ap lit terms

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

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

Denouement

Refers to events following the climax of a plot and implies some ingenious resolution of the dramatic conflict and explanation of the mysteries/misunderstandings of the plot

Deus Ex Machina

Refers to the intervention of a nonhuman force to resolve a seemingly unresolvable conflict in a literary work; an improbable or artificial resolution of conflict

Enjambment

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

Epigraph

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

Flashback

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

Foreshadowing

The technique of introducing into a narrative material that prepares the reader or audience for future events, actions, 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 to accentuate or emphasize ideas/images by using grammatically similar constructions

Polysyndeton

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

Style

An author's choices and use of figurative language, diction, sound effects, syntax, etc.; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work

Syntax

The arrangement--the ordering, grouping, and placement--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 intended to provide an emotional outlet and change of pace

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

Hyperbole

A figure of speech that uses deliberate exaggeration to achieve an effect; sometimes called overstatement

Idiom

An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect

Interior Monologue

A mode of narrative intended to reveal to the reader the subjective thoughts, emotions, and fleeting sensations experienced by a character

Irony

A contradiction or incongruity between appearance or expectation and reality

Jargon

The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession

Point of View

The vantage point from which a narrative is told

Pun

A play on words that capitalizes on a similarity of spelling and/or pronunciation between words that have different meanings

Rhetorical Question

A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer

Sarcasm

Bitter or cutting speech; intended to insult the person addressed

Stream of Consciousness

A particular type of interior monologue, an attempt to represent the inner workings of a character's mind

Tone

The writer or speaker's attitude towards the subject; the emotional coloring or meaning of a work

Understatement

A figure of speech that consists of saying less than one means, or of saying what one means with less force than what the occasion warrants

Vernacular

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

Allegory

A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one

Comedy

Literary genre in which the situation begins badly

Apostrophe

A device used wherein a character addresses a dead, absent, or imaginary person, thing, or personified abstraction.

Cliché

An expression used so often that it has become hackneyed and lost its original impact.

Concrete

Specific details to particular persons/things; creates a clear image for the reader.

Conceit

An elaborate and often surprising comparison between two apparently highly dissimilar things; most notable for its ingenuity.

Figurative Language

A type of language employing figures of speech; cannot be taken literally or ONLY literally.

Imagery

The representation through language of sense experience.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that associates two unlike things; the representation of one thing by another.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which one thing is represented by another that is commonly and often physically associated with it.

Mood

The general feeling created in the reader at a given point.

Motif

A unifying element in an artistic work, especially any recurrent image, symbol, character type, subject, or narrative detail.

Onomatopoeia

The creation or use of words that sound like what they mean or seem to signify meaning through sound effects.

Oxymoron

Figure of speech that juxtaposes two opposite or apparently contradictory words to present an emphatic and dramatic paradox for rhetorical purpose or effect.

Paradox

A statement or situation containing apparently contradictory or incompatible elements; upon closer inspection may be seen to contain an underlying truth.

Personification

A figure of speech or trope that bestows human characteristics upon anything nonhuman.

Simile

A figure of speech that compares two distinct things by using words such as "like" or "as".

Symbol

Something that means more than what it is; stands for or suggests something larger and more complex.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole, or occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part.

Antagonist

A person or force working against the protagonist.

Anthropomorphism

An animal that takes on human characteristics.

Antihero

A protagonist in a modern work who does not exhibit the qualities of the traditional hero.

Archetype

A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to be considered universal.

Aside

In drama, a convention by which actors speak briefly to the audience, supposedly without being heard by the other actors on stage.

Bildungsroman

A novel that recounts the development of an individual from childhood to maturity.

Caricature

The exaggeration of specific features of appearance or personality.

Catharsis

The emotional effect a tragic drama has on its audience.

Character

A figure in a literary work.

Flat characters

Characters defined by a single idea or quality.

Round characters

Characters that have the three-dimensional complexity of real people.

Static characters

Characters that don't change significantly over the course of a work.

Dynamic characters

Characters that change in response to circumstance and experience.

Characterization

Various means by which an author describes and develops the characters in a literary work.

Direct characterization

Narrator's description of a character.

Indirect characterization

Characters' actions, dialogue, other characters' comments about them.

Dialogue

Conversation between two or more characters in a literary work.

Epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight.

Foil

A character who, by contrast with the main character, serves to accentuate that character's distinctive qualities or characteristics.

Hubris

Excessive pride that constitutes the protagonist's tragic flaw and leads to his/her downfall.

Narrator

A speaker through whom an author presents a narrative.

Protagonist

The character around which the action is centered.

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character, alone on a stage, addresses him/herself.

Tragic Hero

The central character in a tragedy who experiences a tragic downfall.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in successive or neighboring words.

Assonance

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in stressed syllables.

Cacophony

Sound effect that uses harsh and displeasing sounds.

Connotation

The association developed by a word beyond its denotation or literal meaning.

Consonance

Repetition at close intervals of the final consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words.

Denotation

The literal meaning of a word.

Diction

A speaker or author's word choice.

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