ap 12 literary terms review for ap test ab ovo a story that starts at the beginning. different from...
TRANSCRIPT
AP 12 Literary Terms
Review for AP Test
Ab Ovo
bull A story that starts at the beginningbull Different from in medias res
bull Most stories begin at the beginning or ab ovo
bull It was a dark and stormy night
Adage
bull A maxim or proverbbull A stitch in time saves nine
Adversaria
bull A collection of notes a journalbull Sometimes an authorrsquos most creative works arenrsquot discovered until someone comes across his adversaria
bull The Diary of Anne Frank
Affectation
bull A style of writing not suited to the subject or occasion
Bobrsquos submission of a business proposal to the Santa Claus at the mall seemed a bit affected
Allegory
bull A story with a double meaning one that can be read on more than a literal level
bull Related to parable and fable
bull Animal Farmbull Wizard of Ozbull Pilgrimrsquos Progressbull The Inferno
Alliteration
bull Repetition of initial consonant sounds
bullPeter Piper Picked a Peck of
Pickled Peppers
Allusion
bull A reference to something historical or artistic
bull Many allusions are biblicalbull Allusions enrich meaning by adding depth
Amphiboly
bull An ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaning
bull He spoke to the man laughingbull Looking across the river I saw the crocodile
with binoculars
Anabasis
bull The rising of action to a climaxbull Othello killing Desdemonabull Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Ab Ovo
bull A story that starts at the beginningbull Different from in medias res
bull Most stories begin at the beginning or ab ovo
bull It was a dark and stormy night
Adage
bull A maxim or proverbbull A stitch in time saves nine
Adversaria
bull A collection of notes a journalbull Sometimes an authorrsquos most creative works arenrsquot discovered until someone comes across his adversaria
bull The Diary of Anne Frank
Affectation
bull A style of writing not suited to the subject or occasion
Bobrsquos submission of a business proposal to the Santa Claus at the mall seemed a bit affected
Allegory
bull A story with a double meaning one that can be read on more than a literal level
bull Related to parable and fable
bull Animal Farmbull Wizard of Ozbull Pilgrimrsquos Progressbull The Inferno
Alliteration
bull Repetition of initial consonant sounds
bullPeter Piper Picked a Peck of
Pickled Peppers
Allusion
bull A reference to something historical or artistic
bull Many allusions are biblicalbull Allusions enrich meaning by adding depth
Amphiboly
bull An ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaning
bull He spoke to the man laughingbull Looking across the river I saw the crocodile
with binoculars
Anabasis
bull The rising of action to a climaxbull Othello killing Desdemonabull Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Adage
bull A maxim or proverbbull A stitch in time saves nine
Adversaria
bull A collection of notes a journalbull Sometimes an authorrsquos most creative works arenrsquot discovered until someone comes across his adversaria
bull The Diary of Anne Frank
Affectation
bull A style of writing not suited to the subject or occasion
Bobrsquos submission of a business proposal to the Santa Claus at the mall seemed a bit affected
Allegory
bull A story with a double meaning one that can be read on more than a literal level
bull Related to parable and fable
bull Animal Farmbull Wizard of Ozbull Pilgrimrsquos Progressbull The Inferno
Alliteration
bull Repetition of initial consonant sounds
bullPeter Piper Picked a Peck of
Pickled Peppers
Allusion
bull A reference to something historical or artistic
bull Many allusions are biblicalbull Allusions enrich meaning by adding depth
Amphiboly
bull An ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaning
bull He spoke to the man laughingbull Looking across the river I saw the crocodile
with binoculars
Anabasis
bull The rising of action to a climaxbull Othello killing Desdemonabull Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Adversaria
bull A collection of notes a journalbull Sometimes an authorrsquos most creative works arenrsquot discovered until someone comes across his adversaria
bull The Diary of Anne Frank
Affectation
bull A style of writing not suited to the subject or occasion
Bobrsquos submission of a business proposal to the Santa Claus at the mall seemed a bit affected
Allegory
bull A story with a double meaning one that can be read on more than a literal level
bull Related to parable and fable
bull Animal Farmbull Wizard of Ozbull Pilgrimrsquos Progressbull The Inferno
Alliteration
bull Repetition of initial consonant sounds
bullPeter Piper Picked a Peck of
Pickled Peppers
Allusion
bull A reference to something historical or artistic
bull Many allusions are biblicalbull Allusions enrich meaning by adding depth
Amphiboly
bull An ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaning
bull He spoke to the man laughingbull Looking across the river I saw the crocodile
with binoculars
Anabasis
bull The rising of action to a climaxbull Othello killing Desdemonabull Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Affectation
bull A style of writing not suited to the subject or occasion
Bobrsquos submission of a business proposal to the Santa Claus at the mall seemed a bit affected
Allegory
bull A story with a double meaning one that can be read on more than a literal level
bull Related to parable and fable
bull Animal Farmbull Wizard of Ozbull Pilgrimrsquos Progressbull The Inferno
Alliteration
bull Repetition of initial consonant sounds
