Ap English Literature Terms

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Prose

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ordinary language, not poetry

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story

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narration; fictitious-- shorter than a novel

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lecture

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an informative talk to a group

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novel

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fairly long fictitious prose narrative-- complex plot

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fiction

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imaginary story-characters-events

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nonfiction

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factual story- characters-events

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biography

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an account of a persons life written by another

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autobiography

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an account of a persons life written by them

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Sermon

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a speech on religion or morals-serious

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comedy

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a humorous play with a non tragic ending

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Tragedy

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a serious play with a unhappy ending

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play

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a dramatic composition- dialogue

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drama

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a literary composition to be performed on stage

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episode

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any part of a novel, poem complete in itself- incident-series

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Epithet

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a word or phrase characterizing a person or thing

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epitaph

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an inscription on a tomb

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literature

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all the writings of a particular time, country excellence of form

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Contemporary

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living in the same period

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classic

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of ancient greeks, romans, traditional and formed

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character

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a person in a play or novel- has personality and qualities

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Protagonist

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the main character

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antagonist

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adversary or opponent

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hero

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central male character

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villain

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person guilty of evil deeds

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adversary

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opponent

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melodrama

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drama with sensational action- emotions- happy ending good will

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caricature

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distorted imitating of a person-exaggerated for satirical effect

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Content

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all that is expressed in the writing

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mood

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the feeling and state of mind of writing

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tone

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a manner of expression showing a certain attitude

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Moral

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a lesson taught by a fable

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fable

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fictitious story about animals, used to teach a lesson, myth, or ledgend

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motive

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a reason for acting

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setting

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time place environment for story-physical surroundings

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plot

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plan or action of literary work

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climax

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the final element in a series of events progressively increasing in intensity

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crisis

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crucial situation

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turning point

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when change effects protagonist

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denouement

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outcome or unraveling of the plot

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theme

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main idea of a composition or writing

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style

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the manner if expression

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dialogue

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conversation

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monologue

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one character speaks

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slang

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vigorous, colloquial language- short lived

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interpret

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discuss, offer opinion on work through literary tools

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literal translation

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exact word for word meaning

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paraphrase

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to give the meaning of something spoken or written, not in the same words

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satire

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literary work in which vices or follies are held up to ridicule

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paradox

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a statement that appears contradictory, but has an element of truth

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Irony

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intent expressed and/or words used that carry opposite meaning

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hypocrisy

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pretending to be something one is not or pretending to believe what one does not

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sarcasm

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cutting remark

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soliloquy

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a character speaks alone (thinking out loud)

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Allegory

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a story in witch characters and/or events and environment represent something else

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Poetry

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a patterned form of verbal or written expression of ideas in a concentrated imaginative and rhythmical terms

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meter

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patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables established in a line of poetry

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foot

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unit if meter (one stressed syllable and one unstressed)

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Verse forms

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based on meter and rhyme

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Rhymed verse

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verse that contains end rhyme and regular meter

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blank verse

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lines of iambic pentameter without end rhyme

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Free verse

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lines that do not have a regular meter and do not contain rhyme

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Rhyme

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similarity in likeness of sound existing between 2 words

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End rhyme

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similarity at the end of two or more lines of a verse

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internal rhyme

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similarity occurring between 2 or more words in the same line

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alliteration

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repetition of the initial letter or sound in two or more words in the same line of a verse

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onomatopoeia

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use of words to represent or imitate natural sounds

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Assonance

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repetition of similarity of vowel sounds in two or more words

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Consonance

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repetition of consonant sounds; similar to alliteration but not limited to initial sound

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Refrain

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repetition of one or more phrases r lines at intervals in a poem, usually at ends as a chorus

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Repetition

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reiterating a word or phrase in a poem

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Figure of speech

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expression in witch the words are used in non-literal sense to present a figure, picture or image

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simile

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direct or explicit comparison between 2 usually unrelated things using like or as

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Metaphor

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implied comparison between 2 usually unrelated things without using like or as

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Personification

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giving human characteristics to inanimate objects ideas or animals

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synecdoche

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mentioning part of something to represent the whole (hands meaning sailors)

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Metonymy

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substitution of word with an object for another word closely associated with it

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hyperbole

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exaggeration for the sake of emphasis and not to be taken literally

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litotes

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understatement achieved by saying the opposite of what one means or making affirmation by stating fact in the negative

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antithesis

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balancing or contrasting of one term against another

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apostrophe

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addressing of someone or something, usually not present, as though present

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symbol

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word or image that signifies something other than what is literally represented

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stanza

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division of a poem based on thought or form (known by the number of lines they contain)

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couplet

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2 lines of a verse that rhyme

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quatrain

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4 lines of a verse that rhyme

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Heroic triplet

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2 successive rhyming verses that contain a complete thought within 2 lines, iambic pentameter