AP Lit: Essential Literary Terms List

abstract language

Language describing ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places.

absurdist drama

a play illustrating the modern sense of human purposelessness in a universe without meaning or value

accentual meter

number of stressed syllables in each line, without regard to the unstressed syllables (found commonly in German Language)

accentual-syllabic meter

based on number of syllables in a line and on the pattern of stresses in each metrical unit or foot

adjectives

Describing words

allegories

expressions of truths or generalizations of human experiences through the use of symbolic fictional figures or actions

alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

allusions

a passing reference in a work of literature to another literary or historical work, figure, or event, or to a literary passage

anagnorisis

recognition or discovery on the part of the hero; change from ignorance to knowledge

analogy

the comparison of a subject to something that is similar to it in order to clarify the subject's nature, purpose, or function

anapestic foot

two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one

anapestic trimeter

poetic meter where each line consists of three anapests (a metrical foot made up of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable)

anaphora

Intentional repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines, stanzas, sentences, or paragraphs

ancient Greek drama

theatrical performances, primarily tragedies and comedies, that were developed in ancient Greece or of Greek ancestry

antagonist

the main character in a work of drama, fiction, or narrative poetry (greek for "first actor" or "first contender")

anthology citations

collection of works, organized around a central theme, that has been assembled by an editor or publisher

antihero

character who is feckless, inept, and downtrodden - notably lacking in the conventional heroic qualities

antinovels

a work that derives its effects from eschewing such standard features of the genre as coherent plot, establishing setting, and sustained character development

antithesis

a figure of speech in which words or phrases taht are parallel in order and syntax express opposite and contrasting meanings

aphorisms

Short statements of truth

apostrophe

address to a dead or absent person or to an inanimate object or abstract concept

appositive

a noun or noun phrase that describes or equates with a nearby noun or pronoun

asides

a speech, usually brief, that, according to theatrical conventions, is heard only by the audience, or, sometimes, is addressed privately to another character on stage

assonance

repitition of consonant sounds in two or more successive words or stressed syllables - not necessarily nearby - that contain different vowel sounds

atmosphere

the predominant mood or tone in all or part of a literary work, which may, for example, be joyous, festive, tranquil, melancholy, eerie, tense, or ominous

author information

basic facts such as childhood, education, career, relationships, family and death

ballad meter

a four-line stanza rhymed abcd with four feet in lines one and three and three feet in lines two and four.

bibliographic information

details needed to identify and locate a source, such as a book, article, or website (usually include author, title, publication date, and publisher)

bildungsroman

a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education.

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

blocking of asides

The precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera

caesuras

pause in the midst of a verse line

catalectic foot (catalexis)

a missing unstressed syllable at the end of a trochaic or dactylic line

catharsis in tragedy

an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress

chracterization

identifying physical, emotional, and unique traits of a character

chiasmus

a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases

classical tragedy

a dramatic work where a noble hero's tragic flaw causes him/her to break a moral law that leads to his/her downfall

closed couplets

a rhyming couplet with end-stopped lines that is logically or grammatically complete

closed form of poetry

Poetry that sticks to predictable patterns and structures.

closet drama

a play that is written to be read rather than performed onstage.

colloquial language

Slang or common language that is informal

comedy

A humorous work of drama

common meter

a metrical pattern in poetry, particularly common in hymns and ballads (iambic pattern; stressed/unstressed)

complete predicate

consists of a verb and all the words that describe the verb and complete its meaning

complete subject

Includes all the words that tell whom or what the sentence is about

complex sentence

A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

compound sentences

has two independent clauses and is joined by a conjunction

conceit, metaphysical

complex metaphor that is used in metaphysical poetry to explore abstract ideas, connecting them to the physical world in an unusual way

concrete language

Language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities.

conjunctions, coordinating

conjunctions that join, or coordinate, two or more items (such as words, main clauses, or sentences)

consonance

Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.

