Literary Term List for Phelps AICE Lit

PPCHS, Sarah Phelps, AICE LIT A LEVEL

abstract/concrete

Intangible or conceptual, versus objective and physical

allegory

a story, picture, or piece that symbolizes deeper meanings

alliteration

the repetition of initial consonant sounds in closely placed words (Sally sold seashells by the seashore)

allusion

a reference to another work, event, or person in media

ambiguity

often confusing or not explicitly said

anachronism

an error in time when an object, word, or event is placed in the wrong period of time

analogy

comparison between two different things to explain an idea

anapestic

three-syllable unit of poetry that follows unstressed-unstressed-stressed

anaphora

word or phrase repeated at the start

anastrophe

order of the words is reversed or flipped

antagonist

opposed to the protagonist, they are a foil set up against the protag.

antanaclasis

a word or phrase is repeated, but the meaning isn’t the same

antecedent

a word, event, or thing that comes before another

anticlimax

disappointing end to buildup

antihero

main character who lacks heroic traits, yet still drives the plot and gains the audience’s sympathy

antimetabole

where words from the first half are reversed in the second

antithesis

two opposing ideas in a balanced sentence

aphorism

short concise statement that shows a principle about human life

apostrophe

punctuation mark used to show possession to form contractions

apotheosis

the elevation of someone to divine status

archetype

a primordial image character, or pattern of circumstance that recurs throughout literature, universal concept

asyndeton

the omission of the conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words or clauses, as in the phrase “I came, I saw, I conquered”

aside

a short remark or speech a character makes directly to the audience that other characters on stage or in the story cannot hear

assonance

repetition of stressed vowel sounds within words with different end consonants, as in the phrase “quite like.”

aubade

a song or poem about greeting the morning

ballad

short narrative folk song

bildungsroman

class of novel that depicts and explores the manner in which the protagonist develops morally and psychologically

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

byronic

a literary archetype of a male figure characterized by his brooding, rebellious, and charismatic nature

cacophony

refers to a loud, confused, and inharmonious sound: “The loud, overlapping noise of crashing trays, scraping metal chairs, and talking students.”

caesura

a pause within a poetic line that breaks the regularity of the metrical pattern

caricature

often having to do with satire, is a distorted presentation of a person, type, or action

catharsis

the purification or purging of the emotions

characterization

the artistic portrayl of human character or motives, often through plot, pov, setting, etc.

chiasmus

a literary figure of speech where words, grammatical structures, or concepts are repeated in reverse order to create a special meaning or artistic effect

clauses

main: has a subject and verb, and can stand alone as a sentence

subordinate: has a subject and verb, but cannot stand alone

climax

the point at which the highest level of interest and emotional response is achieved

colloquial

informal language

complex sentence

a sentence that contains one independent clause and one dependent clause

compound sentence

sentence that combines two or more independent clauses that are closely related or of equal importance

compound-complex sentence

a sentence that contains at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause

conceit

figure of speech, usually a simile or metaphor, that forms an extremely ingenious or fanciful parallel between apparently dissimilar or incongruous objects or situations

confessional poetry

emerged in the 50s and 60s, poems that are self-revelatory and often deeply personal

conflict

drives the story and plot forward: internally, a psychological or emotional struggle, and externally, a struggle between a character and an outside force

consonance

the recurrence or repetition of identical or similar consonants

conventional character

a character or stereotypical figure based on widely recognized cultural or social norms

connotation

the emotional, cultural, or social significance associated with a word, giving it meaning

couplets

stanzas with lines grouped in two

dactylic

one long, or stressed syllable, followed by two short, or unstressed syllables

decasyllabic lines

consisting or composed of ten syllables

deixis

the pointing or specifying function of some words (such as definite articles and demonstrative pronouns) whose denotation changes from one discourse to another

denotation

a word’s literal meaning

denouement

conclusion after the climax of a narrative in which the complexities of the plot are unraveled and the conflict is finally resolved

dentals

consonant sounds produced by placing or tapping the tip of the tongue against the upper front teeth

deus ex machina

a person or thing that appears or is introduced into a situation suddenly and unexpectedly and provides an artificial or contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty

dialect

a variety of a language that signals where a person comes from

diction

choice of words, especially with regard to correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

didactic

writing intended to convey instruction and information

direct speech

to quote or repeat someone’s exact words, usually using quotation marks

dissonance

conflict between elements within a text experienced by the reader

distortion

a creative technique where a writer twists, exaggerates, or alters an idea, object, or setting so it looks very different from real life

elegy

meditative lyric poem lamenting the death of a public personage or of a friend or loved one

ellipsis

three periods at the end of a sentence, often to increase tension and create cliffhangers

end-stopped

a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause

enjambment

the continuation of the sense of a phrase beyond the end of a line of verse

epigram

applied to any brief and pithy verse, particularly if astringent and purporting to point a moral

epigraph

a short quotation, phrase, poem, or carved inscription placed at the beginning of a book, document, chapter, or building

epiphany

a moment of sudden insight, realization, or a divine manifestation

epistolary novel

a novel told through the medium of letters written by one or more of the characters

epistrophe

a rhetorical and literary device where a word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive clauses, phrases, or sentences

epithet

adjective or phrase that is used to express a characteristic of a person or thing, such as Ivan the Terrible

epizeuxis

a form of repetition in which a word is repeated immediately for emphasis

ethos

the characters or emotions of a speaker or writer that are expressed in a way attempting to persuade the audience

euphemism

a mild or indirect word or phrase used in place of a statement or word that is considered disagreeable or offensive

euphony

pleasing or harmonious sounds

exposition

a literary device used to introduce background information about the setting, characters' backstories, and prior events to the reader

fable

narrative form, usually featuring animals that behave and speak as human beings, told in order to highlight human follies and weaknesses

farce

a comic dramatic piece that uses highly improbable situations, stereotyped characters, extravagant exaggeration, and violent horseplay

figurative language

using words or phrases beyond their dictionary definition

flashback

narrative technique of interrupting the chronologicalsequence of events to interject events of earlier occurrence

flat character

two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work

foil

a character who is presented as a contrast to a second character so as to point to or show to advantage some aspect of the second character

foot

the basic unit of metrical measurement in poetry

foreshadowing

the organization and presentation of events and scenes in a work of fiction or drama so that the reader or observer is prepared to some degree for what occurs later in the work

fragmentation

breaks text into disconnected, nonlinear parts

free indirect speech

when the narrator takes on the thoughts of a character, often saying a character’s thoughts like they are their own

free verse

organized to the cadences of speech and image patterns rather than according to a regular metrical scheme

genre

a distinctive type or category of literary composition, such as the epic, tragedy, comedy, novel, and short story

heroic couplet

a couplet of rhyming iambic pentameters often forming a distinct rhetorical as well as metrical unit

hubris

the intentional use of violence to degrade or humiliate

hyperbole

an exaggeration

hypophora

when the speaker or writer asks a question and then immediately answers it

hypotaxis

a grammatical arrangement where clauses or phrases are placed in a dependent, unequal relationship to create a clear hierarchy of importance within a sentence

iambic

a line of verse composed of ten syllables arranged in five metrical feet (iambs), each of which consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

idiolect

the unique dialect of an individual person at any given time

imagery

the sensory and figurative language used in poetry

imperative sentence

a sentence that conveys a command

in media res

beginning an epic or other narrative by plunging into a crucial event

interior monologue

in dramatic and nondramatic fiction, a narrative technique that exhibits the thoughts passing through the minds of the protagonists

interrogative sentence

a sentence that asks a question