AP Lit Literary Terms Set 1

Abstract

typically complex, discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points

Academic

as an adjective describing style, this word means dry and theoretical writing, when a piece of writing seems to be sucking all the life out of its subjects with analysis

Accent

the stressed portion of a word, often a matter of opinion, ex: In “To be, or not to be,” ____ falls on the first “be” and “not”

Aesthetic

can mean “appealing to the senses” and is a phrase synonymous with artistic judgment, plural it is the study of beauty

Allegory

a story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside the tale itself

Alliteration

the repetition of initial consonant sounds, consonant clusters coming closely cramped and compressed

Allusion

a reference to another work or famous figure

Anachronism

derived from Greek it means “misplaced in time,” if the actor playing Brutus in a production of Julius Caesar forgets to take off his wrist-watch, the effect will be _____

Analogy

a comparison, usually with two or more symbolic parts and are employed to clarify an action or relationship, ex: Just as the mother eagle shelters her young from the storm by spreading her great wings above their heads, so does Acute Insurers of America spread an umbrella of coverage to protect its policy-holders from the storms of life

Anecdote

a short narrative

Antecedent

the word, phrase, or clause that determines what a pronoun refers to, ex: The principal asked the children where they were going, they is the “pronoun” and “children” is the _____

Anthropomorphism

when inanimate objects are given human characteristics Ex: “In the forest, the darkness waited for me, I could hear its patient breathing” (not to be confused with personification, that requires that the non-human quality or thing take on human shape)

Anticlimax

occurs when an action produces far smaller results than one had been led to expect, frequently comic

Antihero

a protagonist (main character) who is markedly unheroic: morally weak, cowardly, dishonest, or any number of other unsavory qualities

Aphorism

a short and usually witty saying, such as: “A classic? That’s a book that people praise and don’t read” - Mark Twain

Apostrophe

a figure of speech wherein the speaker talks directly to something that is nonhuman

Archaism

the use of deliberately old-fashioned language, authors sometimes use it to create a feeling of antiquity like “Ye Olde Candle Shoppe”

Aside

a speech (usually a short comment) made by an actor to the audience, as though momentarily stepping outside of the action on stage

Aspect

a trait or characteristic, as in “an _____ of the dew drop”

Assonance

the repeated use of vowel sounds, as in, “Old king Cole was a merry old soul”

Atmosphere

the emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene

Ballad

a long, narrative poem, usually in very regular meter and rhyme, it typically has a naive folksy quality, a characteristic that distinguishes it from epic poetry

Pathos

when the writing of a scene evokes feelings of dignified pity and sympathy

Bathos

when writing strains for grandeur it can’t support and tries to jerk tears from every little hiccup

Black humor

the use of disturbing themes in comedy, in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, the two tramps, Didi and Gogo comically debate over which should commit suicide first and whether the branches of the tree will support their weight