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AP Lit Lit Terms

all of the lit term quiz words

TermDefinition
Alliteration Repetition of the same sounds of the beginning of multiple words in a phrase. (Big blue bats baited bold badgers).
Anapest Two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one. (Unaware).
Anaphora The repetition of the same word at the beginning of multiple sentences or phrases.
Apostraphe Addressing a person who is not there / referring to an inanimate thing as if it was a person.
Assonance Repetition of internal vowel sounds.
Aubade A poem meant to accompany dawn.
Ballad A narrative song, typically in the oral tradition and containing quatrains.
Blank Verse Unrhyming poetry typically in iambic pentameter.
Cacophany Repetition of harsh consonant sounds.
Cadence Rise and fall of the natural foice when reading poetry.
Caesura Rhythmic pause in the middle of a line.
Conceit Complex or surprising intellectual metaphor.
Consonance Repetition of consonant(s) at the end of words in a sentence or phrase.
Couplet Two successive lines that rhyme and share poetic meter.
Dactyl One stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones. (Bicycle, elephant).
Dirge Funeral lamentation song / poem.
Double Rhyme A rhyme involving two syllables. (Inviting / Exciting).
Elegy A poem that reflects upon death.
End Rhyme Rhyme between line endings.
Enjambment Continuing a phrase over where the line breaks.
Extended Metaphor A metaphor that takes up a significant part of the work.
Euphony Pleasing sounds, warm vowels.
Eye Rhyme Two words that appear to rhyme from a spelling perspective but are said differently. (Come / Home).
Feminine Ending A line ending in an unstressed syllable.
Foot Repeated sequence of 2+ syllables.
Free Verse Poetry without rhyme or meater
Heroic Couplet Two lines in rhyming iambic pentameter.
Iamb A short syllable, followed by a long one. (Amuse / Portray).
Iambic Pentameter Five successive iambs.
Idyll A portrayal of a peaceful scene.
Internal Rhyme A rhyme involving a word mid-line and then one at the end of the line.
Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet 14 line poem divided into sections of 8 and 6.
Kenning An old metaphor that usually appears as a compound word. (Whale-road = Sea).
Lyric Poem A poem which expresses feelings and emotions to an emphasized degree.
Masculine Ending Line ending in a long syllable.
Meter The syllabic pattern of beats within a poem.
Narrative Poem A poem that is used to tell a story
Near / Off / Slant Rhyme Words that do sound similar but do not quite rhyme.
Ode A sung lyric poem that addresses a certain subject.
Onomatopoeia Verbal representations of sounds. (BOOM, CRACK, SNAP, POP).
Parallelism Successive lines that mirror each other in some way.
Quatrain Four-line stanza.
Refrain A line that is repeated in a poem.
Rhyme Scheme The way rhymes are laid out in a poem.
Scansion Analyzing a given line to find its rhythm.
Sestet The last six lines of a sonnet (or, less specifically, just six lines of any poem).
Shakesparean Sonnet Three quatrains and a couplet that follow an abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme.
Spondee Two stressed syllables. (Bookmark, handshake)
Stanza The poetry equivalent of a paragraph.
Trochaic Stressed, unstressed syllabic pattern. (garden, highway).
Aestheticism Support of aesthetic values over all other elements.
Allegory A story that can be interpreted in more than one way, usually as a representation for a greater idea or theme.
Allusion A direct or indirect reference of some other work or piece of pop culture.
Ambiguity An event in a story that can be interpreted in multiple ways.
Anachronism An object, place, person etc. that is historically out of time. (Seeing a car in ancient greece)
Anagnorisis A discovery a character makes that leads to a greater understanding of themselves.
Analogy A comparison made to highlight some inherent meaning.
Anastrophe Reversal of expectic syntactical word order. (The form divine).
Anecdote A short story / memory told by a character that is thematically relevant to the greater plot.
Antecedent The "thing" a pronoun is referring to. (John looked at his mom; john is the thing in this case)
Anticlimax Transition to a less serious or trivial idea when a grand revelation was expected. (it was all a dream...)
Antihero A protagonist that is lacking traditionally virtuous qualities in some way.