coordinated clauses

independent clause that is connected to another one of equal importance, often with a conjunction

coordinating conjunctions

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

coordination

link clauses in a compound sentence

cosmic irony

the idea that fate, destiny, or a god controls and toys with human hopes and expectations

couplets

two lines, one immediately after the other, that contain end rhyme

cumulative sentence

presents ideas in order of subject-verb-object

curtal sonnet

ten and a half line sonnet

dactylic feet

a metrical foot, or a beat in a line, containing three syllables in which first one is accented followed by second and third unaccented syllables (accented/unaccented/unaccented)

dactylic tetrameter

(stressed, unstressed, unstressed)

4 feet total in a line.

dependent clause

words that contain a subject and a predicate but cannot stand alone grammatically

detail selection order

is the specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative

dialogue

Conversation between characters

diction

A writer's or speaker's choice of words

dimeter

two feet per line

direct discourse

The direct expression of a character's speech or thought, either tagged or untagged.

Example: "May the Force be with you," she whispered." "What a strange thing to say," he thought.

direct object

the object that receives the direct action of the verb

direct satire

Stating an explicit criticism in a humorous way

doggerel tragedy

technical term for bad poetry, which is usually characterized by irregular verse, forced rhyme and overly sentimental tones

domestic tragedy

a type of play characterized by stories about common people, rather than ones of noble birth, who feel grand emotions and suffer devastating consequences

double rhyme

a rhyme in which the repeated vowel is in the second last syllable of the words involved

drama

a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage

dramatic irony

when the audience knows something the characters do not

dramatic monologue

when a single speaker in literature says something to a silent audience

dramatic poetry

A type of poetry that utilizes the techniques of drama; the speaker is clearly someone other than the poet

eighteenth-century drama

1700-1785, represented by John Dryden in tragedy and William Congreve and Richard Brinsley Sheridan in comedy

-themes: politics, satire, celebrity culture, war, religion, historical events

Elizabethan drama

drama whose major authors were Shakespeare in both tragedy and comedy, and typically was in blank verse form

email, in order of works cited

Sender's Last Name, First Name. "Subject Line." Received by First and Last Names, Day Month Year.

endnotes, MLA style

Notes at the end of a paper acknowledging sources and providing additional references or information.

end rhyme

A word at the end of one line rhymes with a word at the end of another line

end-stopped lines

lines in which both the grammatical structure and the sense reach completion at the end (e.i. period)

English medieval drama

divided into mystery plays and morality plays, designed to illustrate narratives from the Old and New Testaments (authors are anonymous)

English (Shakespearean) sonnets

written in iambic pentameter and consisting of three quatrains and a final couplet with the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg.

enjambments

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

epic poetry (epics)

a long, serious, poetic narrative about a significant event, often featuring a hero

epigrams

a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way

epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight

epistolary novels

Novels told in the form of series of letters written by their characters.

equivoque

a play on words; a pun; an expression capable of having more than one meaning

essay, understatement

a form of irony in which a point is deliberately expressed as less, in magnitude, value, or importance, than it actually is

exposition

a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory.

extended metaphors

a metaphor in which the comparison is carried through several lines or even the entire literary work

eye rhyme

rhyme that appears correct from spelling but does not rhyme because of pronunciation

fallacy, pathetic

special type of personification, in which inanimate aspects of nature, such as the landscape, the season, or the weather, are represented as having human qualities or feelings

falling meters

trochaic and dactylic feet, which end on an unstressed syllable

farce

(n.) a play filled with ridiculous or absurd happenings; broad or far-fetched humor; a ridiculous sham

feet, metrical

a single unit of measurement that is repeated within a line of poetry. Each is made up of stressed and unstressed syllables

feminine ending

Term that refers to an unstressed extra syllable at the end of a line of iambic pentameter.

fiction

a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact

fictional narrator

narrator created by the author that is different in age, situation, or gender