Barron's Terms - List Four

AP Terms List 4

exposition

the background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of an essay or other work; setting forth the meaning or purpose of a piece of writing or discourse.

extended metaphor

a series of comparisons between two unlike objects.

fable

a short tale, often with nonhuman characters, from which a useful lesson or moral may be drawn.

fallacy, fallacious reasoning

an incorrect belief or supposition based on faulty data, defective evidence, false information, or flawed logic.

fantasy

a story containing unreal, imaginary features.

farce

a comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose.

figure of speech, figurative language

in contrast to literal language, figurative language implies meanings. figures of speech include, among many others, metaphor, simile, and personification.

frame

a structure that provides a premise or setting for a narrative or other discourse. ex) a group of pilgrims exchanging stories while on the road is the frame for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

genre

a term used to describe literary forms, such as novel, play, and essay.

harangue

a forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade.

homily

a lecture or sermon on a religious or moral theme meant to guide human behavior.

hubris

excessive pride that often affects tone.

humanism

a belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity.

hyperbole

overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect.

idyll

a lyric poem or passage that describe a kind of ideal life or place.

image

a word or phrase representing that which can be seen, touched, tasted, smelled, or felt; imagery is the use of images in speech and writing.

indirect quotation

a rendering of a quotation in which actual words are not stated but only approximated or paraphrased.

inductive reasoning

a method of reasoning in which a number of specific facts or examples are used to make a generalization. its opposite is deductive reasoning.

inference

a conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data.

invective

a direct verbal assault; a denunciation; casting blame on someone or something.

irony

a mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated, often implying ridicule or light sarcasm; a state of affairs or events that is the reverse of what might have been expected.

kenning

a device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities, as in “ring-giver” for king and “whale-road” for ocean.