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AP Literature Terms to Know
AP Lit terms
77
English
12th Grade
09/07/2009

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Term
Allegory
Definition
A story in which characters, actions, settings are a representation of something beyond themselves
Term
Alliteration
Definition
Repitition of an initial constinant sound
Term
Allusion
Definition
A casual reference to an literary work or historical event
Term
Analogy
Definition
Comparing two unlike objects to explain something else
Term
Anaphora
Definition
Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a sentence
Term
Anecdote
Definition
Short, funny story
Term
Aphorism
Definition
A concise and often witty statement of wisdom. (ex, Children should be seen and not heard)
Term
Apostrophe
Definition
When the writer addresses an abstract quality as another person (ex, "O, Fortuna")
Term
Chiasmus
Definition
Inverted, criss-cross parallel structure (ABBA format)(ex, Mean what you say, and say what you mean)
Term
Conceit
Definition
An elaborate or unusual comparison
Term
Ellipsis
Definition
Three dots used to omit words
Term
Epigraph
Definition
A brief motto or quotation at the beginning of a book to suggest its theme
Term
Euphemism
Definition
Substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensive
Term
Foreshadowing
Definition
Presentation of hints or clues that will tip off the reader about later events
Term
Hyperbole
Definition
An intentional exaggeration
Term
Irony
Definition
Use of words to convey opposite of their literal meaning
Term
Verbal Irony
Definition
intended meaning differs from statement
Term
Irony of situation
Definition
What happens differs from expectation
Term
Dramatic irony
Definition
When the audience knows more than the characters
Term
Litotes
Definition
Understatement, opposite of hyperbole
Term
Malapropism
Definition
Absurd misuse of a word
Term
Metaphor
Definition
A comparison not using "like" or "as"
Term
Metonymy
Definition
When a word or phrase is substituted (wheels = car; lend a hand = help)
Term
Neologism
Definition
A newly coined word, expression, usage (ex, Staycation)
Term
Non Sequitur
Definition
An argument which fails because it "does not follow"
Term
Onomatopoeia
Definition
Words that mimic sounds (ex, Hiss, Meow, Grr)
Term
Oxymoron
Definition
When contradictory words appear next to each other (ex, Act naturally)
Term
Palindrome
Definition
When a word, phrase, sentence is the same forward and backward (ex, Racecar)
Term
In medias res
Definition
starting in the middle of a story
Term
Parable
Definition
A short story that illustrates a lesson
Term
Paradox
Definition
A statement that appears to contradict itself. (ex, "War is Peace")
Term
Parallelism
Definition
Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, causes
Term
Personification
Definition
Figure of speech in which non-human objects are given human qualitites
Term
Rhetorical Question
Definition
A question asked for effect with no answer expected
Term
Simile
Definition
When two unlike things are compared using "like" or "as"
Term
Symbol
Definition
A noun that represents something other than itself
Term
Synecdoche
Definition
When a part is used to represent the whole, the whole for a part. (ex, 9/11)
Term
Tautology
Definition
Redundancy
Term
Understatement
Definition
When a situation is made to seem less important or serious than it is.
Term
Structural Ambiguity
Definition
A sentance that can be taken multiple ways. "French History Teacher."
Term
Lexical Ambiguity
Definition
A word that can be interperted in different ways. "I'm going to give you the boot."
Term
Loose Sentance
Definition
Point is made at the beginning of a sentance
Term
Deus ex machina
Definition
When something happens for a bizarre reason
Term
Antihero
Definition
Protagonist who has negative qualities
Term
Connotation
Definition
Meaning ascribed to a word
Term
Denotation
Definition
Dictionary definition of a word
Term
Consonance
Definition
Repitition of a constinant sound in a word
Term
Didactic
Definition
Preachy, trying to preach
Term
Anaptyxis
Definition
Putting an extra vowel between two constanents. (Ath-a-lete, Chim-en-ey)
Term
Archetype
Definition
A common theme often seen in literature
Term
Antithesis
Definition
Saying the opposite of what has been stated
Term
Aprohasis
Definition
When one makes an assertion when seeming to deny or suppres it.
Term
Black Humor
Definition
Creating humor from something not funny. (Catch-22)
Term
Burlesque
Definition
Crude, something in bad taste, finding humor in the grotesque
Term
Catharsis
Definition
When the reader deeply connects with a character to release emotions
Term
Dystopia
Definition
Opposite of a utopia (1984)
Term
Colloquial
Definition
Informal language
Term
Episodic Structure
Definition
A story broken down into episodes
Term
Ethos
Definition
Appealing to a reader's ethics
Term
Pathos
Definition
Appealing to a reader's emotions
Term
Logos
Definition
Appealing to a reader's logic
Term
Exegesis
Definition
An explanation or critical interpertation of a text
Term
Foil
Definition
A character who acts as a spotlight for another character
Term
Grotesque
Definition
A character that is moved to a distorted level (a characture; Edgar Allen Poe)
Term
Homily
Definition
A message that has a moral
Term
Hubris
Definition
Extreme Arrogance, leads character to believe he or she is godlike
Term
Hypheresis
Definition
Leaving out a character or sylable from a word
Term
Invocation
Definition
A call to a diety for a blessing or help
Term
Jeremiad
Definition
Reference to the idea that everything bad happens to a character. (Eeyore)
Term
Lament
Definition
A poem about grief
Term
Lampoon
Definition
Bitter, sarcastic satire; almost libel
Term
Liminality
Definition
A threshold; on the edge; in space and time
Term
Assonance
Definition
Repitition of vowel sounds ("Knee Deep")
Term
Motif
Definition
Recurring theme in a story
Term
Tone
Definition
Attitude toward subject or audience
Term
Mood
Definition
The impact the setting has
Term
Paean
Definition
Song of praise or a song of joy
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