Antithesis Contrasting syntax, ideas, characters, etc.
Aphorism Catchy phrase meant to hold a universal truth or life lesson.
Apotheosis Elevation of an individual to a deity.
Archaism Use of outdated language.
Archetype A character or idea that is commonplace within stories.
Aside In a play, a character will turn to an audience to deliver one of these as a quick remark. Other characters are unaware of these.
Attitude/tone The writer's feelings towards a subject.
Bildungsroman A novel that deals with the protagonist's education and development, particularly in their formative years.
Bombast Pretentious speech or writing.
Caricature Exaggeration by comic distortion of certain characteristics.
Catalogue Collection of people, objects, or other elements in list form within a work.
Catharsis Purification of emotion through relief.
Chiasmus Two part phrase in which the parts mirror each other (When the going gets tough, the tough get going.)
Chorus A group of performers existing outside the plot who summarize the events of the play or provide commentary.
Colloquial Informal phrases that are pertinent to the setting.
Comic Relief A character, plot element, or situation that is meant to induce levity and break up the sections of intense themes.
Conflict Confrontational occurances within oneself or with others.
Connotation Implied contextual meaning of a word or phrase.
Conventional/Stock Character A character that fits common tropes and has generally stereotypical traits.
Deconstruction Literary analysis meant to point out inherent contradiction within works.
Denotation The literal dictionary definition of a word.
Denouement Conclusion of the narrative and resolution of plot elements post-climax.
Deus Ex Machina A thing/character that is suddenly introduced into an impossible conflict and provides a contrived solution to the complex problem.
Dialectic Philosophical discussion between 2+ people who hold differing views with the intent to establish truth.
Dichotomous thinking Thinking in binary elements.
Diction word choice
Didactic Literary element designed to teach a concept.
Dissonance Harsh collection of sounds.
Dramatis personae Characters in a drama.
Dystopian Novel Speculative fiction regarding a future dysfunctional society.
Epic / Epic Hero Long narrative poem recalling heroic deeds.
Epigram A short, satirical saying.
Epigraph Poem, quotation, or other element placed at the beginning of a work.
Epiphany A moment wherein a character is granted insight.
Epistolary novel Fiction in the form of letters.
Epithet Adjective used to describe a person (Ex: Ivan the Terrible)
Ethos Appeal to the author's status / intelligence / other qualities
Etymology Study of word origin.
Euphemism Palatable expression used in place of potentially less savory language.
Fable Narrative form that uses animal characters to teach human lessons - Aesop is notable for this form
Farce Type of comedy that uses stereotypes, exaggeration, violence, and other absurd extremes to entertain
Figurative Language Understanding a concept through it's relation to something else, as opposed to literal language
Flashback A memory of the past that breaks the chronological sequence of the narrative.
Flat character A character who is 1-dimensional, or boring.
Foil Character A character who serves as a contrast to the protagonist in some way.
Foreshadowing Alluding to events that will occur later in the story.
Frame Story A story that is told within a work.
Genre Style/category of work.
Gothic Novel European romantic style that uses elements of fear, darkness, horror, mystery, and the supernatural.
Hamartia Tragic flaw.
Hubris Excessive pride.
Hyperbole Exaggeration.
Idiom A figure of speech.
Imagery Creation of images (or other senses) in the readers mind through the text.
In medias res Starting a narrative in the middle of the events.
Interior Monologue A character's inner thoughts that are revealed to the reader.
Interjection A word or phrase that expresses intense feeling.
Inversion Reversal of syntax; the same as apostraphe.
Situational Irony Type of irony in which something has the opposite effect as to what was intended. (i.e. the fire station burning down).
Verbal Irony A type of irony in which words are incongruous with intent. (think sarcasm)
Dramatic Irony A type of irony in which character(s) don't know something that the audience does. (think romeo not knowing that juliet isn't actually dead)
Juxtaposition Contrasting elements.
Lament A poem expressing some form of grief.
Leitmotif A recurrent theme (especially in music) that represents a character or idea.
Litote Understatement via double negative. (i.e. he was not unhappy)
Local Color Regional specificity in linguistic dialect or other details.
