Quick List of Common Literary Terms
(Terms most applicable to AP Literature are in bold.)
Abstract Language-Language describing ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places. The observable or "physical" is usually described in concrete language.
Ad homonym—Latin for "against the man." When a writer personally attacks his or her opponents instead of their arguments
Ad populum—Latin for "to the crowd." A fallacy of logic in which the widespread occurrence of something is assumed to make it true.
Allegory—A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story, fictional or nonfiction, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth. These characters, etc. may be symbolic of the ideas referred to.
Alliteration—The repetition at close intervals of initial identical consonant sounds. Or, vowel sounds in successive words or syllables that repeat.
Allusion—An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text) with which the reader is expected to be familiar. Allusions are usually literary, historical, Biblical, or mythological.
Ambiguity—An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way. Also, the manner of expression of such an event or situation may be ambiguous. Artful language may be ambiguous. Unintentional ambiguity is usually vagueness.
Anachronism—Assignment of something to a time when it was not in existence, e.g. the watch Merlyn wore in The Once and Future King.
Analogy—An analogy is a comparison to a directly parallel case. When a writer uses an analogy, he or she argues that a claim reasonable for one case is reasonable for the analogous case.
Anaphora—Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This device is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent.
Anecdote—A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Anecdotes are often inserted into fictional or nonfiction texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.
Angst—A term used in existential criticism to describe both the individual and the collective anxiety-neurosis of the period following the Second World War. This feeling of anxiety, dread, or anguish is notably present in the works of writers like Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.
Annotation—Explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographic data (by the author or student).
Antithesis—A balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses.
Apostrophe—An address to the dead as if living; to the inanimate as if animate; to the absent as if present; to the unborn as if alive. Examples: "O Julius Caesar thou are mighty yet; thy spirit walks abroad," or "Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll."
Archetype—A term borrowed by psychologist Carl Jung who described archetypes as "primordial images" formed by repeated experiences in the lives of our ancestors, inherited in the "collective unconscious" of the human race and expressed in myths, religion, dreams, fantasies, and literature. These "images" of character, plot pattern, symbols recur in literature and evoke profound emotional responses in the reader because they resonate with an image already existing in our unconscious mind, e.g. death, rebirth.
Argumentation—Exploring of a problem by investigating all sides of it; persuasion through reason. One of the four chief forms of discourse, the others being exposition, narration, and description. The purpose of argumentation is to convince by establishing the truth of falsity of a proposition.
Aside—A dramatic convention by which an actor directly addresses the audience but it is not supposed to be heard by the other actors on the stage.
Assonance—Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity.
Literary terms :D By: Charles Huang =_= SHENG ZHANG X_X Roger Weng QAQ 1.Rhetorical modes 2.Satire Rhetorical modes - Narration Description Exposition Argument Narration Definition: It is used to tell a story or to narrate an event or series of events in a logical sequence Example: “I have been hiding away from the society for the past ten years, but I could still remember clearly what happened ten years ago. It was a nightmare, people started to eat each other like they’re supposed to, the…
Literary Terms Alliteration – repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of a series of words or phrases Antagonist – Someone or something presented in opposition to the protagonist Assonance – The repetition of the same or similar vowels sounds, especially in stressed syllabus Ballad –Another type of narrative poetry, uses repeated words and phrases, including a refrain Cacophony – Words used that sound jarring or add a discordant effect Climax – The point of the…
Literary Elements (15 questions as definitions; additional questions in reading comprehension) Define the following: 1. Allusion a brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or fictitious, or to a work of art. ex: talking about cupid in romeo and juliet. 2. foil a character that contrasts another character to highlight traits of that other character. ex: king duncan is a foil to macbeth 3. analogy the comparison of two pairs who have the same relationship. ex: hot is to cold as fire is to ice…
actually true. Parallelism: a repetition of sentences using the same structure. Parody: a work designed to ridicule the style and substance of another literary work. Passive voice: in the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is neither a do-er or a be-er, but is acted upon by some other agent or by something unnamed. Pastoral: a literary work that has to do with shepherds and rustic settings. Pathos: occurs when the audience experiences the emotions of pity, tenderness, or sorrow. Personal…
How did the narrator of “Marigolds” define “coming of age”? { Entry Task: 9/26 Materials Needed: Spring Board, journal, writing utensil Literary Terms: FORESHADOWING a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story Literary Term: JUXTAPOSITION the arrangement of two or more things for the purpose of comparison. Examples of Juxtaposition Paragraph 60 is especially rich in juxtaposition. What textual examples of this did you find? What is the…
may be reviewed or expounded upon; students are responsible for knowing and applying prior terminology on Day 1 of 6th grade. Literary Elements Term Antagonist Character Climax Conflict /types of conflict Denouement Dialogue Exposition Falling Action Inciting incident Mood Narrator Plot Protagonist Rising action Setting Theme Poetry Terms Rhyme Stanza Definition Adversary (opponent) of the protagonist People or animals who take part in the action of a story…
GLOSSARY OF LITERARY TERMS TO KNOW FOR THE AP EXAMS IN ENGLISH I have grouped these to make it easier to study and to test. Group A: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. absolute—a word free from limitations or qualifications (“best,” “all,” “unique,” “perfect”) adage—a familiar proverb or wise saying ad hominem argument—an argument attacking an individual’s character rather than his or her position on an issue allegory—a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions…
English 9 Literary Terms The Tragedy of Macbeth Literary Term | Definition | Example from play | 1. soliloquy | an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself | Is this a dagger I see in front of me, (2.1.33) | 2. monologue | a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker: | | 3. aside | a part of an actor's lines supposedly not heard by others on the stage and intended only for the audience. | | 4. foil characters |…
TERM: ALLITERATION Category: Author’s use of language to depict sound Definition: The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unifying ideas and/or a musical sound. Example: Our Description: The start of a couple of Fred’s friends fried words in a sentence are the same letter. Fritos for Friday’s food. Fred Figurative language Definition: A direct or indirect reference to something that is commonly known…
Jem snaps and caves in to the what recent events have brought to Maycomb. This passage shows multiple literary elements. The most obvious literary elements are imagery, setting, and external conflict. These paragraphs come to show just how easy it is to spot these literary elements. So now i’ll show how I found three simple literary elements in this small passage. In this passage, multiple literary elements can be seen. For example, Imagery is one of the literary elements found in this passage. Imagery is “the descriptive or…