Ap English Lit Terms

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Abstract

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refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete language

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Ad Hominem

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attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas

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Allegory

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a work that functions on a symbolic level

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Alliteration

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the repitition of initial consonant sounds

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Allusion

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a reference contained in a work to another literary work

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Analogy

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a literary device employed to serve as a basis for comparison. comparison between 2 different things

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Anecdote

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a story or brief episode told by the write or a character to illustrate a point

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Antecedent

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the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

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Antithesis

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the presentation of two contrasting images

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Argument

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a single assertion or a series of assertions presented and defended by the writer

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Attitude

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the relationship an author has toward his or his subject and or his audience

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Balance

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a situation in which all parts of the presentation are equal, whether in sentences or paragraphs or sections of a longer work

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Cacophony

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harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage in a literary work

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Character

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those who carry out action of plot in literature

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Colloquial

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the use of slang in writing, often to create local color and to provide an informal tone

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Comic relief

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the inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work

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Conflict

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a clash between opposing forces in a literary work, such as man vs man

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Connective Tissue

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those elements that help create coherence in a written piece

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Connotation

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the interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning

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Deduction

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the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

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Denotation

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the literal or dictionary meaning of a word

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Dialect

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the recreation of regional spoken language

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Diction

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the author's choice of words that creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning.

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Didactic

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writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach.

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Discourse

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a discussion on a specific topic

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Ellipsis

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Indicated by a series of three periods

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Epigraph

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the use of a quotaition at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme

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Euphemism

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more acceptable more pleasant way of saying something innapropriate or uncomfortable

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Euphony

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the pleasant, mellifluous, presentation of sounds in a literary in a literary work

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Exposition

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background information presented in a literary work

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Extended metaphor

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a sustained comparison

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Figurative language

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the body of devices that enables the writer to operate on levels other than the literal one

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Flashback

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a device that enables the writer to refer to past thoughts, events, or episodes

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Form

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the shape or structure of a literary work

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Hyperbole

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extreme exaggeration

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Image

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a verbal approximation of a sensory impression, concept, or emotion

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Imagery

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the total effect of related sensory images in a work of literature

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Induction

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the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization

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Inference

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A conclusion one can draw from the presented details

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Invective

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a verbally abusive attack

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Irony

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an unexpected twist or contrast between what happend and what was intended to happen

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Logic

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the process of reasoning

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Logical Fallacy

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a mistake in reasoning

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Metaphor

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a direct comparison between dissimilar things

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Metonymy

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a figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea

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Monologue

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a speech given by one character

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Motif

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the repetition of variations of an image or idea in a work used to develop a theme or characters

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Narrator

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the speaker of a literary work

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Onomatopoeia

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words that sound like the sound they represent

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Oxymoron

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an image of a contradictory term

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Pacing

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the movement of a literary piece from one point or one section to another

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Parable

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a story that operates on more that one level and usually teaches moral lesson

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Parody

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a comic imitation of a work that ridicules the original

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Pathos

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the aspects of a literary work that elicit pity from the audience. An appeal to emotion that can be used as means to persuade.

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Pedantic

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a term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing

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Periodic Sentence

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presents its main clause at the end of the sentence for emphasis and sentence variety.

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Personification

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the assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects and concepts

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Persuasion

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a type of argument that has its goal as an action on the part of the audience

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Plot

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a sequence of events in a literary work

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Point of View

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the method of a narration in a literary work

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Pun

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a play on words

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Reductio Adsurdum

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the Latin for "to reduce to the absurd" it reduces an argument to an either or choice

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rhetoric

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refers to the entire process of written communication

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Rhetorical Question

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one that does not expect an explicit answer

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Sarcasm

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a comic technique that ridicules through caustic language

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Satire

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a mode of writing based on ridicule that citicizes the foibles and follies of society without neccsarily offering a solution

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Setting

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the time and place of a literary work

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Simile

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an indirect comparison that uses the words like or as to link the differing items in the comparison

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Stage Directions

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the specific instructions a play wright includes concerning sets, characterization, delivery, etc.

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Stanza

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a unit of poem, similar in rhyme, meter, and length to other units in the the poem

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Structure

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the organization and form of a work

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Style

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the unique way an anuthor presents his ideas using diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content

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Summary

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reducing the original text into its essential parts

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Syllogism

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the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion

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Symbol

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something in a literary work that stands for something else

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Synecdoche

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a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of a whole

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Syntax

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the grammatical structure of prose and poetry

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Synthesis

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locating a number of sources and integrating them into the development and support of the writer's thesis/claim

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Theme

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the underlying ideas the author illustrates through characterization, motifs, language, plot

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Thesis

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The main idea of a piece of writing. It presents the author's assertion or claim.

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Tone

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the author's attitude toward his subject

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Transition

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a word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph

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Understatement

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the opposite of exaggeration

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Voice

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the total "sound" of a writer's style