literary terms

AP english literature and composition

allegory

a work that functions on a symbolic level

alliteration

the repetition of initial consonant sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a peck of picked peppers”

allusion

a reference contained in a work

anapest

a metrical pattern of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable

antagonist

the force or character that opposes the main character, the protagonist

apostrophe

direct address in poetry; Yeats's line "Be with me Beauty, for the fire is dying"

aside

words spoken by an actor intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on stage

aubade

a love poem set at dawn which bids farewell to the beloved

ballad

a simple narrative poem, often incorporating dialogue that is written in quatrains, generally with a rhyme scheme of A B C D

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter; most of Shakespeare's plays are in this form

cacophony

harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage of a literary work

caesura

a break or pause within a line of poetry indicated by punctuation and used to emphasize meaning

catharsis

according to Aristotle, the release of emotion that the audience of a tragedy experiences

character

one who carries out the action of the plot in literature (types : major, minor, static, dynamic)

climax

the turning point of action or character in a literary work, usually the highest moment of tension

comic relief

the inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work, thereby intensifying the next tragic event

conflict

a clash between opposing forces in a literary work (ex. man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. God, man vs. self)

connotation

the interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning

convention

a traditional aspect of a literary work such as a soliloquy in a Shakespearean play or a tragic hero in a Greek tragedy

couplet

two lines of rhyming poetry; often used by Shakespeare to conclude a scene or an important passage

dactyl

a foot of poetry consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syilables, / u u

denotation

the literal or dictionary meaning of a word

denouncement

the conclusion or tying up of loose ends in a literary work; the resolution of the conflict and plot

deus ex machina

a Greek invention, literally "the god from the machine" who appears at the last moment and resolves the loose ends of a play. today, the term refers to anyone, usually of some stature, who untangles, resolves, or reveals the key to the plot of a work

diction

the author's choice of words

dramatic irony

a unexpected twist centered around the ignorance of those involved, while the audience is aware of the circumstance

dramatic monologue

a type of poem that presents a conversation between a speaker and an implied listener (ex. Browning's "My Last Duchess")

elegy

a poem that laments the dead or a loss (ex. Roethke’s "Elegy for Jane,” Gray’s "Elegy in a Country Church Yard")

enjambment

a technique in poetry that involves the running on of a line or stanza; it enables the poem to move and to develop coherence, as well as directing the reader with regard to form and meaning (used by Walt Whitman)

epic

a lengthy, elevated poem that celebrates the exploits of a hero (ex. Beowulf)

epigram

a brief witty poem; Pope often utilizes this form for satiric commentary

euphony

the pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work

exposition

background information presented in a literary work

fable

a simple, symbolic story usually employing animals as characters; Aesop and La Fontaine are authors who excel at this form

figurative language

a body of devices that enables a writer to operate on levels other than a literal one, including metaphor, simile, symbol, motif, and hyperbole

flashback

a device that enables a writer to refer to past thoughts, events, and episodes

foot

a metrical unit in poetry; a syllabic measure of a line, including an iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, and spondee

foreshadowing

hints of future events in a literary work

form

the shape or structure of a literary work

free verse

poetry without a defined form, meter, or rhyme scheme

hyperbole

an extreme exaggeration; Burns speaks of loving "until all the seas run dry" in “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose”

iamb

a metrical foot consisting of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one; the most common poetic foot in the English language, u /

idyll

a type of lyric poem which extols the virtues of an ideal place or time

image

a verbal approximation of a sensory impression, concept, or emotion

imagery

the total effect of related sensory images in a work of literature

impressionism

writing that reflects a personal image of a character, event, or concept (ex. The Secret Sharer)

irony

an unexpected twist or contrast between what happens and what was intended or expected to happen; it involves dialogue and situation, and it can be intentional or unplanned

lyric poetry

a type of poetry characterized by emotion, personal feelings, and brevity; a large and inclusive category of poetry that exhibits rhyme, meter, and reflective thought

