Ap Lit Vocab

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simile

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A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing to another thing of a different kind. Uses either “like” or “as” to make the comparison.

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metaphor

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A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

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Extended metaphor

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A comparison of two differing things that is examined throughout multiple sentences/paragraphs.

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personification

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a figure intended to represent an abstract quality

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onomatopoeia

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A name derived from a sound related to what is being named

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synecdoche

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A figure of speech in which a part represents a whole or a whole represents one of its parts.

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metonymy

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the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant

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Point of view

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The perspective from which a story is told, such as first person, third person limited, third person omniscient.

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alliteration

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A stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.

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rhyme

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the use of a similar or matching sound in two or more words

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Refrain

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A repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of each verse.

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assonance

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The repetition of the sound of an interior vowel sound as in an echo

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consonance

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When a consonant sound is repeated in words that are in close proximity.

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rhetoric

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Effective and persuasive speech or writing.

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repetition

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Repetition is a literary device that repeats the same phrases that creates a better understanding of an idea.

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hyperbole

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Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally

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anecdote

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A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person (often used to support or demonstrate a point)

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allusion

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A brief and indirect reference to a person, thing, place, or idea. Does not describe in detail, just a passing reference to call something to mind.

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In media res

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When a narrative work opens in the middle of the story.

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epigraph

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An inscription on a building, statue, or other object; a prefacing literary phrase or quote from another piece.

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bildungsroman

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a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education.

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Id, ego, superego

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The id, ego, and superego are names for the three parts of the human personality which are part of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic personality theory.

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Protagonist, antagonist

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Protagonist - the most prominent character in a story

Antagonist - A person in opposition to someone or something

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doppelganger

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an apparition or double of a living person.

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Age of Reason

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An age of ideological enlightenment in the eighteenth century when people began to believe that knowledge and the pursuit of personal freedoms are the cornerstones of life, as opposed to obedience, superstition, and religion which dominated the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century.

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Gothic

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A style of fiction characterized by the use of desolate or remote settings and macabre, mysterious, or violent incidents

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Naturalism

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A literary style in which the events, characters, and setting of a story are described objectively and in a factual manner.

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Existentialism

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a philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will

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utopia

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Imagined Community or society that posses nearly perfect qualities

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dystopia

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An imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad. Opposite of utopia

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diction

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Choice of words

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syntax

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Syntax is how words, punctuation of the sentence is structured or how a sentence is presented in general.

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Irony - situational, dramatic

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Situational- inconsistency between expectations of an upcoming event and the reality of the event occurringDramatic- irony in a play that is understood by the audience but not the other characters

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epistolary

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A genre in which authors use letters, diaries, or journal entries to tell their story

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satire

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The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule in order to expose and criticize other people’s vices.

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Noble savage

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A representative of primitive humankind as idealized in Romantic literature, symbolizing the innate goodness of humanity when free from the corrupting influence of civilization.

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Romanticism

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A late 18th Century movement that praised the power of the individual, as well as perspective and inspiration.

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Victorianism

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the distinctive character, thought, tendencies, etc., of the Victorian period that espouse sexual restraint, low tolerance of crime and a strict social code of conduct

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angst

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Feelings of (deep) anxiety

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epiphany

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A revealing scene or moment, often containing a striking discovery

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parallelism

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the state of being parallel or of corresponding in some way.In poetry, having to do with repeated structures such as verbal constructions.In prose, syntactical structures that repeat.

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juxtaposition

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Two ideas or things that are put close together to emphasize the contrast between them.

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analogy

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A comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

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foil

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A supporting character whose exhibition of certain characteristics (or lack thereof) serve to highlight those characteristics in the protagonist that are important to the story

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Hubris

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excessive pride or self-confidence

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Puritanism

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The beliefs and practices of the puritans

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Transcendentalism

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An idealistic and philosophical social movement that promotes intuitive thinking and natural spirituality

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Realism

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Representation of something as it is, without drama or artistic additions.

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The absurd

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Focus on the experience of characters that find themselves in situations in which they cannot find a purpose in life

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Tragedy

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A literary work when the protagonist is defeated due to their tragic flaw (usual a moral weakness)

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Tragedy (Literary)

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A literary work when the protagonist is defeated due to their tragic flaw (usual a moral weakness)

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pathos

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An appeal to the emotions of an audience

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ethos

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Ethos is an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the credibility or trustability of the persuader.

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logos

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An appeal to logic.

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denouement

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The resolution of a play, film, or story.

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climax

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The peak of the story- what has been building up

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Round v. flat character

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Flat characters are two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work. By contrast, round characters are complex and undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader

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antithesis

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A figure of speech in which seemingly opposite ideas are linked with parallelism

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Stream of consciousness

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a person's thoughts and conscious reactions to events, perceived as a continuous flow

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syllogism

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When a conclusion is drawn from two assumed premises which share an element. These conclusions are not necessarily true.

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monologue

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A long speech by one actor in a play or movie

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tone

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The conveyed attitude while approaching a particular subject.

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connotation

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an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning

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denotation

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the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

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paradox

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A statement or idea that seems to be self-contradictory or silly yet may also contain the truth

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tone

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The attitude of a writer towards a subject or audience, usually conveyed through diction.

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mood

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The mood is the tone of the story or the atmosphere of the literacy piece.

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imagery

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Visual descriptions in writing, often using figurative language. Should always include sensory language.

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ode

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A lyrical stanza written in praise of a person, event, or thing.

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oxymoron

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When apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.

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stanza

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A group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse.

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quatrain

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A four-lined stanza, typically with alternate rhymes

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couplets

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two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit.

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enjambment

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In verse, the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza continues beyond the end of a line, couplet or stanza without a pause

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satire

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The use of humor to shame or expose faults in others

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motif

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a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition

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under/overstatement

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Expressing something too strongly or not strongly enough: Exaggerating or minimization.

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ballad

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A narrative composition in rhythmic verse suitable for singing.

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elegy

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A piece of poetry that is melancholy and reflective in nature, often serving as a lament for one who has recently died.

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allegory

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a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

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conceit

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An extended metaphor in a poem.

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pathetic fallacy

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A literary device that attributes human qualities and emotions to inanimate objects of nature

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trope

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A common (or sometimes overused) theme or device.

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soliloquy

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A speech in which a character speaks his thoughts out to the audience, but other characters do not hear his thoughts.

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aside

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Used in theater, when a character speaks to the audience to give them useful information that the other characters on stage can’t hear

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Irony - verbal

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When a person says or writes one thing, but means another.

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Anaphora

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The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

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Apostrophe

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A figure of speech in which the speaker detaches himself from reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech.