences, procession of unrelated images and ideas (term coined by William James)

omniscient

• narrative techniques

• all knowing

• most flexible point of view

• permits widest scope—allows for depth and breath

• inside the minds of all characters

• interprets and comments

limited omniscient

• narrative techniques

• story told from the perspective of one character, the narrator comments on the story’s events from the character’s perspective, the narrator informs the reader of what the character thinks and feels and comments on the character as the narrator knows more about the character than the character may know about him/herself

first person

• narrative techniques

• story told from the perspective of one character—this character is the narrator

• can be a major or minor character i.e. participant or observer

• as the story is told from only one perspective—the reliability of the narrator must always be questioned

• allows for immediacy, dramatic irony, human error

• be wary of the “authorial fallacy”

flashback

• narrative techniques

• a scene in a movie, novel, etc., set in a time earlier than the main story

foreshadowing

• narrative techniques

• a warning or indication of a future event

steps for analyzing literary devices

• quotation

• identify device

• analyze device

• connect argument to analysis and to meaning of the sentence as a whole