Ap Literature Terms

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Active voice

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Any sentence with an active verb and it expresses more energy than passive.

Ex. Robert crushed the tomato with his fist.

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Allegory

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An extended narrative (in poetry or prose) in which the characters and actions- and sometimes the setting as well- are contrived to make sense on a literal and figurative level.

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Alliteration

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The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of several words in a sentence or a line of poetry.

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Allusion

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A reference to another person, historical event, work, and the like. (Be familiar with Greek/Roman mythology, Judeo-Christian literature, and Shakespeare.)

***Identify same way you would a metaphor.

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Analogy

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A term than signifies a comparison of or similarity between two objects or ideas.

Ex. Nature's first green is gold.

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Anaphora

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The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive poetic lines, prose sentences, clauses, or paragraphs. It is used to emphasize an idea.

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Aphorism

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A brief statement of an opinion or elemental truth.

Ex. "Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." -Jonathan Swift

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Apostrophe

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Direct address to someone who is not present, to a deity or muse, or to some other power.

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Assonance

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Repetition of a vowel sound within a group of words or lines. (aka reccurent long I in: "Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness/ Thou foster silence and slow time."- John Keats)

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Blank Verse

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Consists of lines of iambic pentameter which of all verse forms is closest to the natural rhythms of English speech.

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Caesura

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A pause within a line of poetry in order to make a meaning clear or to follow natural rhythm of speech.

Ex. "To err is human/ to forgive, divine"

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Carpe Diem

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Latin for "Seize the Day"

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Connotation

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The associations or moods attached to a word. Either negative, positive, or neutral. If choice of words with strong connotation, usually the key to determining author's tone and intention.

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Consonance

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The repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants but with a change in the intervening vowel.

Ex. "Live-love," "lean alone," "pitter-patter"

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Couplet

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A pair of rhymed lines

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Denotation

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The dictionary definition of a word

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Dialect

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A regional speech pattern. When using dialect, a writer is relying on language to make a passage feel personal and authentic.

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Diction

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Word choice; the specific words an author uses in his or her writing.

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Elegy

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A formal meditative poem or lament for the dead.

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Ellipses

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Three dots that indicate words have been left out of a quotation; often used to create suspense.

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Epistrophe

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The ending of a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words, used to emphasize the word/group of words for emotional impact.

Ex. "This government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth."

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Euphemism

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To use an inoffensive or more socially acceptable word for something that could be inappropriate or offensive to some.

Ex. She passed away instead of she died.

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Foil

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A minor character whose situation or actions parallel those of a major character and this by contrast set or illuminate the major character. Most often the contrast is complimentary to the main character.

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Foot

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The combination of stressed and unstressed syllables that make up the metric unit of a line. The most commonly used feet are the iambic foot and the trochaic foot.

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Iambic foot

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Two syllables- Unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

Ex. "When I/ con-sid/ er how/ my light/ is spent" -JM

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Trochaic foot

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Two syllables, one stressed followed by one unstressed

fa-ther

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Anapestic foot

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Three syllables, two unstressed followed by one stressed

Ex. in-ter-cept

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Dactylic foot

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Three syllables, one stressed followed by two unstressed

Ex. Romeo Montague, living in Italy

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Free verse

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Poetry that doesn't follow a prescribed form but is characterized by irregularity in the length of lines and a lack of regular metrical pattern and rhyme. Free verse may use other repetitive patterns including words, phrases, or structures.

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Hyperbole

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Exaggeration of an event or feeling.

Ex. I nearly died laughing.

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Imagery

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Language that appeals to one or another of the five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell). Can be created using particularly vivid adjectives, similes, and metaphors.

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Irony

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The use of words to express something other than--and often the opposite of-- the literal meaning. Several types of irony: verbal, situational, dramatic.

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Verbal irony

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Contrasts what is said and what is meant.

Ex. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Antony calls Brutus "an honorable man" when he wants people to think just the opposite.

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Situational irony

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Contrasts what happens to what was expected to happen.

Ex. In "The Monkey's Paw" the family expects the paw (talisman) to bring them happiness when it only brings them grief.

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Dramatic irony

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Contrasts what the character thinks to be true and what the reader knows to be true.

Ex. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence arrives too late to inform Romeo of Juliet's deception in faking her own death. Romeo takes his own life thinking she's dead when she's actually not.

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Jargon

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A pattern of speech and vocabulary associated with a particular group of people.

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Juxtaposition

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The placement of one idea next to its opposite to make it more dramatic.

Ex. Playing the song "What a Wonderful World" while showing scenes of war and violence.

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Lyric

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Any poem in which a speaker expresses intensely personal emotions or thoughts. Any poem that has a musical quality.

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Malapropism

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Form of comic wordplay in which one word is mistakenly substituted for another that sounds similar.

Ex. "He is the very pineapple of politeness" rather than "He is the very pinnacle of politeness"

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Metaphor

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A figure of speech in which an implicit comparison is made between two things that are essentially dissimilar. Do not use like or as.

"Once I seen a human ruin"- Human ruin is a metaphor referring to the man's body.

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Meter

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The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables or the units of stress patterns. Several sets of feet.

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Metonymy

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A figure of speech in which the name of one thing is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.

