Terms For Ap English Lit Exam

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paralipsis

Back 1

drawing attention to something by claiming not to mention it (We will not speak of Ms. McArdle getting five of her test questions from SparkNotes)

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epithet

Back 2

any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality ("Richard the Lionheart")

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antithesis

Back 3

the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance ("Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more")

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ellipsis

Back 4

the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced for the context ("Some people prefer cats; others, dogs")

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periphrasis

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substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a name, "fickle mistress" for luck, "big man upstairs" for God

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synaesthesia

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describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("loud color" or "sweet sound")

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meiosis

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understatement for rhetorical effect(Mercutio, after being mortally wounded, says his wound is only "a scratch")

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apostrophe

Back 8

figure of speech in which someone (usually absent), some abstract quality, or some nonexistent personage is directly addressed as though present

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isocolon

Back 9

corresponding clauses of equal weight

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metonymy

Back 10

substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (as in "they counted heads")

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litotes

Back 11

understatement for rhetorical effect) ("It's nothing. I'm just bleeding to death is all" or "he is not unfriendly")

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in medias res

Back 12

in or into the middle of a plot; into the middle of things

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delayed / periodic sentence

Back 13

A sentence that withholds its main idea until the end.

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chiasmus

Back 14

a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("When the going gets tough, the tough get going")

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anadiplosis

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repetition of the final words of a sentence or line at the beginning of the next (Chicken for dinner? Dinner will be ruined!)

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bathos

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insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity

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cacophony

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loud disagreeable sounds (puke, barf)

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euphony

Back 18

any agreeable sounds (butterfly, lovely, bright)

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colloquialism

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a word or phrase used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y'all)

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anachronism

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something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred (In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, characters refer to clocks which did not exist in ancient Rome)

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pathetic fallacy

Back 21

The attribution of human emotions or characteristics to inanimate objects or to nature (angry clouds; a cruel wind)

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synecdoche

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uses a part to explain a whole or vice versa (want to take a ride in my new wheels?)

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aposiopesis

Back 23

when the speaker or writer deliberately stops short and leaves something unexpressed, but yet obvious, to be supplied by the imagination

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mixed metaphor

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a combination of two or more metaphors that together produce a ridiculous effect

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epistrophe

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The figure of repetition that occurs when the set of words in a sentence/clause/phrase is repeated one or more times at the end of successive sentences/clauses/phrases (of the people, by the people, for the people)

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anaphora

Back 26

repetition of a word or phrase as the beginning of successive clauses

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canon

Back 27

an established set of principles; a basis or standard for judgment; a group of literary works (the works of Homer, Shakespeare)

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conceit

Back 28

a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects

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rhetoric

Back 29

the art of using language persuasively

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rhetorical context

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the circumstances in which a text is written, including the intended audience, the author's aim or purpose in writing, and the audience's pre existing ideas and opinions

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situational irony

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occurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected

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dramatic irony

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(theater) irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play

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cosmic irony

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when a writer uses God, destiny, or fate to dash the hopes and expectations of a character or humankind in general

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zeugma

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the use of a word to modify two or more words, but used for different meanings (He closed the door and his heart on his lost love.)

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allegory

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an expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances

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anecdote

Back 36

brief narrative focusing on a particular event

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antecedent

Back 37

the word/phrase/clause to which a pronoun refers

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deductive reasoning

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reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)

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inductive reasoning

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deriving general principles from particular facts or instances ("Every cat I have ever seen has four legs; cats are four-legged animals").

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didactic

Back 40

to teach or instruct

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epigraph

Back 41

The use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme.

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invective

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abusive or venomous language used to express blame or ill-will

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pedantic

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excessively concerned with formal rules

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style

Back 44

the unique way an author presents his ideas--diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to this

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syntax

Back 45

the rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences

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semantic

Back 46

the relationships between words+meanings

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non sequitur

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a reply that has no relevance to what preceded it

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red herring

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any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue

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begging the question

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taking for granted what needs proving

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utilitarianism

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the goal of society should be to bring about the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people

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formalism

Back 51

strict observance of the established rules traditions and methods employed in the arts- art that relies heavily on the organization of forms in a work rather than on the content.

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straw man

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a logical fallacy that involves the creation of an easily refutable position; misrepresenting, then attacking an opponent's position

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genre

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a kind of literary or artistic work

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Puritanism

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the beliefs and practices characteristic of Puritans (Calvinists who wished to purify the Church of England of its Catholic aspects)

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Rationalism

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belief in reason and logic as the primary source of knowledge

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Romanticism

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a movement in literature and art during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that celebrated nature rather than civilization

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Transcendentalism

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any system of philosophy emphasizing the intuitive/spiritual above the empirical material

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Realism

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style of literature that focused on the daily lives and adventures of a common person- a response to Romanticism's supernaturalism and over-emphasis on emotion.

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Naturalism

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a type of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings-implies a philosophical position.

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Modernism

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genre of art and literature that makes a self-conscious break with previous genres

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classicism

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the principles and styles admired in the classics of Greek and Roman literature, such as objectivity, sensibility, restraint, and formality

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tonal shift

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An author's change from one emotional style to another during a work.

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neoclassicism

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revival of a classical style (in art or literature or architecture or music) but from a new perspective or with a new motivation