bullPeter Piper Picked a Peck of
Pickled Peppers
Allusion
bull A reference to something historical or artistic
bull Many allusions are biblicalbull Allusions enrich meaning by adding depth
Amphiboly
bull An ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaning
bull He spoke to the man laughingbull Looking across the river I saw the crocodile
with binoculars
Anabasis
bull The rising of action to a climaxbull Othello killing Desdemonabull Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Allegory
bull A story with a double meaning one that can be read on more than a literal level
bull Related to parable and fable
bull Animal Farmbull Wizard of Ozbull Pilgrimrsquos Progressbull The Inferno
Alliteration
bull Repetition of initial consonant sounds
bullPeter Piper Picked a Peck of
Pickled Peppers
Allusion
bull A reference to something historical or artistic
bull Many allusions are biblicalbull Allusions enrich meaning by adding depth
Amphiboly
bull An ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaning
bull He spoke to the man laughingbull Looking across the river I saw the crocodile
with binoculars
Anabasis
bull The rising of action to a climaxbull Othello killing Desdemonabull Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Alliteration
bull Repetition of initial consonant sounds
bullPeter Piper Picked a Peck of
Pickled Peppers
Allusion
bull A reference to something historical or artistic
bull Many allusions are biblicalbull Allusions enrich meaning by adding depth
Amphiboly
bull An ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaning
bull He spoke to the man laughingbull Looking across the river I saw the crocodile
with binoculars
Anabasis
bull The rising of action to a climaxbull Othello killing Desdemonabull Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Allusion
bull A reference to something historical or artistic
bull Many allusions are biblicalbull Allusions enrich meaning by adding depth
Amphiboly
bull An ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaning
bull He spoke to the man laughingbull Looking across the river I saw the crocodile
with binoculars
Anabasis
bull The rising of action to a climaxbull Othello killing Desdemonabull Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Amphiboly
bull An ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaning
bull He spoke to the man laughingbull Looking across the river I saw the crocodile
with binoculars
Anabasis
bull The rising of action to a climaxbull Othello killing Desdemonabull Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Anabasis
bull The rising of action to a climaxbull Othello killing Desdemonabull Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Anachronism
bull Something placed where it does not or could not belong
bull Vernors Better Made or Faygo placed outside of Michiganthe Midwest
bull A digital clock placed in Medieval times
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Anagnorisis
bull A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge
bull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipyou get the ideahellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Analogue
bull A story that can be found in another language or type of literature
bull Gulliverrsquos Travels is a childrenrsquos story and classic ldquoadultrdquo fiction
bull Chaucerrsquos The Pardonerrsquos Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Anaphora
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses clauses or paragraphs
bull ldquoWe shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the landing groundshelliprdquo ndash Winston Churchill
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Anastrophe
bull The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis rhyme etc)
bull Hold off unhand me grey-beard loon Eftsoons his hand dropt he (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Antagonist
bull The opposing force to the protagonistbull Usually a person but can be a thing
animal nature society etcbull Fagin Bob Ewell Chillingworth
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Antanaclasis
bull A word used more than once using a different intended meaning each time
bull ldquoPut out the light then put out the lightrdquo From Othello the first ldquolightrdquo refers to a candle the second to Desdemona
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Aphorism
bull A statement of truth dogma maximbull May or may not be wittybull Power corrupts absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Apology
bull A work written to defend a writerrsquos opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
bull In Platorsquos Apology Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens
bull Sometimes titled ldquoDefenserdquo
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Apostrophe
bull An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or heshe could hear and respond
bull Wordsworth ldquoMilton Thou shouldrsquost be living at this hourhelliprdquo (ldquoLondon 1812rdquo)
bull Julius Caesar ldquoO Judgement Thou art fled to brutish beastshelliprdquo
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Aside
bull A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage
bull Hamlet ldquoA little more than kin and less than kindrdquo
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Assonance
bull The repetition of vowel soundsbull Cool rule Yule yoursquollhellipbull ldquoAnd all is seared with trade bleared
smeared with toilrdquo (from ldquoGodrsquos Grandeurrdquo)
A E I O UhellipYhellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Aubade
