AICE Lit Terms

Allegory

A symbolic representation with use of an entire narrative.

Allusion

Referencing a well-known subject

Anaphora

Word or phrase repeating in the beginning of successive sentences/clauses/lines

Anthropomorphism

The literal characterization of a non-human subject to be a living thing rather than giving human traits to a non-human subject.

Aphorism

Memorable statement that expresses a general truth or moral principle

Apostrophe

Addressing a subject that doesn't respond back

Archetype

A universal, recurring model for a person, behavior, or story element that is recognizable across various cultures

Assonance

Repetition of similar sounding vowels in nearby words that don't rhyme

Bildungsroman

A novel focusing on the moral/psychological/intellectual growth of an individual from adolescence to adulthood

Blank Verse

Poetry written with an iambic pentameter but no end rhymes

Caesura

A pause within a line of poetry or verse, marked typically with punctuation

Catharsis

The process of releasing built-up emotions, leaving a sense of relief afterwards

Cinquain

A poem consisting of five lines that doesn't rhyme

Cliché

A phrase/idea that's been overused to the point of losing its original meaning

Colloquialism

Informal word/phrase used in everyday speech

Connotation

The emotional associations with a word or phrase.

Consonance

A literary device where the same consonant sound repeats in a close group of words.

Couplet

A unit of two consecutive lines in poetry that generally share the same rhyme and meter.

Denotation

The literal definition of a word, without the emotional associations.

Dénouement

The concluding part of the play where the plot lines find closure, and remaining questions are answered.

Deus Ex Machina

A plot device in which a nigh-impossible problem within a story is abruptly resolved by an unexpected character, event, or object.

Diction

Word choices made by the author to convey the meaning, tone, and style.

Didactic

Literature written with the goal to teach a moral, lesson, or theme as opposed to simply entertainment.

Dramatic Irony

A literary device in which the audience's understanding of the story surpasses that of the characters within the story, often creating tension.

End-stopped

A line of poetry that ends with punctuation, being a line with a complete sentence or clause.

Enjambment

A term that refers to the continuation of a line in poetry to the next without any punctuation, letting the sentence or clause flow out onto two or more lines.

Epistle

A piece written in the form of a letter towards a particular person or group.

Euphemism

A phrase or word that substitutes a phrase or word considered too harsh or unpleasant in favor of more mild phrasing.

Extended Metaphor

When two unlike subjects are compared to be as the other throughout a literary work

Flashback

A literary device that interrupts the present storyline to present an earlier event in the past towards the reader.

Foil

A person who sharply contrasts another character in order to highlight their traits, though they share similarities.

Foreshadowing

When there is a hint/warning towards a future event within a story.

Hamartia

The tragic error that leads to a character's downfall.

Hubris

Excessive pride or confidence, typically leading a character to their downfall.

Hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration that is not meant to be taken literally

Iambic Pentameter

When ten syllables are divided into five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables per line in a poem.

Imagery

A literary device with the use of descriptive language to create experiences for the audience, appealing to the five human senses.

In Medias Res

A plot device of starting a narrative in the middle of the plot chronologically.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two or more ideas/characters side by side.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which two unlike subjects are compared, where one subject is said to be the other subject without the use of the words "like" or "as".

Mood

The overall atmosphere or emotional feeling that the audience feels.

Motif

A recurring element that appears repeatedly throughout a piece to help develop the theme.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that puts two contradictory words right next to each other in a single phrase.

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory, but is still logical.

Personification

A literary device that gives human traits to inanimate subjects, distinct from anthropomorphism as it doesn't literally make them a living character.

Pun

A form of wordplay where the use of a word has multiple meanings.

Quatrain

A four-line stanza.

Satire

The use of humor/irony/ridicule to expose and critique an idea or figure.

Shift

A sudden, noticeable change in a speaker's tone, style, focus, or point of perspective within a literary work.

Simile

The comparison of two unlike subjects to be the same as one another using connecting words such as "like" or "as".

Situational Irony

Occurs when the outcome of a situation is vastly different from what was expected.

Slant Rhyme

A poetic device in which words end in the same letters, but not the same sounds.

Sonnet (Elizabethan vs. Petrarchan)

An Elizabethan sonnet is divided into three quatrains, concluding with a rhyming couplet, has a strict rhyme scheme of ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, and GG. A Petrarchan sonnet is divided into an octave and sestet, with a rhyme scheme of ABBA ABBA and the sestet varying.

Style

The unique way a speaker uses language and structure to express meaning.

Symbolism

The use of a tangible object to represent an abstract idea.

Syntax

The arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses to form sentences.

Theme

The central message or main idea a literary work explores in a complete sentence.

Tone

The attitude the speaker conveys towards a specific subject, character, or audience.

Understatement (litotes)

A type of understatement that expresses a positive idea by negating the opposite.

Verbal Irony

Occurs when a character or speaker says something but means the complete opposite of it.