Ap English Literary Terms

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Act

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A major division in a play.

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Action

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A real or fictional event or series of such events at make up the subject, especially in what the characters do in the story.

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Ad Hominem

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"against the man"

An argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, feelings rather than intellect.

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Allegory

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Any writing that has a double meaning.

A simple story that has a deeper meaning and teaches a lesson.

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Alliteration

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Used for poetic effect, a repetition of the initial sounds of several words in a group.

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Sally said "snakes slither and slide."

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Allusion

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A reference to a literary work to make an idea more easily understood.

Often used to summarize broad, complex ideas or emotions into one quick, powerful image.

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Anachronism

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Placing an event, person, item, or verbal expressiion in the wrong time period.

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Abraham Lincoln voted for Barack Obama.

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Anagnorisis

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Greek for "recognition".

The moment of tragic recognition where the character realizes somthing important (fact or insight), especially a truth about himself, human nature, or his situation.

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"Moment the light bulb goes on."

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Ambiguity

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A word, phrase, or statement that has 2 or more meanings - intentional or not intentional.

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Analogy

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Comparison of 2 similar, but different things, usually to clarify an action or a relationship.

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the work of a heart = a pump

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Anapest

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In a line of poetry, two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable forming the pattern for the line or the entire poem.

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as i CAME to the EDGE of the WOODS

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Anaphora

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The intentional repetition of the beginning words or phrases.

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I HAVE A DREAM...

I HAVE A DREAM...

I HAVE A DREAM...

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Epistrophe

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The intentional repetition of the ending words or phrases.

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Anecdote

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A very short tale told by a character in a literary work.

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Ex.
The Canterbury Tales

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Antagonist

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A person or force which opposes the protagonist in a literary work.

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The Evil Person

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Antecedent

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The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

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Antihero

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A central character in a dramatic or narrative work who lacks the qualities of nobility (etc...) expected in a tradidional hero.

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Antihero

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A central character who lacks the qualities of nobility and magnanimity expected of traditional heroes.

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Antithesis

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Direct opposite.

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Aphorism

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A brief statement which expresses an observation on life.

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Apology

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A justification or defense of the writer's opinion or conduct.

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Apostrophe

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The act of addressing, speaking directly to something nonhuman.

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Archetype

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Incidents and plots that repeat basic patterns of life - apear as stereo characters.

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Aside

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An actor's speech, directed to the audience.

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Assonance

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The repetition of vowel sound in literary work.

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Autobiography

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The story of a person's life written by himself.

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Ballad

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A story in poetic form.

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Bathos

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Insincere or overdone sentimentaly.

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Buildungsroman

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Initiation and the maturing of a youthful character.

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Biography

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The story of a persons life written by someone other than the subject of the work.

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Blank Verse

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A poem written in unrythemed iambic pentameter.

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Cacophony

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Unpleasant combination of sound.

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Caesura

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A pause seperating phrases within lines of poetry.

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Canto

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A division in an epic poem.

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Carpe Diem

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"Sieze (Catch) the day".

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Catastrophe

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The scene in a tragedy which includesthe death or mortal destruction of the protagonist.

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Catharsis

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The desired effect of tragedy.

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Character

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A person or anything presented as a person literary work.

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Characterization

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Method a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character in a literary work.

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Chorus

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A group of characters who comments on the action taking place on the stage.

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Circumlocution

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Talking around a subject.

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Classicism

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A movement in art, music, and literature to retain the characteristics found in work originiating in classical Greece and Rome.

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Cliche

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Overworked phrase or expression.

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Climax

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The decisive moment in a drama, which the rising action lead.

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Colloquialism

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A word or phrase used in everyday conversation and informal writing inappropriate in formal writing.

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Comedy

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One of two major types of drama, which is amusing and ends happily, usually with a party or a wedding.

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Comic Relief

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The interruption of a serious work by humor.

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Conceit

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A clever and elaborate metaphor.

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Conclusion

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"The Resolution" The point in a drama to which the entire play has been leading, logical outcome of everything.

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Concrete Poetry

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A poem that visually resembles something found in the physical world.

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Conflict

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Plot of a drama.

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Connotations and Denotation

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Denotation of a word is its dictionary definition, connotations of a word is its emotional content or an association.

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Consonance

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The repetition of consonant sounds with differing vowl sounds in words near each other in a line or lines in poetry.

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Couplet

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Two lines of poetry with the same rhythm and meter.

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Dactyl

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A metrical pattern consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.

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Denouementz/Resolution

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The action of untying or unknotting the final outcome of the main complication in a play or story. (the turning point or "crisis").

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Deux Ex Machine

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An unrealistic or unexpected intervention to rescue the protagonists or resolve the story's.

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Dialect

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The language of a particular district, class , or group of people.

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Dialogue

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A conversation between characters.

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Diatribe

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A bitter verbal or written attack on somebody or something.

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Diction

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An aurther's choice of a particular word as opposed to others.

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Didactic Literature

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Refers to literature or other types of art that e instructional or informative.

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Doppelganger

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A literary technique by which a character is duplicated alter ego or divided into two distinct usually opposite personalities.

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Drama

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Literature in prose or verse presenting, by acting and dialogue, a story involving conflict between a character or characters and some external or internal force.

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Dramatic Monologue

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The occurrent of a single speaker saying something to a silent audience, reveling their innermost thoughts, feelings or pains.

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Effusive

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An extravagant and sometimes excessive expression of feelings of speech of writing.

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Elegy

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A lyric poem lamenting death.

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Enjambment

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A run-on line.

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Epic

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A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero of great historic or legendary importance.

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Epigram

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Short poem or verce that seeks to ridicule a thought or event.

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Epigraph

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Brief quotation which appears at the beginning of a literary work.

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Epiphany

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Sudden revelation of truth inspired by a seemingly tribal incident.