Ap Liturature & Composition Terms

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1st person point of view

Back 1

when a character tells the story. ex) the narrator in Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"

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3rd person limited point of view

Back 2

when the narrator knows and describes only what one character knows. ex) Nathaniel Hawthorne's "young Goodman Brown"

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3rd person omniscient point of view

Back 3

when the narrator is all-knowing.

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act

Back 4

major unit in a play; similar to a book chapter. ex) the townswomen in Medea.

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allegory

Back 5

a story in which people, objects, and events stand for abstract qualities. ex) Nathanial Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" can be interpreted as an allegory with each of the characters representing an abstract quality - for instance, Mr. Medbourne might represent greed.

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alliteration

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repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. ex) "Consonants Closely Cramped and Compressed."

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allusion

Back 7

reference to a work in another work of literature. ex) reference to the Odyssey in a story about adventure and travel.

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anachronism

Back 8

something out of its normal time. ex) a person with a wristwatch in the 1920s (they were not invented until the 1940s).

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analogy

Back 9

a comparison to clarify an action or a relationship. ex) in "My Dungeon Shook," James Baldwin draws an analogy between his nephew's probable reaction to seeing the stars shinning in the daytime, and white people's reaction to seeing blacks moving out of their fixed places.

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anecdote

Back 10

a short narrative

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antagonist

Back 11

character, force or other thing in opposition to the protagonist. Ex) in Homer's Odyssey, the Cyclops is Odysseus' protagonist.

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antithesis

Back 12

direct contrast; opposition

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aphorism

Back 13

brief statement, usually one sentence that expresses a general principle or statement about life. ex) "who so would be a man must be a nonconformist."

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apostrophe

Back 14

a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person or personified quality. ex) Shelly's "Ode to the West Wind" begins with "O wild West-Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being..."

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archetype

Back 15

an ideal example or model of a character type. ex) Superman is an archetype of a superhero.

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aside

Back 16

when a character speaks directly to the audience or a few characters wile simultaneously speaking to other characters. ex) when smapson asks Gregory in Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet, whether his insult is lawful.

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assonance

Back 17

repetition of vowel sounds within words of a line. ex) "Old king COle was a merry Old sOul."

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autobiography

Back 18

an account of a person's life written by that person. ex) Benjamin Franklin's autobiography.

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ballad

Back 19

a narrative poem that is usually sung or recited, with a regular meter and rhyme; popular in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. A modern example is Dudley Randell's "Ballad of Birmingham."

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biography

Back 20

an account of a person's life written by another person. ex) Carl Sandburg's biography of Abraham Lincoln.

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blank verse

Back 21

unrhymed iambic pentameter; common in Shakespeare's plays and most English-language poetry.

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cacophony

Back 22

harsh or discordant sounds in literary composition. ex) "the grackles squawked, 'squarx! cralk! shreq!'"

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caricature

Back 23

when a person's distinctive features or peculiarities are exaggerated for comic or grotesque effect. ex) many political cartoons caricaturize public figures by exaggerating their noses, chins or hair.

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carpe diem

Back 24

enjoying the moment.

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catharsis

Back 25

purifying or figurative cleansing of the emotions, especially as an effect of tragic drama. ex) a deep emotional response to the death of the two young lovers in Romeo and Juliet.

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chorus

Back 26

group or single character that comments on the action; sometimes speaks at the beginning or end of a play or single act. ex) the townswomen in Medea.

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cliche

Back 27

an overused expression that has lost its freshness. ex) "happy as a lark," "white as snow," etc.

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climax

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where the reader's interest and emotional intensity are at their peak. ex) Mr. Nuttel's seeing "ghosts" and his abrupt departure.

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colloquialism

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speaking together.

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comedy

Back 30

something light and funny; usually ends happily. ex) Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing.

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comic relief

Back 31

humourus scene, incident or speech that is included at a serious point to provide a change of emotion. ex) in Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet's work in the kitchen.

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conceit

Back 32

an elaborate, fanciful metaphor, esp. of a strained or far-fetched nature.

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connotation

Back 33

the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its explicit or primary meaning: A possible connotation of “home” is “a place of warmth, comfort, and affection.”

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consoance

Back 34

repition of constant sounds within words (rather than at their beginings, which is alliteration). ex) "a floCK of siCK , blaCK-cheCKerd, duCKS."

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couplet

Back 35

two rhyming lines together (see example for rhum and end rhyme)

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denotation

Back 36

the literal or dictionary meaning of a word. ex) "love" means "tender feelings of affection."