2. AP 12 Literary Terms Review for AP Test

3. Ab Ovo A story that starts at the beginning. Different from in medias res Most stories begin at the beginning or ab ovo. It was a dark and stormy night.

4. Adage A maxim or proverb A stitch in time saves nine.

5. Adversaria A collection of notes; a journal Sometimes an author’s most creative works aren’t discovered until someone comes across his adversaria. The Diary of Anne Frank

6. Affectation A style of writing not suited to the subject or occasion Bob’s submission of a business proposal to the Santa Claus at the mall seemed a bit affected.

7. Allegory A story with a double meaning; one that can be read on more than a literal level. Related to parable and fable. Animal Farm Wizard of Oz Pilgrim’s Progress The Inferno

8. Alliteration Repetition of initial consonant sounds P eter P iper P icked a P eck of P ickled P eppers

9. Allusion A reference to something historical or artistic Many allusions are biblical Allusions enrich meaning by adding depth

10. Amphiboly An ambiguity caused by improper grammar or double meaning He spoke to the man laughing. Looking across the river, I saw the crocodile with binoculars.

11. Anabasis The rising of action to a climax Othello killing Desdemona Bob Ewell attacking the kids under the tree

12. Anachronism Something placed where it does not or could not belong Vernors, Better Made, or Faygo placed outside of Michigan/the Midwest A digital clock placed in Medieval times

13. Anagnorisis A moment of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge Oedipus realizing that he killed Laius…and Jocasta is his mother…and his children are his brothers and sisters…you get the idea…

14. Analogue A story that can be found in another language or type of literature Gulliver’s Travels is a children’s story and classic “adult” fiction Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale can be found in Asian and Italian literature

15. Anaphora The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses or paragraphs. “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds…” – Winston Churchill

16. Anastrophe The inversion of the normal order of words for a particular effect (emphasis, rhyme, etc.) "Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!" Eftsoons his hand dropt he. (from Rime of the Ancient Mariner)

17. Antagonist The opposing force to the protagonist Usually a person, but can be a thing, animal, nature, society, etc. Fagin, Bob Ewell, Chillingworth

18. Antanaclasis A word used more than once, using a different intended meaning each time. “Put out the light, then put out the light.” From Othello, the first “light” refers to a candle, the second to Desdemona.

19. Aphorism A statement of truth, dogma, maxim May or may not be witty Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

20. Apology A work written to defend a writer’s opinions, or to elaborate and clarify a problem. In Plato’s Apology, Socrates defends himself against the powers of Athens. Sometimes titled “Defense”

21. Apostrophe An instance when an inanimate object or an absent person is addressed as if it or he/she could hear and respond. Wordsworth: “Milton! Thou should’st be living at this hour…” (“London 1812”) Julius Caesar: “O Judgement! Thou art fled to brutish beasts…”

22. Aside A short passage spoken in undertone or to the audience, presumed to be inaudible to other characters on stage. Hamlet: “A little more than kin, and less than kind.”

23. Assonance The repetition of vowel sounds. Cool, rule, Yule, you’ll…. “And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil.” (from “God’s Grandeur”). A, E, I, O, U….Y…

24. Aubade A “dawn song” expressing the regret of parting lovers at daybreak. “Break of Day”

25. Avant-garde Something new and revolutionary Symbolist poets Theater of the Absurd Memento

26. Black Comedy Cynical Comedy; Leaves nothing to do but laugh. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Death to Smoochy

27. Blank Verse A poem consisting of (usually) iambic pentameter lines with no rhyme. Common among the best poetry Shakespeare, Milton There would have been a time for such a word/Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. (Macbeth)

28. Bombast Inflated and extravagant language Often targeted for humor The scene with the players in Hamlet “By heaven methinks it is an easy leap to pluck bright honor from the pale-fac’d moon.” (Henry IV, Part I, I,iii)

29. Cacophony The deliberate use of harsh sounds (particularly in poetry) to achieve a particular effect.

30. Charm An incantation used to invoke supernatural powers The Weird Sisters in Macbeth

31. Chronicle A register of events, in order of time, composed at the time of occurrence Anglo-Saxon Chronicles was an important history of England at the beginning of the Christian era Replaced by biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, travel books, etc.

32. Circumlocution A roundabout way of writing (more is less) Using a lot of words when few will do Polonious (Gertrude says, “More matter with less art!”)

33. cliché A lifeless, overused phrase Trite, common, has lost effect/meaning “Fit as a fiddle”; “See the writing on the wall”, “turn over a new leaf” Using a dictionary definition in an introduction is cliché.