Ex. The crown spoke with authority about the growing crisis within the country. "Crown" is not literal, but represents king/queen.

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Metric line

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A line named according to the number of feet composing it, starting with monometer (a line of one foot), followed by dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter, pentameter, hexameter, heptameter, and octameter (a line of eight feet).

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Ode

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A lyric poem that is series in subject and treatment, elevated in style, and elaborate in stanzaic structure.

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Onomatopoeia

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A figure of speech in which a word when spoken imitates the sound associated with the word.

Ex. Buzz--echoes sounds of bees

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Paradox

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A figure of speech that seeks to create mental ambiguity, which then forces the reader to pause and seek clarity.

Ex. My silent love grows louder with each passing moment.

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Parallelism

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A pattern of language that creates a rhythm of repetition often combined with some other language of repetition. Parallel sets of sentences of parallel clauses can exist within a sentence.

Balance: This is the place where girls become women, boys become men, dreams become reality.

Antithesis: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

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Panegyric

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A literary expression of praise.

Ex. "O Captain! My Captain!"

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Passive voice

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Used when something happens to someone.

Ex. Samantha was choked by the assailant. (Use of passive voice here indicates Samantha is the important character here)

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Pastoral

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A reference to or a description of simple country life. Older pastoral poems usually include shepherds who live in idyllic setting. Generally, the word "pastoral" suggests being carefree or a return to a time of innocence.

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Mood

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Referred to as the atmosphere of a literary piece because it creates an emotional situation. Developed usually through setting, theme, tone, and diction. Evokes certain feelings or vibes through words/descriptions.

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Personification

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Giving human characteristics to nonhuman things.

Ex. Because I could not stop for Death/ He kindly stopped for me

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Ploce

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One of the most commonly used figures of stress, it means repeating a word within the same line or clause.

Ex. Make war upon themselves; blood against blood/ Self against self

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Point of view

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The perspective from which the writer chooses to tell his/her story.

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First person POV

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Seen from one person's view- someone telling the audience their own story. Use of pronouns I and we.

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Second person POV

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You being told how you should do something

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Third person POV

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Pronouns: he, she, it, they, etc. Kind of views everyone and everything from outside.

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Limited POV

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Only know thoughts and feelings of certain character(s)

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Omniscient POV

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God-like view, know everything about the characters (feelings, thoughts, what they're doing, etc.)

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Objective POV

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When the writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue (private stuff-sensations, beliefs, feelings, emotions, etc.)

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Subjective POV

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Personal view or opinion

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Pun

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A play on words used to create humor or comic relief.

Ex. "I've always regarded archery as an aimless sport," he said with a quiver.

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Refrain

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A line, part of a line, or group of lines repeated in the course of a poem, sometimes with slight changes

Ex. The word "nevermore" in the Raven EAP

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Repetition

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The repeating of a word or phrase for emphasis. Often used in poetry, Sometimes reinforces or even substitutes for the meter (beat- which is the other controlling factor in poetry).

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Rhyme

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The echo or imitation of a sound. A rhyme scheme is a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem (often contributes to rhythm). Internal rhyme (rhyme within line), end rhyme (last word of each rhyme lines), slant/half rhyme (two words that sound close but not exactly alike) ex. alight/white, and perfect rhyme time/lime.

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Rhythm

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The sense of movement attributable to the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Sometimes used to signify meter, includes tempo (pacing) and the natural fluctuations of movement.

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Satire

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A form of writing in which a subject (usually a human vice) is made fun of or scorned, eliciting amusement, contempt, or indignation. Purpose is to provoke change or reform.

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Shift

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A change in setting (place/time), tone, or speakers. Identifying shifts in poetry helps determine overall purpose and tone.

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Simile

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Comparing two things using like or as. Explicit.

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Soliloquy

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A speech in which a character in a play, alone on stage, expresses his or her thoughts. May reveal the private emotions, motives, and state of mind of the speaker. AKA dramatic monologue

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Sonnet

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A fixed form of fourteen lines, normally in iambic pentameter, with a rhyme scheme conforming to or approximating one of two main types: Shakespearean or Italian/Petrarchan.

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Shakespearean Sonnet

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Divided into 3 quatrains and a concluding couplet and has the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg

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Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet

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Begin with an octave (eight lines) with the rhyme scheme abbaabba. Octave generally includes the problem that the sonnet will develop. Followed by sestet (six lines) which has rhyme scheme cdcdcd (or some variation) where problem is resolved.

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Stanza

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A group of lines that forms one division of a poem.

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Symbol

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An object that signifies something greater than itself.

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Synecdoche

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A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole.

Ex. "All hands on deck" we assume the sailors' bodies will follow

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Theme

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An insight into life conveyed by a poem or story. The theme is the main point an author wants to make with the reader, and is often a basic truth, an acknowledgement of our humanity, or a reminder of human beings' shortcomings. (Life, society, human nature- explore timeless and universal ideas).

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Tone

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A literary compound of composition, which shows the attitudes toward the subject and toward the audience implied a literary work.

Tone may be formal, informal, intimate, solemn, somber, playful, serious, ironic, condescending, or many other possible attitudes.

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Verse

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Lines of poetry or metrical language in general, in contrast to prose.

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Prose

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Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.