AP Lit Literary Terms

Thesis

The writer's central purpose for writing and essay. It is the last sentence of the introduction that tells the reader, specifically, what the entire essay will prove

Topic Sentence

The first sentence of a BODY PARAGRAPH that tells the reader, specifically, what the entire paragraph will prove

Hook

The first sentence of an introduction that get attention, presents a concept, but does not address the thesis specifically

Ballad

a type of poem that tells a story. Typically composed of four-line stanzas with ABCB Rhyme Scheme set to music

Caesura

A short but definite pause used for effect within a line of poetry.

Concrete Poem

A poem that takes the shape of its subject or something symbolic

Couplet

Two consecutively rhyming lines in poetry

End-stopped line

A line ending in a full pause, usually indicated with a period or semicolon

Enjambment

A line having no end punctuation but running over to the next line.

Foot

A measured combination of heavy and light stresses

Free Verse

A contemporary form of poetry that does not have a specific rhyme, rhythm, or structure

Haiku

An unrhymed form of Japanese poetry. 3 lines, 5-7-5 syllables. Contains a 'kigo' (season word) and a kireji (cutting word)

Iambic pentameter

The most natural and common kind of meter in English; it elevates speech to poetry.

Internal Rhyme

When one or more words rhyme within the same line

Lyric Poem

An emotional poem with rhyme and structure (song-like quality)

Ode

A poem whos main purpose is to celebrate the existence of something

Italian Sonnet (Petrarchan)

8 lines (the "octave") and 6 lines (the "sestet") of rhyming iambic pentameter, with a turning or "volta" at about the 8th line. Rhyme scheme: abba abba cdcdcd (or cde cde)

Refrain

repeated word or series of words in response or counterpoint to the main verse, as in a ballad.

Rhyme

The repetition of identical concluding syllables in different words, most often at the ends of lines. Example: June--moon.

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhyme in a poem. Each unique sound at the end of each line is assigned a corresponding letter (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG)

Sestet

A six-line stanza or unit of poetry.

English Sonnet (Shakespearean)

3 quatrains and a couplet, often with three arguments or images in the quatrains being resolved in the couplet. Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg

Slant Rhyme

A near rhyme in which the concluding consonant sounds are identical but not the vowels. Example: sun/noon, should/food, slim/ham.

Sonnet

A 14-line structured poem with a specific rhyme scheme written in iambic pentameter

Speaker

The person/thing that is "saying" a poem

Stanza

a group of lines in a poem

Volta

The "turning" point of a Petrarchan sonnet, usually occurring between the octave and the sestet.

Alliteration

The repetition of identical consonant sounds, most often the sounds beginning words, in close proximity. Example: pensive poets, taco tuesday

Allusion

when on literary work references another

Anaphora

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of a line throughout a work or the section of a work.

Assonance

The repetition of identical vowel sounds in different words in close proximity. Example: deep green sea.

Chiasmus

a "crossing" or reversal of two elements Example: Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.

Conflict

In literature, a struggle between two or more opposing forces

Consonance

the counterpart of assonance; the partial or total identity of consonants in words whose main vowels differ. Example: shadow meadow; pressed, passed; sipped, supped.

Diction

the author's precise choice of words

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something a character doesn't

External Conflict

conflict existing between two or more external forces (character vs. character, character vs. society, character vs. nature, character vs. technology, character vs. supernatural

First-Person POV

The narrator is a character in the story

Hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration for dramatic effect

Idiom

A language-specific phrase that does not make literal sense

Imagery

when the author's words appeal to senses and create an image that has symbolic meaning

Internal Conflict

conflict existing between a character and their own mind (character vs. self)

Metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as"

Motif

a recurring element in literature that has symbolic meaning

Onomatopoeia

A word that's created to mimic a sound (buzz, wham, ding)

Personification

giving human characteristics to nonhuman things

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told

Pun

A "play" on words where two or more words sound similar, but have different meanings.

Setting

time, place, and situation in a narrative

Simile

a comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as"

Situational Irony

When the outcome is different/opposite of what's expected

Symbolism

when a tangible object inside a text represents some intangible concept outside the text

Syntax

Word order and sentence structure.

Theme

the author's central purpose for writing a text. It is a statement about LIFE/PEOPLE/SOCIETY--The Meaning of the Work as a Whole (MOWAW)

Third-Person Limited

The narrator is NOT a character in the story and knows the thoughts of only 1 character

Third-Person Objective

The narrator is NOT a character in the story and only tells words/actions (no thoughts)

Third-Person Omniscient

The narrator is NOT a character in the story and knows the thoughts of AT LEAST 2 characters

Tone

the mood/feeling created by and author's words

Verbal Irony

When a character says the opposite of what they mean

Characterization

the process of identifying character traits in literature

Direct Characterization

characterization based on direct observations and assigned attributes by narrator

Dynamic (round) Character

A character that experiences a dramatic emotional/psychological change in a narrative

Foreshadowing

hints that predict a future outcome

Indirect Characterization

characterization based on a characters words/thoughts/actions that is revealed and interpreted

Plot

the sequence of events in a story—exposition, rising action, climax, falling action dénouement

Static (flat) Character

A character that does not experience a dramatic emotional/psychological change in a narrative