34. Coin To invent a new word or phrase and put it into use Shakespeare coined between 1500 and 1700 words (bedroom, jaded, tranquil…)

35. Colloquialism Words or phrases used in everyday speech or writing “Creeper” “Shady” “pop” (for a soft drink)

36. Comedy See Earnest Handout…

37. Comic Relief Comic situations used to ease the tension of tragedy or to heighten the significance by contrast The Gravedigger scene in Hamlet Hamlet’s treatment of Polonius and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

38. Concordance An index of words in a single text or in the major works of an author. (One exists for the Bible; another for the works of Shakespeare) Can be used to track symbolism or significant meaning

39. Confidant A character that the protagonist trusts with his/her inner thoughts and feelings Female is confidante Hamlet/Horatio Sherlock Holmes/Watson

40. Connotation The emotional or implied meaning associated with a word Childish vs. Childlike Skinny vs. thin vs. emaciated The power of diction….

41. Courtly Love The idealization of women, with love- stricken men obedient to their every wish Love is a powerful and controlling force Romeo: Rosaline, and of course Juliet

42. Dactyl A metrical foot consisting of one stressed and two unstressed syllables /uu En/ter/prise

43. Dark Comedy See “Black Comedy”

44. Denotation The literal meaning of a word The dictionary definition with no attached emotion or implied meaning “Childish”: of or like a child

45. Denouement The unraveling of the plot or the “a-ha!” moment French for “unknotting” Oedipus realizing that he killed Laius…and Jocasta is his mother…and his children are his brothers and sisters…sound familiar?…

46. Dialect A manner of speaking particular to a class or region Chaucer wrote with the East Midland dialect Authors such as Twain use dialect to add verisimilitude to the dialogue

47. Diatribe A violent attack on a person or work Jonathan Swift: Gulliver’s Travels Oscar Wilde is more subtle – usually not as direct

48. Didactic A work whose purpose is to teach or instruct “Ars Poetica” is a poem intended to instruct poets on their craft Pope’s Essay on Criticism

49. Digression Material not relevant to the main plot or theme of the work This of course never happens in AP 12… Authors may digress just to throw in their opinions about particular issues…

50. Dimeter A line of verse containing two feet The poem “Fleas” Adam/had ‘em

51. Dirge A song of lament, or a funeral song Ariel sings one in The Tempest Related to elegy

52. Discourse A learned discussion on a religious, political, or literary topic Synonymous with dissertation Expert; respected

53. Dramatis Personae The characters in a play Another name for “cast of characters”

54. Dumb Show A mimed performance intended to prepare the audience for the main action of the play to follow Used in Hamlet

55. Elegy A poem of mourning or lament Related to dirge “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone” by W.H. Auden

56. Ellipsis Leaving out one or more words from a direct quote for a more precise statement Otherwise known as … (dot, dot, dot) Good term to know!

57. Enjambment Running on of meaning from the second line of one couplet to the first line of the next Romantic poets at times used this technique, and brought it back from an earlier time

58. Entr’acte A short musical interlude between acts of a play Still used today in musicals FYI

59. Epic A long narrative poem, usually about heroes and including a sense of nationalism The Odyssey, The Iliad, Rime of the Ancient Mariner FYI: Epic poems are longer, and are therefore underlined or italicized

60. Epigram A short, witty saying Oscar Wilde is the master “The ugly and the stupid have the best of it in this world.”

61. Epiplexis A style of argument which shames the opponent into seeing the point “If you had any sense at all…” “Anyone with a brain would see…”

62. Epistle A poem addressed to a friend (a letter in verse form) In the Bible: Letters from Paul Can be about moral issues (see above) OR can be on romantic or sentimental themes

63. Euphemism The substitution of a pleasant expression for a more harsh one “Passed away,” “Use the restroom,” “Powder my nose”

64. Euphony Pleasing sounds, usually produced by long vowels Flush, lush, smooth, cool

65. Existentialism Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern notes Review Crime and Punishment notes

66. Exposition The essential information (plot, background, etc.) given by an author at the beginning of a work Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird Some take a lot of time with exposition, others jump in…

67. Fable A story, usually with animals as main characters, which teaches a moral Aesop’s fables (“The Fox and the Grapes”) Animal Farm

68. Farce The purpose of farce is to produce roars of laughter based on simple humor Basic and broad See comedy worksheet Noises Off

69. Figurative Language Language incorporating figures of speech; the opposite of literal language Appeals to the senses and produces sensual imagery Adds dimension to writing

