AP Lit: Essential Literary Terms

abstract language

Language describing ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places.

absurdist drama

a play illustrating the modern sense of human purposelessness in a universe without meaning or value

accentual meter

number of stressed syllables in each line, without regard to the unstressed syllables (found commonly in German Language)

accentual-syllabic meter

based on number of syllables in a line and on the pattern of stresses in each metrical unit or foot

adjectives

Describing words

allegories

expressions of truths or generalizations of human experiences through the use of symbolic fictional figures or actions

alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

allusions

a passing reference in a work of literature to another literary or historical work, figure, or event, or to a literary passage

anagnorisis

recognition or discovery on the part of the hero; change from ignorance to knowledge

analogy

the comparison of a subject to something that is similar to it in order to clarify the subject's nature, purpose, or function

anapestic foot

two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one

anapestic trimeter

poetic meter where each line consists of three anapests (a metrical foot made up of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable)

anaphora

Intentional repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines, stanzas, sentences, or paragraphs

ancient Greek drama

theatrical performances, primarily tragedies and comedies, that were developed in ancient Greece or of Greek ancestry

antagonist

the main character in a work of drama, fiction, or narrative poetry (greek for "first actor" or "first contender")

anthology citations

collection of works, organized around a central theme, that has been assembled by an editor or publisher

antihero

character who is feckless, inept, and downtrodden - notably lacking in the conventional heroic qualities

antinovels

a work that derives its effects from eschewing such standard features of the genre as coherent plot, establishing setting, and sustained character development

antithesis

a figure of speech in which words or phrases taht are parallel in order and syntax express opposite and contrasting meanings

aphorisms

Short statements of truth

apostrophe

address to a dead or absent person or to an inanimate object or abstract concept

appositive

a noun or noun phrase that describes or equates with a nearby noun or pronoun

asides

a speech, usually brief, that, according to theatrical conventions, is heard only by the audience, or, sometimes, is addressed privately to another character on stage

assonance

repitition of consonant sounds in two or more successive words or stressed syllables - not necessarily nearby - that contain different vowel sounds

atmosphere

the predominant mood or tone in all or part of a literary work, which may, for example, be joyous, festive, tranquil, melancholy, eerie, tense, or ominous

author information

basic facts such as childhood, education, career, relationships, family and death

ballad meter

a four-line stanza rhymed abcd with four feet in lines one and three and three feet in lines two and four.

bibliographic information

details needed to identify and locate a source, such as a book, article, or website (usually include author, title, publication date, and publisher)

bildungsroman

a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education.

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

blocking of asides

The precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera

caesuras

pause in the midst of a verse line

catalectic foot (catalexis)

a missing unstressed syllable at the end of a trochaic or dactylic line

catharsis in tragedy

an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress

chracterization

identifying physical, emotional, and unique traits of a character

chiasmus

a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases

classical tragedy

a dramatic work where a noble hero's tragic flaw causes him/her to break a moral law that leads to his/her downfall

closed couplets

a rhyming couplet with end-stopped lines that is logically or grammatically complete

closed form of poetry

Poetry that sticks to predictable patterns and structures.

closet drama

a play that is written to be read rather than performed onstage.

colloquial language

Slang or common language that is informal

comedy

A humorous work of drama

common meter

a metrical pattern in poetry, particularly common in hymns and ballads (iambic pattern; stressed/unstressed)

complete predicate

consists of a verb and all the words that describe the verb and complete its meaning

complete subject

Includes all the words that tell whom or what the sentence is about

complex sentence

A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

compound sentences

has two independent clauses and is joined by a conjunction

conceit, metaphysical

complex metaphor that is used in metaphysical poetry to explore abstract ideas, connecting them to the physical world in an unusual way

concrete language

Language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities.

conjunctions, coordinating

conjunctions that join, or coordinate, two or more items (such as words, main clauses, or sentences)