Magical Realism Genre originating in Latin America that incorporates fantastical elements into a seemingly realistic setting.
Metahpor Comparison between two different things to highlight a similar quality.
Metonymy When a word associated with a concept is used to refer to that concept. (i.e. calling a king "the crown" or a dish of food as a "plate".)
Modernism 20th century literary movement that sought to break with traditional forms of expression in search of something new.
Monologue An extended speech given by one person.
Motif Recurring object/concept that represents a theme or idea.
Myth Symbolic narrative of ancient and unknown origin, usually associated with a religion.
Peripheral Narrator A narrator who, while not central to the narrative, conveys it to the reader. (i.e. Nick Carraway in the Great Gatsby)
Central Narrator A narrator (usually the protagonist) who is important to the story and also telling it to the audience. (i.e. The Kite Runner)
Naturalism Late 19th century movement that detailed one's social physical environment and how it affects people.
Novella A literary work that is shorter than a novel but longer than a short story (i.e. Of Mice and Men)
Oxymoron Words that, when placed next to each other, create contradiction (i.e. Jumbo Shrimp)
Parable A simple story that teaches a moral lesson (think jesus).
Paradox A statement that appears to be contradictory but holds truth/reveals meaning. (Ex: Some animals are more equal than others).
Parody Imitation of a style/author/genre for comedic/critical purposes. (Ex: Austin Powers, Weird Al)
Pastoral Presents the beauty and freedom of a shepherd's life.
Pathos Persuasion via emotion.
Periodic Sentence A sentence that ends with an independent clause preceded by dependent clause(s). (Ex: Despite the rain, snow, and cold temperatures, the game was played).
Peripeteia The turning point in a drama that precedes the denoument.
Personification Giving a non-human entity human qualities/traits.
Picaresque Genre in which a roguish, low-class hero survives in an unfair society with their wits. (Ex: Huckleberry Finn)
1st Person POV The narrator is a character in the story telling it from their perspective (Ex: The Kite Runner)
Third Person Limited POV The story is conveyed through a character in the story, but using he/she/they. This usually allows for perspective shifts.
Third Person Omniscient POV A story told from an external perspective, but can understand all thoughts/internal monologues.
Post-Modernism A literary movement that rejects conventional structure/thought in favor of fragmentation, metafiction, intertextuality, and other complex concepts.
Protagonist The main character.
Pun A play on words.
Realism Portrayal of mundane, everyday experience in literature.
Repetition The intentional use of a word or phrase multiple times.
Rhetorical Question A question used for emphasis or insight, not meant to be answered.
Romanticism A literary movement that celebrated human emotion, creativity, and the beauty of nature.
Satire The art of making something or someone appear ridiculous for the purposes of comedy and/or criticism. (i.e. The Onion, Animal Farm)
Shift A change in a work of literature of some sort.
Simile A comparison using like or as. "She was as tired as a koala".
Soliloquy Monologue only audible to the speaker and the audience. "To be, or not to be..."
Stream of Consciousness Narrative style that tries to realistically capture a character's thought process.
Structure The shape of the text as a whole, usually referring to the order of events.
Style The manner in which an author tells a story.
Symbol An object/person/other thing within a work that carries thematic weight along with its literal meaning. (i.e. the sacrificial lamb in the kite runner).
Synecdoche A figure of speech in which the part represents the whole. "I'm keeping an eye on you."
Syntax The arrangement of words, phrases, clauses etc within a sentence.
Theme A universal idea expressed in a work. (i.e. familial loyalty and the lack thereof in Hamlet)
Topos A traditional theme found in literature.
Tragedy A drama in which the hero experiences terrible events, usually as a result of their own flaws. (Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet)
Tragic Flaw The flaw that brings about the downfall of the tragic hero.
Tragic Hero The protagonist of a tragedy (Macbeth, Prince Hamlet).
Understatement the description of something as having much less of a particular quality than it actually does.
Utopian Novel Style of fiction that takes place in an idealized world.
Verisimilitude The appearance of being true to reality within a work.
Created by: ebalisi14
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