70. Fixed Form Forms in poetry which require a certain number of lines, meter, rhyme, etc. Haiku, limerick, sonnet

71. Flashback Scenes which explain or show events from the past A device used to fill in details and manipulate time

72. Foot A group of syllables which make up a metrical unit Iambic, trochaic, anapestic, dactylic

73. Free Verse Verse which has no fixed rhyme or meter Used more and more often

74. Gazetteer A geographical index or dictionary Pre-Garmin

75. Genre A kind; a literary type or class Poetry, prose, novel, short story, drama, nonfiction, fiction, science fiction, etc…

76. Gothic Fiction Romantic literature which influenced the development of horror fiction See Jane Eyre notes

77. Hamartia An error of judgment which stems from ignorance or a moral shortcoming Once again, our friend Oedipus. If he had had certain information, he probably would have made different decisions…

78. Harangue A speech delivered to a crowd, intended to incite action Julius Caesar All the King’s Men

79. Harlem Renaissance The development of literature and culture of Black Americans during the 1920’s and 1930’s Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen Poetry was musical; often coordinated with jazz

80. Heroic Couplet A pair of rhymed lines, usually iambic pentameter, which expresses a complete thought True ease in writing comes from art, not chance/As those move easiest who have learned to dance. (Pope)

81. Hubris “Wanton Insolence.” Extreme pride which leads the Greek tragic hero to ignore the warnings of the gods. Do we say it again? OEDIPUS! But you know there are others…

82. Humanities A term used to refer to literature, languages, philosophy, and art. Anything excluding the natural sciences.

83. Humours The fluids in the body thought to determine people’s moods, temperament, or personality. See handout from Hamlet.

84. Hymn A song in praise of God, gods, or heroes. “A Hymn to God the Father” “Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness”

85. Hyperbole Extreme exaggeration for effect or emphasis I could eat a horse

86. Hyphaeresis The omission of a letter from a word Used for meter, rhythm and/or rhyme O’er for over

87. Hypostatization A specific form of personification where an abstract quality is spoken of as human Truth forces me to face the consequences… Love whispers in my ear…

88. Iambic A metrical foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllable u/ Iambic pentameter is the most common form of verse “endure”

89. Ibid A reference “from the same place” On a footnotes page, “ibid” is used if two or more entries come from the same source. FYI

90. Imagery Figurative language which appeals to and exercises the senses Adds dimension to a work Allows for connections

91. In Medias Res “In the middle of things” When the narrative of a work picks up in the middle, rather than working chronologically from the beginning Oedipus

92. Interlude A short entertainment put on between the acts of a play Related to Entr’acte, but can include more than music: skits, mime, etc.

93. Internal Rhyme When two or more words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary…

94. Irony The discrepancy between what is and what appears to be Often easier to identify than to define Zillions of examples over the years…

95. Jargon Unintelligible or secret language; vocabulary specific to a trade or profession We have adopted the suffix “-ese”: Computerese, legalese, etc…

96. Jazz Poetry Poetry intended to be recited to jazz accompaniment Part of the Harlem Renaissance; Langston Hughes was one of the first to collaborate with musicians

97. King’s English English as it should be spoken. Standard English. Can also be The Queen’s English Dates back to the 16 th Century Shakespeare references it in The Merry Wives of Windsor.

98. Litany A prayer or series of petitions, usually chanted The Litany of the Saints Generalized to be any type of long list

99. Literal Language Non-figurative language; language to be taken at face value Denotation

100. Local Color The use of detail specific to a particular region; used to add verisimilitude Includes language, setting, details… Mark Twain is known for his expert use of local color

101. Lyric Greeks called a song that was to be sung with the accompaniment of a lyre a lyric; we still use the word “lyric” in music A short poem, usually expressing the views of one person, not necessarily the poet Comprises most of poetry

102. Magnum Opus An author’s major work, usually a defining one Would be difficult to pinpoint someone like Shakespeare Milton: Paradise Lost Sometimes used ironically Mr. Holland’s Opus

103. Malapropism The incorrect use of multi-syllable words, usually to humorous effect Comes from the Sheridan play The Rivals Mrs. Malaprop was the character who used language in this way “I would have her instructed in geometry, so that she might know something of the contagious countries…”

104. Manifesto A public declaration of beliefs or principles The Communist Manifesto Certain works are intended to be or are viewed as manifestos

105. Meiosis A figure of speech which contains understatement for emphasis “Lessening” Simple, gentle, and often ironic After suffering extensively, King Lear says, “Pray you undo this button.”

106. Metaphor A direct comparison between two unrelated entities Thousands upon thousands of examples! Don’t forget extended metaphor

107. Meter The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line Iambic, anapestic, dactylic, and trochaic Monometer, dimeter, trimeter, etc….