bull A ldquodawn songrdquo expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak
bull ldquoBreak of Dayrdquo
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Avant-garde
bull Something new and revolutionarybull Symbolist poetsbull Theater of the Absurd bull Memento
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Black Comedy
bull Cynical Comedy Leaves nothing to do but laugh
bull Whorsquos Afraid of Virginia Woolfbull Death to Smoochy
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Blank Verse
bull A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme
bull Common among the best poetrybull Shakespeare Miltonbull There would have been a time for such a
wordTomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth)
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Bombast
bull Inflated and extravagant languagebull Often targeted for humorbull The scene with the players in Hamletbull ldquoBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to
pluck bright honor from the pale-facrsquod moonrdquo (Henry IV Part I Iiii)
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Cacophony
bull The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Charm
bull An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers
bull The Weird Sisters in Macbeth
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Chronicle
bull A register of events in order of time composed at the time of occurrence
bull Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era
bull Replaced by biographies autobiographies memoirs travel books etc
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Circumlocution
bull A roundabout way of writing (more is less)bull Using a lot of words when few will dobull Polonious (Gertrude says ldquoMore matter
with less artrdquo)
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
clicheacute
bull A lifeless overused phrasebull Trite common has lost effectmeaningbull ldquoFit as a fiddlerdquo ldquoSee the writing on the
wallrdquo ldquoturn over a new leafrdquobull Using a dictionary definition in an
introduction is clicheacute
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Coin
bull To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use
bull Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom jaded tranquilhellip)
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Colloquialism
bull Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing
bull ldquoCreeperrdquo ldquoShadyrdquo ldquopoprdquo (for a soft drink)
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Comedy
bull See Earnest Handouthellip
Comic Relief
bull Comic situations used to ease the tension of tragedy or to heighten the significance by contrast
bull The Gravedigger scene in Hamletbull Hamletrsquos treatment of Polonius and
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Concordance
bull An index of words in a single text or in the major works of an author (One exists for the Bible another for the works of Shakespeare)
bull Can be used to track symbolism or significant meaning
Confidant
bull A character that the protagonist trusts with hisher inner thoughts and feelings
bull Female is confidantebull HamletHoratiobull Sherlock HolmesWatson
Connotation
bull The emotional or implied meaning associated with a word
bull Childish vs Childlikebull Skinny vs thin vs emaciatedbull The power of dictionhellip
Courtly Love
bull The idealization of women with love-stricken men obedient to their every wish
bull Love is a powerful and controlling forcebull Romeo Rosaline and of course Juliet
Dactyl
bull A metrical foot consisting of one stressed and two unstressed syllables
bull uubull Enterprise
Dark Comedy
bull See ldquoBlack Comedyrdquo
Denotation
bull The literal meaning of a wordbull The dictionary definition with no attached
emotion or implied meaningbull ldquoChildishrdquo of or like a child
Denouement
bull The unraveling of the plot or the ldquoa-hardquo moment
bull French for ldquounknottingrdquobull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand
Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipsound familiarhellip
Dialect
bull A manner of speaking particular to a class or region
bull Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect
bull Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Concordance
bull An index of words in a single text or in the major works of an author (One exists for the Bible another for the works of Shakespeare)
bull Can be used to track symbolism or significant meaning
Confidant
bull A character that the protagonist trusts with hisher inner thoughts and feelings
bull Female is confidantebull HamletHoratiobull Sherlock HolmesWatson
Connotation
bull The emotional or implied meaning associated with a word
bull Childish vs Childlikebull Skinny vs thin vs emaciatedbull The power of dictionhellip
Courtly Love
bull The idealization of women with love-stricken men obedient to their every wish
bull Love is a powerful and controlling forcebull Romeo Rosaline and of course Juliet
Dactyl
bull A metrical foot consisting of one stressed and two unstressed syllables
bull uubull Enterprise
Dark Comedy
bull See ldquoBlack Comedyrdquo
Denotation
bull The literal meaning of a wordbull The dictionary definition with no attached
emotion or implied meaningbull ldquoChildishrdquo of or like a child
Denouement
bull The unraveling of the plot or the ldquoa-hardquo moment
bull French for ldquounknottingrdquobull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand
Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipsound familiarhellip
Dialect
bull A manner of speaking particular to a class or region
bull Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect
bull Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Confidant
bull A character that the protagonist trusts with hisher inner thoughts and feelings
bull Female is confidantebull HamletHoratiobull Sherlock HolmesWatson
Connotation
bull The emotional or implied meaning associated with a word
bull Childish vs Childlikebull Skinny vs thin vs emaciatedbull The power of dictionhellip
Courtly Love
bull The idealization of women with love-stricken men obedient to their every wish
bull Love is a powerful and controlling forcebull Romeo Rosaline and of course Juliet
Dactyl
bull A metrical foot consisting of one stressed and two unstressed syllables
bull uubull Enterprise
Dark Comedy
bull See ldquoBlack Comedyrdquo
Denotation
bull The literal meaning of a wordbull The dictionary definition with no attached
emotion or implied meaningbull ldquoChildishrdquo of or like a child
Denouement
bull The unraveling of the plot or the ldquoa-hardquo moment
bull French for ldquounknottingrdquobull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand
Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipsound familiarhellip
Dialect
bull A manner of speaking particular to a class or region
bull Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect
bull Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Connotation
bull The emotional or implied meaning associated with a word
bull Childish vs Childlikebull Skinny vs thin vs emaciatedbull The power of dictionhellip
Courtly Love
bull The idealization of women with love-stricken men obedient to their every wish
bull Love is a powerful and controlling forcebull Romeo Rosaline and of course Juliet
Dactyl
bull A metrical foot consisting of one stressed and two unstressed syllables
bull uubull Enterprise
Dark Comedy
bull See ldquoBlack Comedyrdquo
Denotation
bull The literal meaning of a wordbull The dictionary definition with no attached
emotion or implied meaningbull ldquoChildishrdquo of or like a child
Denouement
bull The unraveling of the plot or the ldquoa-hardquo moment
bull French for ldquounknottingrdquobull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand
Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipsound familiarhellip
Dialect
bull A manner of speaking particular to a class or region
bull Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect
bull Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Courtly Love
bull The idealization of women with love-stricken men obedient to their every wish
bull Love is a powerful and controlling forcebull Romeo Rosaline and of course Juliet
Dactyl
bull A metrical foot consisting of one stressed and two unstressed syllables
bull uubull Enterprise
Dark Comedy
bull See ldquoBlack Comedyrdquo
Denotation
bull The literal meaning of a wordbull The dictionary definition with no attached
emotion or implied meaningbull ldquoChildishrdquo of or like a child
Denouement
bull The unraveling of the plot or the ldquoa-hardquo moment
bull French for ldquounknottingrdquobull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand
Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipsound familiarhellip
Dialect
bull A manner of speaking particular to a class or region
bull Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect
bull Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Dactyl
bull A metrical foot consisting of one stressed and two unstressed syllables
bull uubull Enterprise
Dark Comedy
bull See ldquoBlack Comedyrdquo
Denotation
bull The literal meaning of a wordbull The dictionary definition with no attached
emotion or implied meaningbull ldquoChildishrdquo of or like a child
Denouement
bull The unraveling of the plot or the ldquoa-hardquo moment
bull French for ldquounknottingrdquobull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand
Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipsound familiarhellip
Dialect
bull A manner of speaking particular to a class or region
bull Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect
bull Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Dark Comedy
bull See ldquoBlack Comedyrdquo
Denotation
bull The literal meaning of a wordbull The dictionary definition with no attached
emotion or implied meaningbull ldquoChildishrdquo of or like a child
Denouement
bull The unraveling of the plot or the ldquoa-hardquo moment
bull French for ldquounknottingrdquobull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand
Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipsound familiarhellip
Dialect
bull A manner of speaking particular to a class or region
bull Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect
bull Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Denotation
bull The literal meaning of a wordbull The dictionary definition with no attached
emotion or implied meaningbull ldquoChildishrdquo of or like a child
Denouement
bull The unraveling of the plot or the ldquoa-hardquo moment
bull French for ldquounknottingrdquobull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand
Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipsound familiarhellip
Dialect
bull A manner of speaking particular to a class or region
bull Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect
bull Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Denouement
bull The unraveling of the plot or the ldquoa-hardquo moment
bull French for ldquounknottingrdquobull Oedipus realizing that he killed Laiushellipand
Jocasta is his motherhellipand his children are his brothers and sistershellipsound familiarhellip
Dialect
bull A manner of speaking particular to a class or region
bull Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect
bull Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Dialect
bull A manner of speaking particular to a class or region
bull Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect
bull Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Diatribe
bull A violent attack on a person or workbull Jonathan Swift Gulliverrsquos Travelsbull Oscar Wilde is more subtle ndash usually not as
direct
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Didactic
bull A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct
bull ldquoArs Poeticardquo is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft
bull Popersquos Essay on Criticism
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Digression
bull Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work
bull This of course never happens in AP 12hellipbull Authors may digress just to throw in their
opinions about particular issueshellip
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Dimeter
bull A line of verse containing two feetbull The poem ldquoFleasrdquobull Adamhad lsquoem
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Dirge
bull A song of lament or a funeral songbull Ariel sings one in The Tempestbull Related to elegy
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Discourse
bull A learned discussion on a religious political or literary topic
bull Synonymous with dissertationbull Expert respected
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Dramatis Personae
bull The characters in a playbull Another name for ldquocast of charactersrdquo
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Dumb Show
bull A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow
bull Used in Hamlet
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Elegy
bull A poem of mourning or lamentbull Related to dirge bull ldquoStop all the clocks cut off the telephonerdquo
by WH Auden
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Ellipsis
bull Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement
bull Otherwise known as hellip (dot dot dot)bull Good term to know
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Enjambment
bull Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next
bull Romantic poets at times used this technique and brought it back from an earlier time
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Entrrsquoacte
bull A short musical interlude between acts of a play
bull Still used today in musicals bull FYI
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Epic
bull A long narrative poem usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism
bull The Odyssey The Iliad Rime of the Ancient Mariner
bull FYI Epic poems are longer and are therefore underlined or italicized
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Epigram
bull A short witty sayingbull Oscar Wilde is the masterbull ldquoThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it
in this worldrdquo
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Epiplexis
bull A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point
bull ldquoIf you had any sense at allhelliprdquobull ldquoAnyone with a brain would seehelliprdquo
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Epistle
bull A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)
bull In the Bible Letters from Paulbull Can be about moral issues (see above)bull OR can be on romantic or sentimental
themes
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Euphemism
bull The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one
bull ldquoPassed awayrdquo ldquoUse the restroomrdquo ldquoPowder my noserdquo
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Euphony
bull Pleasing sounds usually produced by long vowels
bull Flush lush smooth cool
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Existentialism
bull Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes
bull Review Crime and Punishment notes
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Exposition
bull The essential information (plot background etc) given by an author at the beginning of a work
bull Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbirdbull Some take a lot of time with exposition
others jump inhellip
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Fable
bull A story usually with animals as main characters which teaches a moral
bull Aesoprsquos fables (ldquoThe Fox and the Grapesrdquo)bull Animal Farm
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Farce
bull The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor
bull Basic and broadbull See comedy worksheetbull Noises Off
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Figurative Language
bull Language incorporating figures of speech the opposite of literal language
bull Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery
bull Adds dimension to writing
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Fixed Form
bull Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines meter rhyme etc
bull Haiku limerick sonnet
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Flashback
bull Scenes which explain or show events from the past
bull A device used to fill in details and manipulate time
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Foot
bull A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit
bull Iambic trochaic anapestic dactylic
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Free Verse
bull Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meterbull Used more and more often
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Gazetteer
bull A geographical index or dictionarybull Pre-Garmin
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Genre
bull A kind a literary type or classbull Poetry prose novel short story drama
nonfiction fiction science fiction etchellip
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Gothic Fiction
bull Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction
bull See Jane Eyre notes
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Hamartia
bull An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming
bull Once again our friend Oedipus If he had had certain information he probably would have made different decisionshellip
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Harangue
bull A speech delivered to a crowd intended to incite action
bull Julius Caesarbull All the Kingrsquos Men
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Harlem Renaissance
bull The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920rsquos and 1930rsquos
bull Langston Hughes Countee Cullenbull Poetry was musical often coordinated with
jazz
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Heroic Couplet
bull A pair of rhymed lines usually iambic pentameter which expresses a complete thought
bull True ease in writing comes from art not chanceAs those move easiest who have learned to dance (Pope)
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Hubris
bull ldquoWanton Insolencerdquo Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods
bull Do we say it again OEDIPUS But you know there are othershellip
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Humanities
bull A term used to refer to literature languages philosophy and art Anything excluding the natural sciences
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Humours
bull The fluids in the body thought to determine peoplersquos moods temperament or personality
bull See handout from Hamlet
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Hymn
bull A song in praise of God gods or heroesbull ldquoA Hymn to God the Fatherrdquobull ldquoHymn to God My God in My
Sicknessrdquo
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Hyperbole
bull Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis
bull I could eat a horse
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Hyphaeresis
bull The omission of a letter from a wordbull Used for meter rhythm andor rhymebull Orsquoer for over
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Hypostatization
bull A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human
bull Truth forces me to face the consequenceshellipbull Love whispers in my earhellip
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Iambic
bull A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable
bull ubull Iambic pentameter is the most common
form of versebull ldquoendurerdquo
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Ibid
bull A reference ldquofrom the same placerdquobull On a footnotes page ldquoibidrdquo is used if two or
more entries come from the same sourcebull FYI
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Imagery
bull Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses
bull Adds dimension to a workbull Allows for connections
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
In Medias Res
bull ldquoIn the middle of thingsrdquobull When the narrative of a work picks up in
the middle rather than working chronologically from the beginning
bull Oedipus
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Interlude
bull A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play
bull Related to Entrrsquoacte but can include more than music skits mime etc
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Internal Rhyme
bull When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme
bull Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and wearyhellip
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Irony
bull The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be
bull Often easier to identify than to definebull Zillions of examples over the yearshellip
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Jargon
bull Unintelligible or secret language vocabulary specific to a trade or profession
bull We have adopted the suffix ldquo-eserdquo Computerese legalese etchellip
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Jazz Poetry
bull Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment
bull Part of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Kingrsquos English
bull English as it should be spoken Standard English
bull Can also be The Queenrsquos Englishbull Dates back to the 16th Centurybull Shakespeare references it in The Merry
Wives of Windsor
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Litany
bull A prayer or series of petitions usually chanted
bull The Litany of the Saintsbull Generalized to be any type of long list
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Literal Language
bull Non-figurative language language to be taken at face value
bull Denotation
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Local Color
bull The use of detail specific to a particular region used to add verisimilitude
bull Includes language setting detailshellipbull Mark Twain is known for his expert use of
local color
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Lyric
bull Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric we still use the word ldquolyricrdquo in music
bull A short poem usually expressing the views of one person not necessarily the poet
bull Comprises most of poetry
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Magnum Opus
bull An authorrsquos major work usually a defining one
bull Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare
bull Milton Paradise Lostbull Sometimes used ironicallybull Mr Hollandrsquos Opus
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Malapropism
bull The incorrect use of multi-syllable words usually to humorous effect
bull Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivalsbull Mrs Malaprop was the character who used
language in this waybull ldquoI would have her instructed in geometry
so that she might know something of the contagious countrieshelliprdquo
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Manifesto
bull A public declaration of beliefs or principlesbull The Communist Manifestobull Certain works are intended to be or are
viewed as manifestos
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Meiosis
bull A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis
bull ldquoLesseningrdquobull Simple gentle and often ironicbull After suffering extensively King Lear says
ldquoPray you undo this buttonrdquo
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Metaphor
bull A direct comparison between two unrelated entities
bull Thousands upon thousands of examplesbull Donrsquot forget extended metaphor
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Meter
bull The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
bull Iambic anapestic dactylic and trochaicbull Monometer dimeter trimeter etchellip
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Metonymy
bull A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself
bull Something associated or suggested bull White House = presidentbull Crown = monarchybull Stage = acting profession
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Monologue
bull A single person speaking alone with or without others on stage to hear
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Moral
bull The lesson to be learned from a workbull The point of any didactic work
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Motif
bull A repeated idea or image in a workbull Differs from symbol in that it may or may
not add a level of meaning and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Naturalism
bull Synonymous with Realism the belief that everything occurs in nature love of nature
bull Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsbull Socially focuses on the shortcomings of
human beings and is often somberbull ldquoThe Necklacerdquo
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Nemesis
bull A personification of the godsrsquo anger at manrsquos hubris punishment
bull Raskolnikov = Porfirybull Seinfeld = Newman
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Nom de plume
bull Pen namebull George Eliot = Mary Ann Crossbull Women often employed menrsquos names in
order to get published
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Octave
bull A group of eight lines (in verse)bull An octave and a sestet make up an Italian
sonnet
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Ode
bull A ldquogrand poemrdquo ndash formal in tone and stylebull Two types public and privatebull Public are for formal occasions funerals
state eventsbull Private are personal and reflectivebull ldquoOde on a Grecian Urnrdquo ldquoOde to the West
Windrdquo
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Onomatopoeia
bull Words which sound like what they representbull A great sound device in poetrybull ldquoBatmanrdquo words Pow Bam Zapbull Crackle pop whoosh
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Oral Tradition
bull Poetry that is composed and passed along orally
bull Like playing telephone things can be lost andor changed as they gets passed down
bull Someone usually writes the work down (eventually)
bull The Odyssey
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Oxymoron
bull A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect
bull ldquoJumbo shrimprdquo ldquoHonest thiefrdquobull Romeo and Juliet heavy lightness serious
vanityhellip
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Paean
bull A Greek song of joy or praisebull Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker ldquoone
who strikes blows in order to heal mankindrdquo
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Palilogy
bull The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Palindrome
bull A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards
bull Hannah and Otto but not Hannah Otto
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Parable
bull Related to fable and allegory a short story with a moral
bull New Testament many parables of Jesusbull Deep meaning and lesson
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Paradox
bull A statement which appears contradictory on the surface but upon further evaluation contains truth
bull Hamlet ldquoI must be cruel to be kindrdquobull Poets like John Donne
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Parody
bull Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous
bull See Notes
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Pathos
bull A work intended to arouse pity andor fear within its audience without a catharsis of those emotions
bull See notes
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Personification
