AP Literature and Composition Terms 2/2

Genre

A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content

Gothic Novel

A genre of fiction characterized by mystery and supernatural horror, often set in a dark castle or other medieval setting

Hamartia

All about a noble or good person who makes a mistake and fails because of their decision or choice. It is an internal character/personality trait that directly causes the downfall of a person

Heroine

A woman noted for courage and daring action or simply the female protagonist in a work

Homonym

Two words that are pronounced/sound similar to each other but have different meanings (ex: ant and aunt)

Hubris

Used in Greek tragedies, refers to excessive pride that usually leads to a hero’s downfall (ex: Oedipus’ pride)

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or comic/dramatic effect

Illocution

Language that avoids the true meaning of words. It expresses two stories, one of which is not apparent to the characters, but apparent to the reader (ex: characters talking about how stormy the weather is, but the storm could mean that their relationship is in turmoil)

Imagery

The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas

In Medias Res

A story that begins in the middle of things (ex: Oedipus)

Inversion

In poetry, it is an intentional digression from the ordinary word order, which is used to maintain regular meters. Meters can be formed by the insertion or absence of a pause

Irony

When one things should occur, is apparent, or in logical sequence but the opposite actually occurs

Masculine Ending

Stressed extra syllable at the end of a line

Memoir

An account of the true personal experiences of an author. Concerns only a specific time period or a small range of events. This is contrasted with an autobiography, which is the complete account of one’s life so far

Meter

The measured arrangement of words in poetry, by accented rhythm, number of syllables grouped by stressed syllables, or the total number of syllables in a line. Usually modified with a prefix to tell how many “feet” are in the meter

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another without using “like” or “as”

Metonymy

The use of a word or phrase to stand in for something else which it is often associated. It is often confused with synecdoche, but it is not a part of the whole it is a term that is often associated with (ex: Oval Office = Executive branch and all its members)

Motif

A dominant theme or central idea that occurs in the story

Narrator

The teller of the story, the voice of the story. Can change throughout story / chapters, can be trustworthy or unreliable

Novella

A short novel usually under 100 pages

Ode

A lyric poem of considerable length, usually of a serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal stanzaic structure. It celebrated something

Onomatopoeia

The formation of use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to (ex: boom)

Paradox

Statement which seems to contradict itself (ex: His old face was youthful when he heard the news)

Parody

A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule (ex: SNL)

Personification

A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form

Poetic Justice

The rewarding of virtue and the punishment of vice in the resolution of a plot. The character, as they say, gets what he/she deserves: the good eventually wins, the bad loses

Polysyndeton

The use of multiple conjoining conjunctions when not grammatically necessary for emphasis or to maintain meter (ex: “And again, and again and again” Dr. Dre)

Prequel

A literary, dramatic, or cinematic work whose narrative takes a lace before that of a preexisting work or sequel

Prologue

An introduction or preface, especially a poem recited to introduce a play

Prose

Ordinary speech or writing without metrical structure, written in paragraph form (ex: novels, short stories, non-fiction, essays, etc)

Protagonist

The main character in a drama or literary work

Pun

A play on words, when two words have multiple meanings and spellings and are used in a humorous manner

Repetition

The successive use of a word or phrase for emphasis or to create a specific sound in the reader’s mind

Rhyme

The repetition of sounds in words

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of end rhyme in a poem (ex: Shakespearean Sonnet ABAB / CDCD / EFEF / GG)

Rising Action

The events of a dramatic or narrative plot preceding and building up to the climax

Round (Dynamic) Character

A character who is developed over the course of the book, these characters are usually major characters in a novel or play

Resolution

Solution to the conflict in literature. Often the death or epiphany of a character. Not necessarily, but often, the end of a work

Satire

A literary work in which human vice or folly is attack through irony, derision, or wit; the goal is to change the behavior/issue

Simile

A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as

Slang

A kind of language occurring chiefly in causal and playful speech, made typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect

Soliloquy

A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to themselves or reveal their thoughts without addressing a listener. Used to reveal inner thoughts or motivations without letting others know

Sonnet

Traditionally, a poem of fourteen lines of rhyming iambic pentameter. Divided into main subcategories (ex: Italian (Petrarchan) and English (Shakespearean)

Style

The combination of distinctive features of literary or artistic expression, execution, or performance characterizing a particular person, group, school, or era

Symbol

Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible

Synechdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is referred to by the whole or the whole refers to a part (ex: Check out my wheels (wheels = car))

Tragedy

A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances

Tone

Reflects how the author feels about the subject matter or the feeling the author wants to instill in the reader through the use of specific word choices