AP English Literature Terms ALL (1-175)

abstract

word or idea referring to a generality, state of being or quality that cannot be reached by the five senses.

ad hominem fallacy

a fallacy of logic in which a person's character or motive is attacked instead of that person's argument.

ad populum fallacy

a fallacy of logic in which the widespread occurrence of something is assumed to make it true or right. (Ex: "The Escort is the most widely sold car in the world, therefore, it must be the best.")

aesthetic

the study or philosophy of beauty in art, literature, and nature

allegory

writing that has a deeper meaning hidden beneath the obvious one; a story in which the people, places, and things represent general concepts or moral qualities.

alliteration

repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

allusion

reference, without explanation, to previous, well-known literature, character, or common knowledge, assuming reader is familiar with its implications.

ambiguity

having more than one meaning, used in verbal, written, and nonverbal communication.

anachronism

out of time, placing something in a time where it does not belong

analogy

a comparison between two things in which the more complex is explained in terms of the more simple. (Ex: comparing a year-long profile of the stock index to a roller-coaster ride); Comparison of two dissimilar things that are alike in some way, often using similar or metaphor. (Ex: He reminded me of a pig eating his swill).

anaphora

The repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive lines of verse, sentences, etc. (Ex: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted," etc.)

anecdote

a short entertaining account of some happening, frequently personal or biographical.

antagonist

person who causes the conflict

antecedent

the noun to which the pronoun refers

antihero

character, usually the protagonist, who faces a series of problems and events in a story, but often is going against traditional societal standards.

antithesis

opposing view; view contrasted with thesis (main idea). (Ex: "All men are created equal; Some men are more equal than others.")

aphorism

wise saying, usually short and written, reflecting a general truth. (Ex: Haste makes waste).

apostrophe

a figure of speech in which a person not present, an inanimate object, or a virtue is addressed (spoken to) directly.

appeal to authority

citation of information from people recognized for their special knowledge of a subject for the purpose of strengthening speaker or writer's arguments.

archaism

the use of deliberately old-fashioned language.

archetype

the original model or pattern from which copies are made, or out of which later forms develop; prototype.

aside

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

assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds (Ex: "Old king Cole was a merry old soul").

ballad

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

bathos

excessive sentimentality; triteness

begging the question

a fallacy of logical argument that assumes as true the very thing that one is trying to prove. (Ex: The Bible is the infallible word of God. The Bible says that God exists, therefore, God exists").

black humor

this is the use of disturbing themes in comedy.

cacophony

in poetry, deliberately using harsh, awkward sounds.

canon

An accepted list. (Ex: Religious = Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, etc.).

caricature

a portrait (verbal or otherwise) that exaggerates a facet of personality.

carpe deim

literally "seize the day," a philosophy of living for the day and not thinking of tomorrow

catharsis

therapeutic release of emotion upon identifying with and being moved by a piece of literature.

cause and effect

examination of the causes and/or effects of a situation or phenomenon. (Ex: Essay topics such as "How did the incumbent mayor lose the election?" or "What causes obesity?" are well suited to this exposition.)

chorus

in Greek drama, this is the group of citizens who stand outside the main action of the play and comment on it.

clause

any combination of subject and verb which makes a complete, sentence, Independent/Dependent.

cliche

trite overused idea or statement. (Ex: H.A.G.S.)

climax

high point in the plot where the reader is most intrigued and does not yet know the outcome.

coherence

clearness in connecting ideas

colloquial expression

words and phrases used in everyday speech but avoided in formal writing. (Ex: "Jack was bummed out over his chemistry grade." instead of "Jack was upset about the chemistry grade.")

conceits

a type of metaphor that is strikingly odd and thoughtful (Ex: love compared to a motorcycle.)

conciseness

"tight" writing; use of only the necessary words to express thoughts.

concrete

opposite of abstract, refers to specific people and things that can be perceived with the five senses.

conflict

opposing elements or characters in a plot

connotation

surrounding feelings and associations added to word meaning. (Ex: mother - kindly, self-sacrificing, nurturing woman.)

consonance

repetition of similar consonant sounds, with changes in intervening vowel sounds. These consonant sounds do not necessarily occur at the beginning of words.

controlling image

an image or metaphor which runs throughout the work.

damning with faint praise

intentional use of a positive statement that has a negative implication. (Ex: "Your new hairdo is so interesting.")

deduction (deductive reasoning)

a form of reasoning that begins with a generalization, then applies the generalization to a specific case or cases; opposite of induction

denotation

dictionary meaning of a word

denouement

outcome, resolution, solution of a plot.