108. Metonymy A figure of speech in which the name of an attribute of a thing is substituted for the thing itself. Something associated or suggested White House = president Crown = monarchy Stage = acting profession

109. Monologue A single person speaking alone, with or without others on stage to hear

110. Moral The lesson to be learned from a work The point of any didactic work

111. Motif A repeated idea or image in a work Differs from symbol in that it may or may not add a level of meaning, and symbols may or may not be repeated in a work

112. Naturalism Synonymous with Realism; the belief that everything occurs in nature; love of nature. Poetry of Wordsworth and friends Socially, focuses on the shortcomings of human beings and is often somber “The Necklace”

113. Nemesis A personification of the gods’ anger at man’s hubris; punishment Raskolnikov = Porfiry Seinfeld = Newman

114. Nom de plume Pen name George Eliot = Mary Ann Cross Women often employed men’s names in order to get published

115. Octave A group of eight lines (in verse) An octave and a sestet make up an Italian sonnet

116. Ode A “grand poem” – formal in tone and style Two types: public, and private Public are for formal occasions: funerals, state events Private are personal and reflective “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” “Ode to the West Wind”

117. Onomatopoeia Words which sound like what they represent A great sound device in poetry “Batman” words: Pow! Bam! Zap! Crackle, pop, whoosh

118. Oral Tradition Poetry that is composed and passed along orally Like playing telephone: things can be lost and/or changed as they gets passed down Someone usually writes the work down (eventually) The Odyssey

119. Oxymoron A figure of speech which contains obvious contradiction for effect “Jumbo shrimp” “Honest thief” Romeo and Juliet: heavy lightness, serious vanity…

120. Paean A Greek song of joy or praise Thanksgiving to Apollo the Striker “one who strikes blows in order to heal mankind.”

121. Palilogy The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis

122. Palindrome A word or phrase which reads the same forwards and backwards Hannah and Otto, but not Hannah Otto

123. Parable Related to fable and allegory; a short story with a moral New Testament: many parables of Jesus Deep meaning and lesson

124. Paradox A statement which appears contradictory on the surface, but upon further evaluation contains truth Hamlet: “I must be cruel to be kind.” Poets like John Donne

125. Parody Exaggerating elements of an existing work in order to make it appear ridiculous See Notes

126. Pathos A work intended to arouse pity and/or fear within its audience, without a catharsis of those emotions See notes

127. Personification Giving human characteristics to non-human entities Billions of examples from 10-12

128. Platitude A common statement or trite remark “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Often meant to be deep, platitudes are overused and therefore often meaningless

129. Polysyndeton The use of a number of conjunctions in close succession “We lived and laughed and loved and left.” -- James Joyce, Finnegan’s Wake

130. Rhetorical Question A question posed with no expectation of an answer A device used to promote deeper thinking… Also sarcasm if a person DOES respond…

131. Saga Scandinavian stories about famous heroes or heroic kings or warriors; based in oral tradition Good to know origin

132. Satire Please see notes

133. Satyr Play One of the four plays presented by Greek tragedians, usually a comedy or light piece to “cleanse the palate” Other three plays make up tragic trilogy

134. Scansion Analysis of the rhyme, rhythm, and form of poem

135. Serenade A song sung under a lady’s window at night Yes, this is a lit term! And a dying art…(Say Anything?)

136. Sermon A didactic talk, usually religious in nature Note how terms are related and intertwine

137. Soliloquy A speech given by a character alone on stage, expressing his thoughts and feelings to the audience “To be or not to be …” Differs from aside and monologue

138. Stream of Consciousness A unedited flow of thought; interior monologue Sometimes difficult to follow, but ultimately quite revealing of character Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner

139. Synecdoche A literary device where a part is used to stand for a whole “nice wheels” = “nice car” “skirts” = women

140. Syntax Sentence Structure The use of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences Affects narrative pace

141. Tetralogy The four plays (three tragedy/one comedy) submitted at Greek festivals

142. Theater of the Absurd See notes

143. Tragedy See comprehensive notes! : )

144. Tragic Flaw The defect in the hero which leads to his or her downfall When in doubt? PRIDE!

145. Verisimilitude Truth or credibility in a work; likeness to reality Intrinsic credibility Even fantastical works can have verisimilitude, based on how the author sets things up

146. Vernacular Native language; dialect Another synonym

147. Zeugma A verb or an adjective that is applied to two nouns, but is fitting with only one “Kill the poys and the luggage.” (Henry V)