metaphor

a direct comparison between dissimilar things (ex. "Your eyes are stars")

metaphysical poetry

the exploration of highly complex, philosophical ideas through extended metaphors and paradox (ex. the work of poet John Donne)

meter

a pattern of beats in poetry

metonymy

a figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea (ex. "The pen is mightier than the sword")

monologue

a speech given by one character during a conversation

motif

the repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work which is used to develop theme or characters

narrative poem

a poem that tells a story

narrator

the speaker of a literary work

octave

an eight-line stanza, usually combined with a sestet in a Petrarchan sonnet

ode

a formal, lengthy poem that celebrates a particular subject

onomatopoeia

words that sound like the sound they represent (ex. hiss, gurgle, bang)

oxymoron

an image of contradictory terms (ex. bittersweet, pretty ugly, giant economy size)

parable

a story that operates on more than one level and usually teaches a moral lesson. (ex. John Steinbeck’s The Pearl)

parallel plot

a secondary story line that mimics and reinforces the main plot (ex. Hamlet loses his father as does Ophelia)

parody

a comic imitation of a work that ridicules the original

pathos

the aspects of a literary work that elicit pity from the audience

personification

the assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects or concepts (ex. Wordsworth personifies "the sea that bares her bosom to the moon" in the poem "London, 1802")

plot

a sequence of events in a literary work

point of view

the method of narration in a work (ex. first person, second person, third person)

protagonist

the hero or main character of a literary work, the character the audience sympathizes with

quatrain

a four-line stanza

resolution

the denouement of a literary work

rhetorical question

a question that does not expect an explicit answer; it is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience (ex. Ernest Dowson asks, "Where are they now the days of wine and roses?")

rhyme

the duplication of final syllable sounds in two or more lines

rhythm

the repetitive pattern of beats in poetry

romanticism

a style or movement of literature that has at its foundation an interest in freedom, adventure, idealism, and escape

satire

a mode of writing based on ridicule, which criticizes the foibles and follies of society without necessarily offering a solution (ex. Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels use satire to expose mankind’s condition)

sestet

a six-line stanza, usually paired with an octave to form a Petrarchan sonnet

sestina

a highly structured poetic form of 39 lines, written in iambic pentameter; it depends on the repetition of six words from the first stanza in each of the six stanzas

setting

the time and place of a literary work

simile

an indirect comparison that uses the word "like" or "as" to link the differing items in the comparison (ex. "Your eyes are like stars")

soliloquy

a speech in a play which is used to reveal the character's inner thoughts to the audience (ex. Hamlet's "To be or not to be…")

sonnet

a 14-line poem with a prescribed rhyme scheme in iambic pentameter

spondee

a poetic foot consisting of two accented syllables, ( / / )

stage directions

the specific instructions a playwright includes concerning sets, characterization, and delivery

stanza

a unit of a poem, similar in rhyme, meter, and length to other units in the poem

structure

the organization and form of a work

style

the unique way an author presents his ideas, contributed by diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content

subplot

a secondary plot that explores ideas different from the main storyline (ex. Hamlet avenges the death of his father in the main plot, while Hamlet deals with his love for Ophelia in the subplot)

symbol

something in a literary work that stands for something else (light of the sun symbolizes truth in Plato’s "The Allegory of the Cave")

synecdoche

a figure of speech where a part represents the whole (ex. "All hands on deck")

syntax

the grammatical structure of prose and poetry

tercet

a three-line stanza

theme

the underlying ideas that the author illustrates through characterization, motifs, language, and plot

tone

the author's attitude toward his subject

tragic hero

according to Aristotle, a good person of noble birth or exalted position who has a fatal flaw or commits an error in judgment which leads to his downfall; the tragic hero must have a moment of realization and live and suffer

understatement

the opposite of exaggeration; it is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended

villanelle

a highly structured poetic form that comprises six stanzas: five tercets and a quatrain; the poem repeats the first and third lines throughout