AP Lit Vocab 18

Antithesis

A figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas; a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness (Ex. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” - Neil Armstrong, “To err is human; to forgive divine” - Alexander Pope)

Deus Ex Machina

In literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem (Ex. Lord of the Flies and Donnie Darko)

Eponymous

A term for the title character of a work of literature (Ex. Hamlet or Jane Eyre)

Hubris

Another way of saying overly arrogant. Character portraying may have just gained a huge amount of power and the false belief that they are “untouchable”. In writing and literature, generally considered a “tragic flaw” and save for the protagonist (Ex. Macbeth or Victor Frankenstein)

Hamartia

A personal error in a protagonist’s personality that brings about his tragic downfall in a tragedy. This defect in a hero’s personality is also known as a “tragic flaw” (Ex. Hamlet - indecisiveness and Macbeth -ambition )

Tautology

A repetitive use of phrases or words which have similar meanings. Expressing the same thing, an idea or saying two or more times (Ex. “Repeat that again” or “Your acting is completely devoid of emotion”)

Pastiche

A literary piece that imitates another famous literary work of another writer. Unlike parody, its purpose is not to mock but to honor the literary piece it imitates (Ex. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - Hamlet, and The Lion King - Hamlet)

In Media Res

Stories that start straight in the middle of the action and builds upon the recent past as the tale unfolds (Ex. Twilight or God of War video game)

Syncope

A literary device which can be defined as the contraction or the shortening of a word by omitting sounds, syllables or letters from the middle of the word (Ex. Because = ‘cuz or madam = ma’am)

Stream of Consciousness

A style of writing where the author represents the flow of inner thoughts, feelings, and the memories of a character, regardless of logical order and transitions (Ex. “The Brother: short story or The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger)