AP 12 Literary Terms

AP 12 Literary TermsReview for AP TestAb OvoA story that starts at the beginning.Different from in medias resMost stories begin at the beginning or ab ovo.

It was a dark and stormy night.

AdageA maxim or proverbA stitch in time saves nine.

AdversariaA collection of notes; a journalSometimes an authors most creative works arent discovered until someone comes across his adversaria.The Diary of Anne Frank

AffectationA style of writing not suited to the subject or occasionBobs submission of a business proposal to the Santa Claus at the mall seemed a bit affected.

AllegoryA story with a double meaning; one that can be read on more than a literal level.Related to parable and fable.Animal FarmWizard of OzPilgrims ProgressThe Inferno

AlliterationRepetition of initial consonant soundsPeter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers

AllusionA reference to something historical or artisticMany allusions are biblicalAllusions enrich meaning by adding depth

AmphibolyAn ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaningHe spoke to the man laughing.Looking across the river, I saw the crocodile with binoculars.

AnabasisThe rising of action to a climaxOthello killing DesdemonaBob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree

AnachronismSomething placed where it does not or could not belongVernors, Better Made, or Faygo placed outside of Michigan/the MidwestA digital clock placed in Medieval times

AnagnorisisA moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledgeOedipus realizing that he killed Laiusand Jocasta is his motherand his children are his brothers and sistersyou get the idea

AnalogueA story that can be found in another language or type of literatureGullivers Travels is a childrens story and classic adult fictionChaucers The Pardoners Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature

Anaphora

The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses or paragraphs.We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds Winston Churchill AnastropheThe inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis, rhyme, etc.)"Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!" Eftsoons his hand dropt he. (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)

AntagonistThe opposing force to the protagonistUsually a person, but can be a thing, animal, nature, society, etc.Fagin, Bob Ewell, Chillingworth

AntanaclasisA word used more than once, using a different intended meaning each time.Put out the light, then put out the light. From Othello, the first light refers to a candle, the second to Desdemona.

AphorismA statement of truth, dogma, maximMay or may not be wittyPower corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

ApologyA work written to defend a writers opinions, or to elaborate and clarify a problem.In Platos Apology, Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens.Sometimes titled Defense

ApostropheAn instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or he/she could hear and respond.Wordsworth: Milton! Thou shouldst be living at this hour (London 1812)Julius Caesar: O Judgement! Thou art fled to brutish beasts

AsideA short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience, presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage.Hamlet: A little more than kin, and less than kind.

AssonanceThe repetition of vowel sounds.Cool, rule, Yule, youll.And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil. (from Gods Grandeur).

A, E, I, O, U.YAubadeA dawn song expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak.Break of Day

Avant-gardeSomething new and revolutionarySymbolist poetsTheater of the Absurd Memento

Black ComedyCynical Comedy; Leaves nothing to do but laugh.Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Death to Smoochy

Blank VerseA poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme.Common among the best poetryShakespeare, MiltonThere would have been a time for such a word/Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. (Macbeth)BombastInflated and extravagant languageOften targeted for humorThe scene with the players in HamletBy heaven methinks it is an easy leap to pluck bright honor from the pale-facd moon. (Henry IV, Part I, I,iii)

CacophonyThe deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect.

CharmAn incantation used to invoke supernatural powersThe Weird Sisters in Macbeth

ChronicleA register of events, in order of time, composed at the time of occurrenceAnglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian eraReplaced by biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, travel books, etc.

CircumlocutionA roundabout way of writing (more is less)Using a lot of words when few will doPolonious (Gertrude says, More matter with less art!)

clichA lifeless, overused phraseTrite, common, has lost effect/meaningFit as a fiddle; See the writing on the wall, turn over a new leafUsing a dictionary definition in an introduction is clich.CoinTo invent a new word or phrase and put it into useShakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom, jaded, tranquil)

ColloquialismWords or phrases used in everyday speech or writingCreeper Shady pop (for a soft drink)

ComedySee Earnest Handout

Comic ReliefComic situations used to ease the tension of tragedy or to heighten the significance by contrastThe Gravedigger scene in HamletHamlets treatment of Polonius and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

ConcordanceAn 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)Can be used to track symbolism or significant meaning

ConfidantA character that the protagonist trusts with his/her inner thoughts and feelingsFemale is confidanteHamlet/HoratioSherlock Holmes/Watson

ConnotationThe emotional or implied meaning associated with a wordChildish vs. ChildlikeSkinny vs. thin vs. emaciatedThe power of diction.

Courtly LoveThe idealization of women, with love-stricken men obedient to their every wishLove is a powerful and controlling forceRomeo: Rosaline, and of course Juliet

DactylA metrical foot consisting of one stressed and two unstressed syllables/uuEn/ter/priseDark ComedySee Black ComedyDenotationThe literal meaning of a wordThe dictionary definition with no attached emotion or implied meaningChildish: of or like a child

DenouementThe unraveling of the plot or the a-ha! momentFrench for unknottingOedipus realizing that he killed Laiusand Jocasta is his motherand his children are his brothers and sisterssound familiar?

DialectA manner of speaking particular to a class or regionChaucer wrote with the East Midland dialectAuthors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue

DiatribeA violent attack on a person or workJonathan Swift: Gullivers TravelsOscar Wilde is more subtle usually not as direct

DidacticA work whose purpose is to teach or instructArs Poetica is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craftPopes Essay on Criticism

DigressionMaterial not relevant to the main plot or theme of the workThis of course never happens in AP 12Authors may digress just to throw in their opinions about particular issues

DimeterA line of verse containing two feet The poem FleasAdam/had em

DirgeA song of lament, or a funeral songAriel sings one in The TempestRelated to elegy

DiscourseA learned discussion on a religious, political, or literary topicSynonymous with dissertationExpert; respected

Dramatis PersonaeThe characters in a playAnother name for cast of characters

Dumb ShowA mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to followUsed in Hamlet

ElegyA poem of mourning or lamentRelated to dirge Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone by W.H. Auden

EllipsisLeaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statementOtherwise known as (dot, dot, dot)Good term to know!EnjambmentRunning on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the nextRomantic poets at times used this technique, and brought it back from an earlier time EntracteA short musical interlude between acts of a playStill used today in musicals FYI

EpicA long narrative poem, usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalismThe Odyssey, The Iliad, Rime of the Ancient MarinerFYI: Epic poems are longer, and are therefore underlined or italicized

EpigramA short, witty sayingOscar Wilde is the masterThe ugly and the stupid have the best of it in this world.

EpiplexisA style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the pointIf you had any sense at allAnyone with a brain would see

EpistleA poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form)In the Bible: Letters from PaulCan be about moral issues (see above)OR can be on romantic or sentimental themes

EuphemismThe substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh onePassed away, Use the restroom, Powder my nose

EuphonyPleasing sounds, usually produced by long vowelsFlush, lush, smooth, cool

ExistentialismReview Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notesReview Crime and Punishment notes

Exposition

The essential information (plot, background, etc.) given by an author at the beginning of a workChapter 1 of To Kill a MockingbirdSome take a lot of time with exposition, others jump inFableA story, usually with animals as main characters, which teaches a moralAesops fables (The Fox and the Grapes)Animal Farm

FarceThe purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humorBasic and broadSee comedy worksheetNoises Off

Figurative LanguageLanguage incorporating figures of speech; the opposite of literal languageAppeals to the senses and produces sensual imageryAdds dimension to writingFixed FormForms in poetry which require a certain number of lines, meter, rhyme, etc.Haiku, limerick, sonnetFlashbackScenes which explain or show events from the pastA device used to fill in details and manipulate timeFootA group of syllables which make up a metrical unitIambic, trochaic , anapestic, dactylic

Free VerseVerse which has no fixed rhyme or meterUsed more and more oftenGazetteerA geographical index or dictionaryPre-Garmin

GenreA kind; a literary type or classPoetry, prose, novel, short story, drama, nonfiction, fiction, science fiction, etc

Gothic FictionRomantic literature which influenced the development of horror fictionSee Jane Eyre notes

HamartiaAn error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcomingOnce again, our friend Oedipus. If he had had certain information, he probably would have made different decisions

HarangueA speech delivered to a crowd, intended to incite actionJulius CaesarAll the Kings Men

Harlem RenaissanceThe development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920s and 1930sLangston Hughes, Countee CullenPoetry was musical; often coordinated with jazz

Heroic CoupletA pair of rhymed lines, usually iambic pentameter, which expresses a complete thoughtTrue ease in writing comes from art, not chance/As those move easiest who have learned to dance. (Pope)HubrisWanton Insolence. Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods.Do we say it again? OEDIPUS! But you know there are others

HumanitiesA term used to refer to literature, languages, philosophy, and art. Anything excluding the natural sciences.

HumoursThe fluids in the body thought to determine peoples moods, temperament, or personality.See handout from Hamlet.HymnA song in praise of God, gods, or heroes.A Hymn to God the FatherHymn to God, My God, in My Sickness

HyperboleExtreme exaggeration for effect or emphasisI could eat a horse

HyphaeresisThe omission of a letter from a wordUsed for meter, rhythm and/or rhymeOer for over

HypostatizationA specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as humanTruth forces me to face the consequencesLove whispers in my earIambicA metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllableu/Iambic pentameter is the most common form of verseendureIbidA reference from the same placeOn a footnotes page, ibid is used if two or more entries come from the same source.FYIImageryFigurative language which appeals to and exercises the sensesAdds dimension to a workAllows for connections

In Medias ResIn the middle of thingsWhen the narrative of a work picks up in the middle, rather than working chronologically from the beginningOedipusInterludeA short entertainment put on between the acts of a playRelated to Entracte, but can include more than music: skits, mime, etc.Internal RhymeWhen two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhymeOnce upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary

IronyThe discrepancy between what is and what appears to beOften easier to identify than to defineZillions of examples over the yearsJargonUnintelligible or secret language; vocabulary specific to a trade or professionWe have adopted the suffix -ese: Computerese, legalese, etc

Jazz PoetryPoetry intended to be recited to jazz accompanimentPart of the Harlem Renaissance; Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians

Kings EnglishEnglish as it should be spoken. Standard English. Can also be The Queens EnglishDates back to the 16th CenturyShakespeare references it in The Merry Wives of Windsor.

LitanyA prayer or series of petitions, usually chantedThe Litany of the SaintsGeneralized to be any type of long list

Literal LanguageNon-figurative language; language to be taken at face valueDenotationLocal ColorThe use of detail specific to a particular region; used to add verisimilitudeIncludes language, setting, detailsMark Twain is known for his expert use of local color

LyricGreeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric; we still use the word lyric in music A short poem, usually expressing the views of one person, not necessarily the poetComprises most of poetry

Magnum OpusAn authors major work, usually a defining oneWould be difficult to pinpoint someone like ShakespeareMilton: Paradise LostSometimes used ironicallyMr. Hollands OpusMalapropismThe incorrect use of multi-syllable words, usually to humorous effectComes from the Sheridan play The RivalsMrs. Malaprop was the character who used language in this wayI would have her instructed in geometry, so that she might know something of the contagious countriesManifestoA public declaration of beliefs or principlesThe Communist ManifestoCertain works are intended to be or are viewed as manifestos

MeiosisA figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasisLesseningSimple, gentle, and often ironicAfter suffering extensively, King Lear says, Pray you undo this button.MetaphorA direct comparison between two unrelated entitiesThousands upon thousands of examples!Dont forget extended metaphorMeterThe pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a lineIambic, anapestic, dactylic, and trochaicMonometer, dimeter, trimeter, etc.MetonymyA figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself.Something associated or suggested White House = presidentCrown = monarchyStage = acting profession

MonologueA single person speaking alone, with or without others on stage to hear

Moral

The lesson to be learned from a workThe point of any didactic workMotifA repeated idea or image in a workDiffers from symbol in that it may or may not add a level of meaning, and symbols may or may not be repeated in a workNaturalismSynonymous with Realism; the belief that everything occurs in nature; love of nature.Poetry of Wordsworth and friendsSocially, focuses on the shortcomings of human beings and is often somberThe Necklace

NemesisA personification of the gods anger at mans hubris; punishmentRaskolnikov = PorfirySeinfeld = Newman

Nom de plumePen nameGeorge Eliot = Mary Ann CrossWomen often employed mens names in order to get published

OctaveA group of eight lines (in verse)An octave and a sestet make up an Italian sonnet

OdeA grand poem formal in tone and styleTwo types: public, and privatePublic are for formal occasions: funerals, state eventsPrivate are personal and reflectiveOde on a Grecian Urn, Ode to the West WindOnomatopoeiaWords which sound like what they representA great sound device in poetryBatman words: Pow! Bam! Zap!Crackle, pop, whoosh

Oral TraditionPoetry that is composed and passed along orallyLike playing telephone: things can be lost and/or changed as they gets passed downSomeone usually writes the work down (eventually)The OdysseyOxymoronA figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effectJumbo shrimp Honest thiefRomeo and Juliet: heavy lightness, serious vanity

PaeanA Greek song of joy or praiseThanksgiving to Apollo the Striker one who strikes blows in order to heal mankind.Palilogy

The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis

PalindromeA word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwardsHannah and Otto, but not Hannah OttoParableRelated to fable and allegory; a short story with a moralNew Testament: many parables of JesusDeep meaning and lesson

ParadoxA statement which appears contradictory on the surface, but upon further evaluation contains truthHamlet: I must be cruel to be kind.Poets like John DonneParodyExaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculousSee NotesPathosA work intended to arouse pity and/or fear within its audience, without a catharsis of those emotionsSee notesPersonificationGiving human characteristics to non-human entitiesBillions of examples from 10-12

PlatitudeA common statement or trite remarkYou cant have your cake and eat it too.Often meant to be deep, platitudes are overused and therefore often meaningless

PolysyndetonThe use of a number of conjunctions in close successionWe lived and laughed and loved and left. -- James Joyce, Finnegans WakeRhetorical QuestionA question posed with no expectation of an answerA device used to promote deeper thinkingAlso sarcasm if a person DOES respond

SagaScandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors; based in oral traditionGood to know origin

SatirePlease see notesSatyr PlayOne of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians, usually a comedy or light piece to cleanse the palateOther three plays make up tragic trilogy

ScansionAnalysis of the rhyme, rhythm, and form of poemSerenadeA song sung under a ladys window at nightYes, this is a lit term!And a dying art(Say Anything?)

SermonA didactic talk, usually religious in natureNote how terms are related and intertwine

SoliloquyA speech given by a character alone on stage, expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audienceTo be or not to be Differs from aside and monologue

Stream of ConsciousnessA unedited flow of thought; interior monologueSometimes difficult to follow, but ultimately quite revealing of characterVirginia Woolf, William FaulknerSynecdocheA literary device where a part is used to stand for a wholenice wheels = nice carskirts = women

SyntaxSentence StructureThe use of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentencesAffects narrative pace TetralogyThe four plays (three tragedy/one comedy) submitted at Greek festivalsTheater of the AbsurdSee notesTragedySee comprehensive notes! : )

Tragic FlawThe defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfallWhen in doubt? PRIDE!

VerisimilitudeTruth or credibility in a work; likeness to realityIntrinsic credibilityEven fantastical works can have verisimilitude, based on how the author sets things upVernacularNative language; dialectAnother synonym

ZeugmaA verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns, but is fitting with only oneKill the poys and the luggage. (Henry V)