Ap English Lit Terms

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allegory

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work in which each element symbolizes or represents something

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alliteration

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the repetition of intial consonant sounds

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allusion

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references made in a work to people, events, objects, or other works in literature and history

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ambiugity

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a statement that has a double meaning or meaning that cannot be clearly resolved

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analogy

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a comparison of two things that are alike in some respects

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anaphora

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a word or phrase that repeats or refers to something that precedes or follows it.
Ex. "O Wild West Wind" refers to the title "Ode to the West Wind"

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antihero

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a central hero who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes.

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antithesis

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a rhetorical technique in which words, phrases, or ideas are strongly contrasted, often by means of repetition of grammatical structure

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aphorism

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a short (cliched) saying or pointed statement.

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apostrophe

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a rhetorical device by which a speaker turns from the audience as a whole to adress a single person or thing

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assonance

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the repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables that end with different consonant sounds

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ballad

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a simple narrative poem in four- line stanzas, usually meant to be sung and rhyming abcb

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blank verse

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unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter

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caesura

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a major pause in a line of poetry

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caricature

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a piece of writing that exaggerates certain qualities of a character in order to satirize or ridicule that character type

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catharsis

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purging of the emotions of fear and pity... used to describe tragedy

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characterization

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the use of literary techniques to creat a character

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chiasmus

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rhetorical technique that changes the order of words or phrases to create different meanings

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closed couplet

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pair of rhyming lines that present a complete statement

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climax

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the turning point of a story

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colloquialism

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the use of informal languagein a work

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commedy of manners

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a type of satirical comedy that originated in the Restoration perod and deals with convention and manners of a highly artificial and sophisticated society.

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complaint

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a lyrical poem that deals with loss, regret, unrequited love, or some other negative state of being felt by the speaker

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conceit

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an elaborat or extremely fanciful analogy or metaphor.

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connotation

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an emotional association or implication attached to an expression

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consonance

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a kind of slant rhyme that uses the ending consonant sounds of twor words that match but the preceding vowel does not such as "wind" and "sound"

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couplet

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a pair of rhyming lines that expresses a complete thought

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diction

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word choice

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dialect

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a version of a language spoken in a particular place

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didacticism

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the use of works of art to convey moral, social, educational, or political messages

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epic

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a long story, often told in verse, involving the deeds of gods and heroes

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euphemism

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an indirect word or phrase in place of a direct statement

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extended metaphor

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a pont by point presentation of one thing as though it were another over the whole length of a work (complex presentation)

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foreshadowing

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the act of presenting materials that hint at events to occur later in the story

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free verse

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poetry that avoids use of reagular rhyme, rhythm, meter, or division into stanzas

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hyperbole

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an exaggeration made for rhetorical effect

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hymn

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a song or verse of praise; usually religious

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inversion

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a poetic technique in which normal oredr of words are altered

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in medias res

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setting the story in the middle or "midst" of the action

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dramatic irony

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when the reader knows something the characters don't

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verbal irony

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when one is thing is said, but another thing is meant

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situational irony

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when an event occurs that no one expects to happen

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lyric poem

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a musical verse that expresseds hte emotions of a speaker

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metaphor

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a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken about as if it were another; it is implied; does not use "like" or "as"

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metonymy

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the naming of an object associated with a thing in place of the name itself

i.e "white house" instead of "us gov't"

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mood

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atomosphere or emotion created in the reader by part or all of a literary work

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oxymoron

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statemnet that contradicts itself

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parallelism

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a rhetorical technique in which a writer emphasizes the equal value or weight of two or more ideas by expressing them in the same grammatical form

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paradox

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a seemingly contradictory statement, idea or event; all forms of irony; oxymorons

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similay

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a comparision using like or as

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soliloquy

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a speech delivered by a lone character on stage that reveals the speakers thoughts and feelings

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sonnet

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a fourteen line poem that has a nmber of differnt rhyme schemes

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tone

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the emotional attitude toward the reader or subject implied by a literary work

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villanelle

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a complex and intricate nineteen line french verse form

rhyme scheme:
aba aba aba aba abaa

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olfactory imagery

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smell imagery

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tactile imagery

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touch imagery

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oragnic imagery

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an internal sensation such as hunger

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kinesthetic imagery

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movement or tension in the muscles or joints

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asyndeton

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when conjucations are not used to crate a more fast paced, rapid prose

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ode

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a lyrical poem serious in subject and treatment. uses elaborate stanza structure

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terza rima

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a three lined stanza

rhyme scheme:
aba, bcb, cdc, ded, and so on