AP Lit Terms/Allusions

Abridged

reduced by condensation or omission; shortened

Abstract

theoretical. not applied; to get essence or main idea

Accent

stress or emphasis

Act

a main division or part of a drama; to perform on the stage

Adage

a saying or proverb familiar through long use

Adapt

to make suitable by modifying

Adversary

the opponent against whom a character tests his strength

Allegory

a symbolic story presenting meaning through another form

Alliteration

a series of words beginning with the same sound

Allusion

a casual reference to something.

Ambiguity

uncertain or doubtful meaning

Anachronism

something from a different time placed in a time that is incorrect

Analogy

a likeness or comparison of related ideas, things, or persons

Analyze

to determine or reason out the key features of something

Anapest

a rhythmic poetic pattern of two unaccented and one accented syllables

Anecdote

a short, interesting story (often humorous)

Antagonist

an opposing force or character blocking the main character (protagonist)

Anthology

a collection of examples of one literary form

Anticlimax

an abrupt and obvious change from an important idea to something of less value

Antihero

a main character with many negative qualities

Aphorism

a pointed or concise statement of an idea

Archaic

antiquated or characteristic of an ancient time; no longer used in ordinary speech or writing

Argument

a statement or series of reasons to convince someone

Artificial

imitating the real thing, assumed. not genuine

Aside

a dramatic device for a character to make a side remark that other characters should not hear

Assonance

sounds that resemble each other, a recurrence of vowel sounds

Author

one who writes a literary work

Autobiography

" an account of one's own life "

Ballad

a poem in short simple stanzas, usually romantic and set to song

Bibliography

a list of books used in preparation of a report or book

Biography

an account of a life by another person

Black humor

use of the morbid or absurd to develop humor which is often hiding anger or bitterness

Blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

Blurb

a short account describing a book

Caricature

deliberate exaggeration of characteristics or qualities of a person

Character

a person in a drama or story; the total qualities of a person

Classic

a literary production of first rank which is respected throughout many eras

Clich

an outworn or overused phrase

Climax

the highest point or culmination in a drama or poem

Colloquial

ordinary, everyday language as opposed to correct or formal language

Comedy

a play with light or humorous theme, usually with a happy ending

Concrete

specific or detailed, opposite of abstract

Conflict

opposition or clash of forces or characters

Connotation

implied or associated meaning

Contemporary

in time with or current

Content

the substance or basic material

Context

related parts that follow or are connected in a text

Contrast

a comparison by noting the differences

Contrived

forced, put together artificially

Couplet

two lines in succession that rhyme

Crisis

the extremely important or decisive point in the story

Criticism

writing or comment evaluating other written material

Cue

a word or gesture that signals one to say or do something

Dactyl

a rhythmic poetic pattern with one accented and two unaccented syllables

Description

a statement that describes or represents

Dialect

special language of a particular group or region

Dialogue

a conversation between two or more characters

Diary

" a daily record of events in a person's life "

Diction

the choice of words in speaking or writing; the careful enunciation of sounds

Digression

a departure or wandering away from the main purpose in speaking or writing

Direction

instruction from the author or director of a play

Dissonance

unharmonious or unmusical language

Downstage

the portion of the stage nearer to the audience

Epithet

a word or phrase attached to a person or expressing some attribute

Escapist

a type of literature that avoids real people and their lives

Essay

a literary form in prose on a particular subject to present a particular view

Euphemism

a more polite or less crude word or phrase substituted for another word

Exaggeration

overstatement or more than is true

Expository

a style of writing that sets forth facts and ideas in organized explanation

Drama

a prose or verse work of characters in conflict, also called a play

Elegy

a form of poetry expressing sorrow or a lament for someone dead

Emotion

feeling or reaction

Epic

a poem or story about heroic deeds

Epigram

a witty remark that usually has a sting or bite to the words

Epilogue

a short part of a story or play that explains later events or results

Eplsode

an event in a series of events or incidents

Extant

still existing or alive to forces.

Fiction

a story that is made up or invented

Figurative language

language that represents an idea or mood and means other than what it says

Fable

a short story or tale with a moral or point

Fantasy

a literary work created from ingenious imagination without a solid or factual base

Farce

comedy to an extreme with a ridiculous situation

Speech

a phrase used in literature to express feeling beyond the actual wording

Flashback

" a literary device to go back to an earlier event or part of a person's life "

Foot

a unit of accented and unaccented syllables which is repeated to give steady rhythm to a poem

Form

the kind of literary work such as poem, essay, etc.

Free verse

poetry with no fixed pattern of rhythm or meter

Hero

the main male character of a story

Heroine

the mail female character of a story

Histrionic

in a dramatic manner that is artificial or affected

Hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration for effect

Iamb

a rhythmic poetic pattern with one unaccented followed by one accented syllable

Idiomatic

peculiar to specialized language pertaining to commonly used modes of expression

Imagery

combinations of words or phrases to produce a feeling or sensation in the reader

Impromptu

without prior preparation or warning

Incident

an occurrence or event

Inspire

to give or infuse a spirit that helps the creation of a literary work

Intent

plan or purpose to do something

Internal rhyme

a rhyme scheme in which words within the same line have the same ending sound

Interpret

to figure or to search for meaning