AP Lit 1-60

Ad misericordiam

An appeal to the audience’s sympathy; an attempt to persuade another, using a hard luck story rather than logic or reason.

ex. Not doing good homework because your stressed about senior year

Allegory

An expression, be means of symbolic fictional characters and actions, of truths about human conduct and experience

ex. George Orwell’s Animal Farm; animals overthrow human owner; Russian Revolution

Alliteration

The repetition of accented consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close to each other, usually to create an effect, rhythm, or emphasis

ex. Sally Sells Seashells at the Sea Shore

Allusion

A reference in literature or in art to previous literature, history, mythology, pop culture/ current events, or the bible

ex. This place is like Eden.

Ambiguity

Quality of being intentionally unclear. Events or situations that are ambiguous can be interpreted in more than one way. This device is especially beneficial in poetry, as it tend to grace the work with the richness and depth of multiple meanings.

ex. I saw her duck

anachronism

An element in a story that is out of its time frame; sometimes used to create a humorous or jarring effect. Beware: This can also occur because of careless or poor research on the author’s part

ex. Julius Caesar- Shakespeare mentions caps which the romans did not wear

anadiplosis

repeating last word of clause at beginning of next clause.

ex. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate

analogy

An analogy clarifies or explains an unfamiliar concept or object, or one that cannot be put in words, by comparing it with one which is familiar. By explaining the abstract in terms of the concrete, this term may force the reader to think more critically about a concept. Similes and metaphors are 2 types of this

ex. Knowledge always desires increase: it is like fire

analysis

The process of examining the components of a literary work. An analysis of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre might make reference to the novel’s Gothic setting, elements of suspense, the author’s style, romantic and feminist themes, the use of symbolism and figurative language, and the novel’s religious aspects.

Ex. just write what you notice

anecdote

A short and often personal story used to emphasize a point, to develop a character or a theme, or to inject humor

ex. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby there is the anecdote about Tom Buchanan’s liaison with the chambermaid during his honeymoon that speaks volumes about his character.

antagonist

A character who functions as a resisting force to the goals of the protagonist. Mostly villain but sometimes good.

ex. Lago from Othello and Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet

antecedent

The word or phrase to which a pronoun refers. It often precedes a pronoun in prose (but not necessarily in poetry).

ex. Emma lost her book. Term Emma.

anticlimax

An often disappointing, sudden end to an intense situation

ex. Many critics consider Jim’s capture and rescue in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn an example of an anticlimax.

antihero

A protagonist who carries the action of the literary piece but does not embody the classic characteristics of courage, strength, and nobility.

ex. Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, Yossarian in Catch-22, and Meursault in The Stranger are considered to be antiheroes.

antithesis

A concept that is directly opposed to a previously presented idea.

ex. In the Popular Star Wars movie trilogy, Darth Vader, of the dark side of the Force, represents ideas that are diametrically opposed ( that is, antithetical) to those of the Jedi Knights.

anapest

a metrical foot of poetry consisting of two unaccented syllables, followed by one accented syllable.

ex. un-der-stand

anaphora

Repetition of an opening word or phrase in a series of lines.

ex. This could be great. This could be amazing. This could be legendary.

anthropomorphism

Giving a human quality, emotion or ambition to a non-human object or being. Differs from personification in that the non-human objects acts like a human rather than simply being given the trait

ex. singing/dancing Disney animals

aphorism

A terse statement that expresses a general truth or moral principle; sometimes considered a folk proverb.

ex. actions speak louder than words- what you do matters more than what you say

apostrophe

A rhetorical ( not expecting an answer) figure of direct address to a person, object, or abstract entity.

ex. John Donne’s sonnet, “Death Be Not Proud,” or Anthony’s address to the dead Caesar in Julius Caesar

apotheosis

Elevating someone to the level of a god

ex. Helen of Troy is considered this of beauty

archetype

A character, situation, or symbol that is familiar to people from all cultures because it occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore.

ex. the dove- symbol of peace

aside

A short speech or remark made by an actor to the audience rather than to the other characters, who do not hear him or her.

ex. Macbeth uses an aside to tell the audience his plans

assonance

The repeated use of a vowel sound

ex. How now brown cow?

asyndeton

A rhetorical term for a writing style that omits conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.

ex. She ran, jumped, laughed, cried

attitude

The author’s feelings toward the topic he or she is writing about.

ex. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses an innocent and unjaded child narrator to express her own this term toward prejudice.