bull Giving human characteristics to non-human entities
bull Billions of examples from 10-12
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Platitude
bull A common statement or trite remarkbull ldquoYou canrsquot have your cake and eat it toordquobull Often meant to be deep platitudes are
overused and therefore often meaningless
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Polysyndeton
bull The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession
bull ldquoWe lived and laughed and loved and leftrdquo -- James Joyce Finneganrsquos Wake
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Rhetorical Question
A question posed with no expectation of an answer
A device used to promote deeper thinkinghellip
Also sarcasm if a person DOES respondhellip
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Saga
bull Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors based in oral tradition
bull Good to know origin
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Satire
bull Please see notes
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Satyr Play
bull One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians usually a comedy or light piece to ldquocleanse the palaterdquo
bull Other three plays make up tragic trilogy
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Scansion
Analysis of the rhyme rhythm and form of poem
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Serenade
bull A song sung under a ladyrsquos window at nightbull Yes this is a lit termbull And a dying arthellip(Say Anything)
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Sermon
bull A didactic talk usually religious in naturebull Note how terms are related and intertwine
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Soliloquy
bull A speech given by a character alone on stage expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience
bull ldquoTo be or not to be helliprdquobull Differs from aside and monologue
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Stream of Consciousness
bull A unedited flow of thought interior monologue
bull Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately quite revealing of character
bull Virginia Woolf William Faulkner
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Synecdoche
bull A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole
bull ldquonice wheelsrdquo = ldquonice carrdquobull ldquoskirtsrdquo = women
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Syntax
bull Sentence Structurebull The use of simple compound complex and
compound-complex sentencesbull Affects narrative pace
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Tetralogy
bull The four plays (three tragedyone comedy) submitted at Greek festivals
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Theater of the Absurd
bull See notes
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Tragedy
bull See comprehensive notes )
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Tragic Flaw
bull The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall
bull When in doubt PRIDE
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Verisimilitude
bull Truth or credibility in a work likeness to reality
bull Intrinsic credibilitybull Even fantastical works can have
verisimilitude based on how the author sets things up
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Vernacular
bull Native language dialectbull Another synonym
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-
Zeugma
bull A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns but is fitting with only one
bull ldquoKill the poys and the luggagerdquo (Henry V)
- AP 12 Literary Terms
- Ab Ovo
- Adage
- Adversaria
- Affectation
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Amphiboly
- Anabasis
- Anachronism
- Anagnorisis
- Analogue
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Antagonist
- Antanaclasis
- Aphorism
- Apology
- Apostrophe
- Aside
- Assonance
- Aubade
- Avant-garde
- Black Comedy
- Blank Verse
- Bombast
- Cacophony
- Charm
- Chronicle
- Circumlocution
- clicheacute
- Coin
- Colloquialism
- Comedy
- Comic Relief
- Concordance
- Confidant
- Connotation
- Courtly Love
- Dactyl
- Dark Comedy
- Denotation
- Denouement
- Dialect
- Diatribe
- Didactic
- Digression
- Dimeter
- Dirge
- Discourse
- Dramatis Personae
- Dumb Show
- Elegy
- Ellipsis
- Enjambment
- Entrrsquoacte
- Epic
- Epigram
- Epiplexis
- Epistle
- Euphemism
- Euphony
- Existentialism
- Exposition
- Fable
- Farce
- Figurative Language
- Fixed Form
- Flashback
- Foot
- Free Verse
- Gazetteer
- Genre
- Gothic Fiction
- Hamartia
- Harangue
- Harlem Renaissance
- Heroic Couplet
- Hubris
- Humanities
- Humours
- Hymn
- Hyperbole
- Hyphaeresis
- Hypostatization
- Iambic
- Ibid
- Imagery
- In Medias Res
- Interlude
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Jazz Poetry
- Kingrsquos English
- Litany
- Literal Language
- Local Color
- Lyric
- Magnum Opus
- Malapropism
- Manifesto
- Meiosis
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Metonymy
- Monologue
- Moral
- Motif
- Naturalism
- Nemesis
- Nom de plume
- Octave
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oral Tradition
- Oxymoron
- Paean
- Palilogy
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parody
- Pathos
- Personification
- Platitude
- Polysyndeton
- Rhetorical Question
- Saga
- Satire
- Satyr Play
- Scansion
- Serenade
- Sermon
- Soliloquy
- Stream of Consciousness
- Synecdoche
- Syntax
- Tetralogy
- Theater of the Absurd
- Tragedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Verisimilitude
- Vernacular
- Zeugma
-