AP Lit Lit Terms #3

Anachronism

Something that isn’t placed in its proper historical time period

Anaphora

Repetition of an opening word or phrase in a series of lines

Anecdote

A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event; frequently reveals a character trait

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

Antithesis

Rhetorical figure in which two ideas are directly opposed; must be presented in grammatically parallel way

Asyndeton

A rhetorical figure involving the deliberate omission of conjunctions to create a concise, terse, and often memorable statement

Caesura

A speech pause occurring within a line

Chiasmus

A rhetorical figure consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”)

Climax

The point of greatest tension or emotional intensity in a plot; “turning point”

Conflict

A confrontation or struggle between opposing characters or forces from which the action emanates and around which it evolves

Physical Conflict

Man vs. man; man vs. nature

Social Conflict

Man vs. society

Internal Conflict

Man vs. self

Denouement

Events following the climax of a plot; resolution of conflict and explanation of mysteries or misunderstandings

Deus Ex Machina

“God from the machine”; intervention of a nonhuman force to resolve a seemingly unresolvable conflict; improbable or artificial resolution

Enjambment

A poetic expression that spans more than one line; does not end with grammatical breaks and creates a sense of incompleteness

Epigraph

A saying or statement on the title page of a work or used as a heading for a section

Flashback

The insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative

Foreshadowing

Introducing material that prepares the reader or audience for future events or revelations

In Medias Res

Technique of beginning a narrative in the middle of the action

Juxtaposition

Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast

Parallelism

A rhetorical figure emphasizing ideas/images by using grammatically similar constructions

Polysyndeton

The use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than necessary or natural

Style

An author’s choices and use of figurative language, diction, sound effects, syntax, etc.

Syntax

The arrangement or ordering of words within a sentence

Adage

A familiar proverb or saying

Ambiguity

Result of something being stated in such a way that its meaning cannot be definitely determined

Colloquialism

Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

Comedic Relief

A humorous scene or passage inserted into an otherwise serious work to provide emotional relief or contrast

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something unpleasant

Hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration for effect

Idiom

An expression that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of its words; often regional

Interior Monologue

A narrative mode revealing a character’s inner thoughts and emotions

Irony

A contradiction or incongruity between appearance or expectation and reality

Verbal Irony

When what is said is the opposite of what is meant

Situational Irony

A discrepancy between expectation and reality

Dramatic Irony

When the reader knows something the character does not

Romantic Irony

When an author reveals the narration to be a self-conscious creation, disrupting realism

Jargon

The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession

Point of View

The vantage point from which a narrative is told

First Person

A narrator who is a character in the story

Third Person Limited

A narrator who presents the story as seen and understood by a single character

Third Person Omniscient

A narrator who knows and reveals all thoughts and feelings of characters

Pun

A play on words that uses double meanings or similar sounds for humor or effect

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect, not requiring an answer

Sarcasm

Bitter or cutting speech intended to insult or mock

Stream of Consciousness

A type of interior monologue attempting to represent the continuous, chaotic flow of a character’s thoughts and feelings

Tone

The writer or speaker’s attitude toward the subject

Understatement

Saying less than one means or using less force than warranted, often for humor or irony

Vernacular

The everyday speech of a region or country, often involving nonstandard usage