aubade

a poem or song about lovers who must leave one another in the early hours of the morning

ex. The sun has risen, and you must go

ballad

A folk song or poem passed down orally that tells a story which may be derived from an actual incident or from legend or folklore. Usually composed in four-line stanzas (quatrains) with the rhyme scheme abcb

ex. like sailor songs or dholki

bildungsroman

A novel whose principal subject is the moral, psychological, and intellectual development of a usually youthful main character

ex. Harry Potter

blank verse

Unrhymed poetry of iambic pentameter (five feet of two syllables each- unstressed and stressed); favored technique of Shakespeare.

ex. no rhyming

cacophony

Harsh, discordant sounds, unpleasant to the ear

ex. nails scratching on blackboard

caesura

A speech pause occurring within a line

ex. Poetry——-what a strange and lovely thing it is

Carpe diem

Latin for “seize the day”; frequent in 16th- and 17th century court poetry. Expresses the idea that you only go around once

ex. dance like no-one is watching

catharsis

The term refers to an emotional cleansing or feeling or relief.

ex. Romeo and Juliet so sad they die fr

characterization

the way an author presents characters. In direct presentation, a character is described by the author, the narrator or the other characters. In indirect presentation, a character's traits are revealed by action and speech.

ex. lily is kind and generous/ Lily helped feed homeless uneducated children

chiasmus

The opposite of parallel construction; inverting the second of two phrases that would otherwise be in parallel form

ex. ask not what your country can do for you- ask what can you do for your country

colloquial

Of or relating to slang or regional dialect, used in familiar everyday conversation. In writing, an informal style that reflects the way people spoke in a distinct time and/or place.

ex. I dont wanna do that though.

conceit

A far-fetched comparison between two seemingly unlike things; an extended metaphor that gains appeal from its unusual or extraordinary comparison.

ex. All the world is a stage- everyone has a role-shakespeare

connotation

Associations a word calls to mind. house and home have the same denotation, or dictionary meaning- a place to live. but home this term worth and security, house does not

ex. home- warmth

consonance

Same consonant sound in words with different vowel sounds. The following word groups reflect this term: work, stack, ark, belong, among

couplet

two successive rhyming lines of the same number of syllables, with matching cadence.

ex. hope springs eternal in the human breast

dactyl

Foot of poetry with three syllables, one stressed and two short or unstressed

ex. Just for a handful of sliver he left us

denotation

The dictionary or literal meaning of a word or phrase.

ex. all these meanings

denouement

the outcome or clarification at the end of a story or play; the winding down from climax to ending.

ex. In Romeo Juliet after the deaths the families reconcile

deus ex machina

Literally, when the gods intervene at a story’s end to resolve a seemingly impossible conflict. Refers to an unlikely or improbable coincidence; a cop-out ending.

ex. Medea kills her kids and is taken by a chairiot of gods

diction

The deliberate choice of a style of language for a desired effect or tone. Words chosen to achieve a particular effect that is formal, informal, or colloquial.

ex. the words chosen

didactic

A this term story, speech, essay or play is one in which the author’s primary purpose is to instruct, teach or moralize.

ex. Tortasie and the Hare

distortion

An exaggeration or stretching of the truth to achieve a desired effect

ex. Gregor Samsa waking up as a large insect in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a distortion of reality.

elegy

a type of literature defined as a song or poem, that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died.

ex. O Captain! My Captain! Walt Whitman

enjambment

In poetry, the running over of a sentence from one verse or stanza into the next without stopping at the end of the first.

ex. She ran across the field
And felt the wind whip through her hair
As if it knew her secrets.”

epigram

A short, clever poem with a witty turn of thought.

ex.A book unopened is a mind unused.

epigraph

A brief quotation found at the beginning of a literary work, reflective of theme.

ex. Toni Morrison’s beloved opens with the epigraph: “Sixty million and more” which says volumes about slavery

epiphany

A sudden flash of insight. A startling discovery and/or appearance; a dramatic realization.

ex. Scrooge realizes the importance of kindness

epistolary novel

A novel in letter form written by one or more of the characters. The novelist can use this technique to present varying first person points of view and does not need a narrator

ex. The diary of Anne Frank

epistrophe

repetition of words at the end of a line, phrase, or clause

ex. of the people. by the people for the people

epithet

an identifying expression

ex. the boy with the scar- Harry Potter

essay

A short composition on a single topic expressing the view or interpretation of the writer on that topic.

ex. girl u should know this

euphemism

Substitution of an inoffensive word or phrase for another that would be harsh, offensive, or embarrassing.

ex. “he passed” rather than “he died”

euphony

The quality of a pleasant or harmonious sound of a word or group of words as an intended effect.
ex. The golden sunlight lingered on the calm, quiet lake.

fallacy

a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument.

ex. the camera never lies