AP Literature: Terms for Caesar Unit

idealism

the philosophy that things exist in their best form rather than as they really are; being too "noble-minded" or incurably optimistic

pragmatism

the philosophy of accepting the facts of life and favoring practicality and literal truth instead of wishful thinking

stoicism

the philosophy where people choose to rarely show emotion because of the belief that reason or indifference is better than experiencing pain or pleasure

alliteration

a stylistic device in which words that have the same first consonant sound occur close together in a series

allusion

a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance

anachronism

Something that is not in its correct historical time; a mistake in chronology, such as by assigning a person or event to the wrong time period

anagnorisis

Recognition of truth about one's self and one's actions; moment of clarity

anaphora

A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences.

apostrophe

A figure of speech in which someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is addressed as if it were alive and present and could reply

aside

A remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but typically unheard by the other characters in the play

catharsis

Purification of the audience's fear and pity at the end of a tragedy that brings emotional relief or renewal, typically because of the resolution in the plot

connotation

An idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning

couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that have end rhyme; in Shakespearean, it often signals the end of a scene or act

dramatic irony

when the meaning or truth of a situation is understood by the audience/reader but not by the characters in the text

enjambment

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, where reading to the punctuation is necessary for meaning or understanding

epistrophe

a type of repetition that occurs when the last word or set of words in one sentence, clause, or phrase is repeated one or more times at the end of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases.

ethos

Appeals to an audience's sense of morality/trust; Achieved by projecting an image of credibility which supports the speaker's position

foil

A character that by contrast and juxtaposition underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another

hamartia

a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine (not the specific flaw of pride)

hubris

Excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy

hyperbole

A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor

iambic pentameter

A common meter in poetry consisting of a line with five feet, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable.

juxtaposition

a literary technique in which two or more ideas, settings, characters, and/or their actions are placed side by side in a text for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts; often used to highlight traits of the protagonist

logos

An appeal based on logic or reason

metaphor

figure of speech comparing two different things, where one item "becomes" another (often uses "is")

monologue

A long speech in a play or story, delivered by a single person to others

motif

A recurrent action, word, concept, or symbol that tends to unify the literary work or that may be elaborated into a thematic idea

oxymoron

A figure of speech consisting of two apparently contradictory terms that appear consecutively

paradox

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth

parallelism

The repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns or structure

pathos

Appeal to emotion or feelings

pun

A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings

rhetoric

describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively

rhetorical question

a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked in order to emphasize a point rather than to elicit an answer

rhythm

A strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound

situational irony

Occurs when events within or the outcome of a work is the opposite of what was expected (twist ending)

soliloquy

A dramatic speech, revealing inner thoughts and feelings, spoken aloud by one character while alone on the stage

stanza

A number of lines of verse forming a unit in a poem

understatement

a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker says less than what he or she means or presents something as less significant than it is

verbal irony

a figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant