AP Lit terms FINAL review

abstract

An abstract term is a general term that refers to a broad concept

allegory

A literary work that portrays abstract ideas concretely

alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words or syllables

allusion

A reference to another work of literature or to art, history, or current events

archetype

A cultural symbol that has become universally understood and recognize

assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in a sequence of words

cadence

Quality of spoken text formed from combining the text’s rhythm with the rise and fall in the inflection of the speaker’s voic

caesura

A pause within a line of poetry, sometimes punctuated, sometimes not, often mirroring natural speech

catharsis

Refers to the emotional release felt by the audience at the end of a tragic drama

flat character

A character embodying only one or two traits and who lacks character development

round character

A character who exhibits a range of emotions and who evolves over the course of the story

secondary character

A supporting character; while not as prominent or central as a main character, he or she is still important to the events of a story or play

stock character

A type of flat character based on a stereotype; one who falls into an immediately recognizable category or type

direct characterization

occurs when a narrator tells the reader who a character is by describing the background, motivation, temperament, or appearance of that character

indirect characterization

when the author shows rather than tells readers what a character is like through what the character says, does, or thinks, or what others say about the character

colloquialism

An expression or language construction appropriate only for casual, informal speaking or writing

comedy

Usually used to refer to a dramatic work that, in contrast to tragedy, has a light, amusing plot, features a happy ending, centers around ordinary people, and is written and performed in the vernacular

concrete

A concrete term is one that refers to a specific, particular thing, as opposed to a term that refers to a broad concept

connotation

Meanings or associations readers have with a word or an item beyond its dictionary definition, or denotation.

consonance

An instance in which identical final consonant sounds in nearby words follow different vowel sounds

denotation

The literal definition of a word, often referred to as the “dictionary definition

denouement

means “untying the knot”; in this phase of a plot, the conflict has been resolved and balance is restored to the world of the story

dialect

Dialogue or narration written to simulate regional or cultural speech patterns

dialogue

The written depiction of conversation between characters

dramatic monologue

A type of poem in which the speaker, who is clearly distinct from the poet, addresses an audience that is present in the poem

elegy

A contemplative poem on death and mortality, often written for someone who has died

enjambment

A poetic technique in which one line ends without a pause and must continue on to the next line to complete its meaning; also referred to as a “run-on line

epigram

A short, witty statement designed to surprise an audience or a reader

epigraph

A quotation preceding a work of literature that helps set the text’s mood or suggests its themes

epiphany

A character’s transformative moment of realization

eulogy

A poem, a speech, or another work written in great praise of something or someone, usually a person no longer living

foil

A contrasting character who allows the protagonist to stand out more distinctly

free verse

A form of poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme

genre

This term can refer broadly to the general category that a literary work falls into

ghazal

A form that originated in Arabic poetry, consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain

hubris

An excessive level of pride that leads to the protagonist’s downfall

hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a comic or an ironic effect; an overstatement to make a point.

imagery

A description of how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, or sounds

in medias res

Latin for “in the middle of things,” a technique in which a narrative begins in the middle of the action

dramatic irony

Tension created by the contrast between what a character says or thinks and what the audience or readers know to be true

situational irony

A pointed discrepancy between what seems fitting or expected in a story and what actually happens

verbal irony

A figure of speech that occurs when a speaker or character says one thing but means something else or when what is said is the opposite of what is expected

juxtaposition

Placing two things side by side for the sake of comparison or contrast

metaphor

A figure of speech that compares or equates two things without using like or as

meter

The formal, regular organization of stressed and unstressed syllables, measured in feet

metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is represented by another thing that is related to it

minimalism

A style in prose or verse that emphasizes economy of words and unadorned sentences

motif

A recurring pattern of images, words, or symbols that reveals a theme in a work of literature

objective narrator

Also known as a neutral narrator, a narrator who recounts only what characters say and do, offering no insight into their thinking or analysis of events

unreliable narrator

A narrator who is biased and doesn’t give a full or an accurate picture of events in a narrative

non sequitur

a reply or remark that does not have any relevance to what occasioned or preceded it; in rhetoric, a conclusion that does not logically follow from the premises

onomatopoeia

Use of words that refer to sound and whose pronunciations mimic those sounds

oxymoron

A paradox made up of two seemingly contradictory words

paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but actually is not

pastoral

Literature that employs a romanticized description of leisurely farm or rural life

persona

A voice and viewpoint that an author adopts in order to deliver a story or poem

first person pov

Told by a narrator who is a character in the story and who refers to him- or herself as “I.”

second person pov

Though rare, some stories are told using second-person pronouns (you)

3rd person limited omniscient

Told by a narrator who relates the action using third-person pronouns (he, she, it).

3rd person omniscient

Told by a narrator using third-person pronouns

refrain

A line, lines, or a stanza in a poem that repeat(s) at intervals

resolution

The working out of a plot’s conflicts, following the climax

rhyme

The repetition of the same (or similar) vowel or consonant sounds or constructions

end rhyme

A rhyme at the end of two or more lines of poetry

internal rhyme

A rhyme that occurs within a line is called

slant rhyme

A rhyme that pairs sounds that are similar but not exactly the same

rhythm

The general pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

complex sentence

A sentence containing an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses

compound-complex sentence

A combination of a compound sentence and a complex sentence; it is often fairly long

cumulative sentence

A sentence in which an independent clause is followed by details, qualifications, or modifications in subordinate clauses or phrases

imperative sentence

A sentence that issues a command.

Interrupted sentence

A sentence of any pattern modified by interruptions that add descriptive details, state conditions, suggest uncertainty, voice possible alternative views, or present qualifications

periodic sentence

A sentence that begins with details, qualifications, or modifications, building toward the main clause

simple sentence

A sentence composed of one main clause without any subordinate clauses

simile

A figure of speech used to explain or clarify an idea by comparing it explicitly to something else, using the words like, as, or as though to do so

soliloquy

In a play, a monologue in which a character, alone on the stage, reveals his or her thoughts or emotions

sonnet

A poetic form composed of fourteen lines in iambic pentameter that adheres to a particular rhyme scheme

petrachan sonnet

Also known as the Italian sonnet, its fourteen lines are divided into an octave and a sestet

shakespearean sonnet

Also known as the English sonnet, its fourteen lines are composed of three quatrains and a couplet, and its rhyme scheme is abab, cdcd, efef, gg

stream of consciousness

A technique in which prose follows the logic and flow of a character’s (or multiple characters’) thought processes — associations, tangents, seemingly strange transitions — rather than a more ordered narrative

stanza

Lines in a poem that the poet has chosen to group together, usually separated from other lines by a space

couplet

A two-line, rhyming stanza

trecet

A three-line stanza.

quatrain

A four-line stanza

setset

A six-line stanza

octet (octave)

An eight-line stanza

synecdoche

A figure of speech in which part of something is used to represent the whole

verse

A broad term, verse refers to a piece of writing that is metered and rhythmic

vignette

A short narrative scene or description, often one in a series

villanelle

A form of poetry in which five tercets (rhyme scheme aba) are followed by a quatrain.