deus ex machina (ghost in the machine)

means by which a plot is moved along artificially.

diction

word choice: denotation = dictionary definition;
connotation = all the emotions a word brings

didactic

describes literary works meant to teach a moral or lesson (such as a fable).

digression

insertion of material not closely related to the work or subject

dilemma

2 choices, both bad; or 2 choices, either one producing a bad outcome

dissonance

this refers to the granting of incompatible sounds

doppelganger

literally "double goer"; a mysterious twin or a double fighting against your good work

double-entendre

double meaning of a word, phrase, or sentence, often raucous or sexual in implication. Ex: All eyes to the rear.

editorial

newspaper or magazine article expressing opinion of an editor or publisher

elegy

a type of poem that meditates on death or morality in a serious, thoughtful manner.

ellipsis

three dots (...) to show words have been left out of a quotation or to indicate the passage of time.

envoy/envoi

brief postscript to book, essay, or poem; often the concluding stanza to a ballad, summarizing the poem.

epic

a long narrative poem on a serious theme in a dignified style

epigram

witty, often paradoxical, saying or brief poem. Ex: Absence makes the heart grow fonder - of somebody else

epitaph

inscription on tombstone or maker of the dead

epiphany

a sudden understanding or realization, which prior to this was not thought or understood

eponym

person whose name is the source of a new word. Ex: Peter Magnol (magnolia); William Spooner (spoonerism)

ethos

the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's actions rather than his own thought or emotion (outside factors); the fundamental spirit of a culture

euphemism

more palatable word for less pleasant subject. Ex: "lady of the evening"/"prostitute" and "Passed away"/"died"

expository writing

writing that explains or analyzes

fable

story with moral or lesson about life, often with animal characters with human characteristics

false dilemma

a fallacy of logical argument which is committed when too few of the available alternative are considered, and all but one is assessed and deemed impossible or unacceptable.

fantasy

from "fancy;" usually the breaking away from reality

figure of speech

uses of language which depart from customary construction, metaphors, similes, personification, hyperboles, etc.

first-person narrative

story told from first-person point of view, usually using "I."

flashback

jumping backward in the chronology of a narrative, often through a dream or musing sequence

foil

character opposite or different from the protagonist, used to highlight the protagonist's traits; incidents or settings may also be used

folklore/folktales

stories and legends transmitted by word of mouth, rather than in writing

foreshadowing

hints during the narrative about what will happen later, can be literal hints or symbolic hints

genre

kind or type of literature; literary classification. Ex: novel, science fiction, etc.

hero

character, usually the protagonist, who rises above and conquered the series of problems and events in the story

homonyms

words that sound alike, are spelled alike, but have different meanings. Ex: trunk (of trees and a suitcase)

homophones

words that sound alike (includes homonyms and also words that have different spellings). Ex: sea and see

hubris

the excessive pride or ambition that leads to the main character's downfall.

hyperbole

use of extreme exaggeration for effect. Ex: She cried an ocean

i.e.

that is (followed usually by and explanatory matter)

idiom

phrase in common use that does not literally mean what it says. Ex: hold on to your hat

imagery

creation of mental pictures by pertinent word choice and heightened description. Ex: His leathery, sun-abused face was ridged like corrugated cardboard.

in medias res (in the midst of things)

starting a story in the middle of the action, later the first part will be revealed

independent/dependent clause

ind- a sentence which stands alone
dep- a sentence which needs to be joined with another sentence to make sense

induction (inductive reasoning)

a form of reasoning which works from a body of fact to the formulation of a generalization; reasoning in which a broad generalization is formulated from a more specific fact; opposite to deduction; frequently used as the principal form of reasoning in science and history

inference

to conclude by reason an idea, attitude, tone, that is not directly stated by the author

invective

a violent verbal attack

inverted syntax

reversing the normal word order of a sentence. (Ex: Whose words these are I think I know)

irony

Verbal irony includes phrases or words with meanings quite different from what is actually stated; a method of humorous or sarcastic expression in which the intended meaning of the words is the opposite of their usually meaning (ex: saying that a cold, windy, rainy day is "lovely").
Situational: the opposite happens from what is expected.
Dramatic: the audience knows something the characters don't.

jargon

words peculiar to any particular occupation

litters

understatement, where positive is expressed as a negative. Ex: He is not a bad dancer.

malapropim

confusion of similar-sounding words which often ends up sounding humorous

mechanics

any form of sentence regulation which aides in interpretation; period comma, hyphen, question mark, italics, capitalization, etc.

melodrama

a form of cheesy theater in which the hero is very, very good, the villain is mean and rotten, and the heroine is oh-so-pure