Analyzing and Interpreting Literature - CLEP

Literary Analysis

The ability to analyze elements of a literary passage, including meaning, tone, imagery, and style.

Metaphors

Figures of speech that are interpreted as part of the analytical skills required for the exam.

Rhetorical Devices

Techniques used by authors that must be recognized and interpreted during the exam.

Literary Effects

The means by which authors achieve specific impacts in their writing, which candidates must understand.

Basic Literary Terminology

Fundamental terms used to discuss literary texts that candidates should be familiar with.

Content Breakdown

The distribution of questions across different genres, national traditions, and historical periods in the exam.

Understanding Prose

The ability to read and comprehend prose as part of the skills assessed by the exam.

Understanding Poetry

The ability to read and comprehend poetry as part of the skills assessed by the exam.

Understanding Drama

The ability to read and comprehend drama as part of the skills assessed by the exam.

Nuances of Meaning

Subtle differences in meaning that candidates must be able to respond to in literary passages.

Tone

The attitude of the speaker or author that must be interpreted during the exam.

Imagery

Descriptive language that creates visual representations in literature, important for analysis.

Style

The distinctive manner in which an author expresses their ideas, which must be analyzed.

Relationships Between Parts and Wholes

The ability to perceive how different elements of a text interact and contribute to its overall meaning.

Speaker's Attitudes

The perspective or feelings of the speaker or author that must be grasped during analysis.

Denotation

The direct, literal, dictionary meaning of a word.

Connotation

The indirect, implied, or associated meaning of a word.

Symbol

A word or object that represents a larger concept or abstract idea.

Diction

The author's specific word choice.

Syntax

The arrangement of words into sentences, including grammar and punctuation.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within a line or phrase.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds within a line or phrase.

Verse

A single line in a poem.

Stanza

A group of verses, visually separated from other groups by a blank line.

Rhyme Scheme

The ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem, denoted by letters.

Poetry

A significant focus of the exam, characterized by dense language and deliberate word choice.

Rhyme

The correspondence of sound between different words, especially at the ends of lines.

Meter

The rhythmic structure of verses in poetry, determined by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Theme

The central idea or message conveyed in a poem.

Form

The structure or shape of a poem, including its length and arrangement of lines.

Figurative Language

Language that uses figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive, and impactful.

Alliteration

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

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things by stating one is the other.

Simile

A figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as'.

Personification

Attributing human characteristics to non-human entities.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Internal Rhyme

A rhyme involving a word in the middle of a line and another at the end of the line or in the middle of the next. Example: "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary." (Poe)

End Rhyme

The most common form of rhyme, occurring when the last words in two or more lines rhyme. Example: "I was angry with my friend: / I told my wrath, my wrath did end." (Blake)

Slant Rhyme

Also known as a half rhyme, this occurs when the stressed consonants of the ending words match, but the preceding vowel sounds do not. Example: soul / all (Dickinson).

Feminine Rhyme

A rhyme that matches two or more syllables, in which the final syllable is unstressed. Example: bower / dower.

Masculine Rhyme

A rhyme that matches only a single, stressed syllable at the end of a line. Example: so / overthrow.

Iambic Rhythm

The pattern of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (da-DUM).

Iambic Pentameter

The most common meter in English poetry, consisting of five iambs (five stresses) per line for a total of ten syllables. Example: "Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song." (Milton)

Anapest

A foot consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable (da-da-DUM). Example: "'Twas the night be-fore Christ-mas…"

Trochee

A foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (DUM-da). Example: "Dou-ble, dou-ble, toil and trou-ble…"

Monometer

1

Dimeter

2

Trimeter

3

Tetrameter

4

Pentameter

5

Hexameter

6

Heptameter

7

Octameter

8

Closed Form

Poetry that adheres to a specific, pre-determined design in its meter, rhyme scheme, and stanza structure. Sonnets and villanelles are examples.

Open Form

Poetry that does not follow established poetic structures. It lacks a regular meter or rhyme scheme and is sometimes considered synonymous with free verse.

Concrete Poetry

A form where the poem's visual appearance on the page takes on a physical shape that relates to its subject matter, such as Guillaume Apollinaire's poem about the Eiffel Tower shaped like the tower itself.

Sonnet

A 14-line poem, typically written in iambic pentameter.

Petrarchan Sonnet

An eight-line stanza (octave) with an ABBAABBA rhyme scheme, followed by a six-line stanza (sestet).

Shakespearean Sonnet

Three four-line stanzas (quatrains) and a final two-line stanza (couplet), with an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme.

Sestina

A complex closed form of 39 lines with six stanzas of six lines each, where the end-words of the first stanza are rotated in a fixed pattern.

Villanelle

A 19-line poem with five three-line stanzas (tercets) and a final four-line stanza (quatrain), featuring two refrains and two repeating lines.

Alexandrine

A verse of 12 syllables, common in classical French poetry, often divided by a pause (caesura).

Epic Poem

A long narrative poem detailing the heroic deeds of a person or nation.

Mock-Epic

A satirical work that imitates the form and style of an epic poem to trivialize a mundane subject.

Ballad

A narrative song, often passed down orally.

Ballad Stanza

A four-line stanza (quatrain), often with an ABCB rhyme scheme.

Lyrical Poetry

Poetry that expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person.

Elegy

A sad, mournful poem written to praise or lament someone who has died.

Ode

A poem written to praise a person or object, not limited to the theme of loss.

Epigram

A brief, witty, and often satirical saying in verse.

Doggerel

A poem with an irregular rhythm and rhyme, often comical in nature.

Limerick

A specific five-line form of doggerel with an AABBA rhyme scheme.

Aubade

A morning love song or a poem about lovers separating at dawn.

Serenade

An evening love song.

Octave

An 8-line stanza.

Sestet

A 6-line stanza.

Quatrain

A 4-line stanza.

Couplet

A 2-line stanza, usually with the same rhyme and meter.

Heroic Couplet

A rhyming couplet in iambic pentameter.

Tercet

A 3-line stanza.

Dynamic characters

Characters that change and grow.

Static characters

Characters that remain the same.

Protagonist

The central character.

Antagonist

The opposing force or character.

Foils

Characters who contrast with the protagonist to highlight particular qualities.

Stock characters

Recurring, recognizable types with little development.

Allegorical characters

Characters who represent abstract concepts.

Exposition

The beginning, where background information, setting, and characters are introduced.

Development (Rising Action)

A series of complications and events that build tension.

Climax

The story's turning point and moment of greatest tension.

Denouement (Resolution)

The conclusion, where conflicts are resolved and loose ends are tied up.

Motifs

Recurring details that repeat throughout the novel to add depth and emphasize the theme.

Short story

A brief work of prose fiction that shares the core analytical elements of the novel.

Essay

A form of non-fiction prose where the author speaks directly to the reader to explore an idea or present an argument.

Speculative Essay

Explores and meditates on ideas rather than explicitly explaining them.

Expository Essay

Provides an explanation or clarification of an idea or theme.

Persuasive Essay

The writer attempts to convince the reader of their specific point of view.

Analytical Essay

A work of art, a play, or a book is analyzed to understand how it functions.

Argumentative Essay

The writer argues that their opinion or theory about an issue is correct.

Drama

The written script of a performance.