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AP lit terms
cause i need to figure out this lit stuff (summer assignment words glossary)
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| absolute | a word free from limitations or qualifications("best," "all," "unique," "perfect.") |
| adage | a familiar proverb or wise saying. |
| allegory | a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions. |
| alliteration | the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words. |
| allusion | a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize. |
| analogy | a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way. |
| anaphora | the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences. |
| anecdote | a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event. |
| antecedent | the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers. |
| antithesis | a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced. |
| aphorism | a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance. |
| apostrophe | a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction. |
| archetype | a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response. |
| argument | a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work. |
| asyndeton | a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions. |
| balanced sentence | a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast. |
| bathos | insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity. |
| bildungsroman | a novel that deals with the formative years of the main character: in particular, his or her psychological development and moral education. |
| chiasmus | a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed. |
| cliché | an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off. |
| climax | the point of highest interest in a literary work. |
| colloquialism | informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing. |
| complex sentence | a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. |
| compound sentence | a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions. |
| conceit | a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor. |
| concrete details | details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events. |
| connotation | the implied or associative meaning of a word. |
| cumulative sentence | a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases. |
| declarative sentence | a sentence that makes a statement or declaration. |
| deductive reasoning | reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case. |
| denotation | the literal meaning of a word. |
| dialect | a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region. |
| dialogue | conversation between two or more people. |
| diction | the word choices made by a writer. |
| didactic | having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing. |
| dilemma | a situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives. |
| dissonance | harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds. |
| elegy | a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme. |
| ellipsis | the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context. |
| epic | a long narrative poem written in elevated style which presents the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation. |
| epigram | a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying. |
| epigraph | a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work. |
| epiphany | a moment of sudden revelation or insight. |
| epitaph | an inscription on a tombstone or burial place. |
| epithet | a term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Homeric epithets are often compound adjectives that become an almost formulaic part of a name; can be abusive or offensive but are not so by definition. |
| eulogy | a formal speech praising a person who has died. |
| euphemism | an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant. |
| exclamatory sentence | a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark. |
| expletive | an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity. |
| fable | a brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters. |
| figurative language | language employing one or more figures of speech. |
| flashback | the insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative. |
| flat character | a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story. |
| foreshadowing | the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work. |
| frame device | a story within a story |
| genre | a major category or type of literature. |
| homily | a sermon, or a moralistic lecture. |
| hubris | excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy. |
| hyperbole | intentional exaggeration to create an effect. |
| hypothetical question | a question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition. |
| idiom | an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect. |
| imagery | the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses. |
| implication | a suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating it directly. |
| inductive reasoning | deriving general principles from particular facts or instances. |
| inference | a conclusion one draws (infers) based on premises or evidence. |
| invective | an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack. |
| irony | the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs. |
| jargon | the specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession. |
| juxtaposition | placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast. |
| legend | a narrative handed down from the past, containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements. |
| limerick | light verse consisting of five lines of regular rhythm in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme, and the second and third lines rhyme. |
| limited narrator | a narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, heard, thought, or felt by that one character. |
| literary license | deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect. |
| litotes | a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite. |
| malapropism | the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar |
| maxim | a concise statement, often offering advice; an adage. |
| metaphor | a direct comparison of two different things. |
| metonymy | substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it. |
| mood | the emotional atmosphere of a work. |
| motif | a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works. |
| motivation | a character's incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act. |
| myth | a traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episodes that help explain natural events. |
| narrative | a story or narrated account. |
| narrator | the one who tells the story; may be first- or third-person, limited or omniscient. |
| non sequitur | an inference that does not follow logically from the premises. |
| omniscient narrator | a narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters. |
| onomatopoeia | a word formed from the imitation of natural sounds. |
| oxymoron | an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined parable— a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. |
| paradox | an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth. |
| parallelism | the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms. |
| paraphrase | a restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity. |
| parody | a humorous imitation of a serious work. |
| parenthetical | a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain. |
| pastoral | literature that deals with people living off the land, revealing the challenges and blessings of nature. |
| pathos | the quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity. |
| pedantic | characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship. |
| personification | endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics. |
| philippic | a strong verbal denunciation. |
| point of view | the vantage point from which a story is told. |
| polysyndeton | the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural. |
| pun | a play on words, often using words with similar sounds but different meanings. |
| resolution | the falling action of a narrative; the events following the climax. |
| rhetoric | the art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner. |
| rhetorical question | a question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer. |
| rhetorical devices | literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression. |
| riddle | a question requiring thought to answer or understand; a puzzle or conundrum. |
| romantic | a term describing a character or literary work that reflects the characteristics of Romanticism, the literary movement beginning in the late century that stressed emotion, imagination, and individualism. |
| round character | a character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work. |
| sarcasm | harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule. |
| satire | the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions. |
| scapegoat | a person or group that bears the blame for another. |
| simile | a comparison of two things using "like," "as," or other specifically comparative words. |
| simple sentence | a sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause. |
| solecism | nonstandard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules. |
| style | the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work. |
| surrealism | an artistic movement emphasizing the imagination and characterized by incongruous juxtapositions and lack of conscious control. |
| syllepsis | a construction in which one word is used in two different senses. |
| syllogism | a three-part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise. |
| symbol | an object that is used to represent something else. |
| synecdoche | using one part of an object to represent the entire object. |
| synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another. |
| syntax | the manner in which words are arranged into sentences. |
| tautology | needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding. |
| theme | a central idea of a work. |
| thesis | the primary position taken by a writer or speaker. |
| tone | the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience topic—the subject treated in a paragraph or work. |
| tragedy | a work in which the protagonist, a person of high degree, is engaged in a significant struggle and which ends in ruin or destruction. |
| trilogy | a work in three parts, each of which is a complete work in itself. |
| trite | overused and hackneyed. |
| turning point | the point in a work in which a very significant change occurs. |
| understatement | the deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it actually is—a deliberate under-emphasis. |
| usage | the customary way language or its elements are used. |
| vernacular | the everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage. |
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