AP English 4 Literature & Composition Terms PDF

AP English 4: Literature & Composition Allegory: A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story, fictional or nonfictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, events is meant to r...

AP English 4: Literature & Composition Allegory: A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story, fictional or nonfictional, 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. Alliteration: The repetition at close intervals of initial and identical consonant sounds. Anachronism: Assignment of something to a time when it was not in existence, e.g. a cell phone used by a Biblical figure 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. 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. 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. Archetype: recurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature; for instance, the femme fatale, that female character who is found throughout literature as the one responsible for the downfall of a significant male character. 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. Attitude: the feelings the author holds towards his subject, the people in his narrative, the events, the setting or even the theme. It might even be the feeling he holds for the reader. In AP English exams, students are often asked to respond to the attitude of the writer, speaker, or narrator towards some aspect within the piece of writing that is being presented. Blank verse: the verse form that most resembles common speech, blank verse consists of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter. Many of Shakespeare’s plays are in blank verse. Caesura: a pause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns. Colloquial: ordinary and informal language, the local vernacular. For example, using “gotta” or “woulda” Comic relief: Humorous speeches and incidents in the course of the serious action of a tragedy; frequently comic relief widens and enriches the tragic significance of the work. Concrete Language: Language that describes specific, observable things, people or places, rather than ideas or qualities. 1 Cotton, Summer 2024 Connotation: Rather than the dictionary definition (which is denotation), connotation is the associations implied by a word; implied meaning (connotation) rather than literal meaning (denotation). Dialect: the language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people. For example, in some areas of the US, soda is referred to as “pop” and a bag is a “sack” Diction: Word choice, particularly as an element of style, used to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect. Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on meaning. An essay written in academic diction, for example, would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise, than street slang. Elegy: A formal sustained poem lamenting the death of a particular person. Note: This is not the same as a eulogy, which is a speech usually spoken at a funeral about the deceased. Epiphany: A major character's important moment of realization or awareness. Epithet: a term used to characterize a person or thing, such as rosy-fingered in rosy-fingered dawn or the Great in Catherine the Great. Also a term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title or a person, such as The Great Emancipator for Abraham Lincoln Exposition: Background information provided by a writer to enhance a reader's understanding of the context of a fictional or nonfictional story. Euphemism: The use of a word or phrase that is less direct, but is also considered less distasteful or less offensive than another. E.g. "He is at rest" instead of "He is dead." Also consider "Technicolor yawn" for "vomiting." Figurative Language: A word or words that are inaccurate literally, but describe by calling to mind sensations or responses that the thing described evokes. Figurative language may be in the form of metaphors or similes, both non-literal comparisons. Flat Character: A character constructed around a single idea or quality; a flat character is immediately recognizable. Also referred to as a static character. Foil: A character whose traits are the opposite of another and who thus points up the strengths and weaknesses of the other character Formal Diction: language that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal. Genre: a literary form or type; classification. e.g. tragedy, comedy, mystery, essay, poetry. Hubris: Overwhelming pride or insolence that results in the misfortune of the protagonist of a tragedy. It is the particular form of tragic flaw that results from excessive pride, ambition, or overconfidence. Hyperbole: Conscious exaggeration used to heighten effect. Not intended literally, hyperbole is often humorous. Example: "I am so hungry I can eat a horse." Iambic: a metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable; often iambs are uses in sets of five called iambic pentameter. All of Shakespeare’s sonnets are written in iambic pentameter. 2 Cotton, Summer 2024 Imagery: The use of images, especially in a pattern of related images, often figurative, to create a strong unified sensory impression. Informal Diction: language that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech, for example words such as OK, bye, hey (which are also colloquial). Irony: Generally speaking, a discrepancy between expectation and reality. Dramatic Irony: When a reader is aware of a reality that differs from a character's perception of reality; the audience/reader is aware of information not provided to the character Verbal Irony: The literal meaning of a writer's words may be different than the intention. Situational Irony: Applies to works which contain elaborate expressions of the ironic spirit. Metaphor: A comparison of two things, often unrelated. A figurative verbal equation results where both "parts" illuminate one another. Metaphors may occur in a single sentence, as a controlling image of an entire work, as obvious or implied. Dead Metaphor—So overused that its original impact has been lost. Extended Metaphor—One developed at length and involves several points of comparison. Mixed Metaphor—When two metaphors are jumbled together, often illogically. Meter: the more or less regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry; this is determined by the kind of “foot” (i.e. iambic) and by the number of feet per line (i.e. pentameter). Mood: An atmosphere created by a writer's word choice (diction) and the details selected. Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length, and complexity effect pacing. Motif: A frequently recurrent character, incident, or concept in literature. For example, in The Great Gatsby, the recurring image, or motif, of the colors green, white, and gold. Onomatopoeia: The use of a word whose pronunciation suggests its meaning. "Buzz," "hiss," "slam," and "pop" are commonly used examples. Oxymoron: Juxtaposing two contradictory/opposite terms, like "wise fool" or "deafening silence." Parable: A short story from which a lesson may be drawn. Paradox: A seemingly contradictory statement or situation which is actually true. This rhetorical device is often used for emphasis or simply to attract attention. Parallelism: Sentence construction which places in close proximity two or more equal grammatical constructions. Parody: An exaggerated imitation of a usually more serious work for humorous purposes. The writer of a parody uses the quirks of style of the imitated piece in extreme or ridiculous ways. Periodic Sentence: Sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements—e.g. "Across the stream, beyond the clearing, from behind a fallen a tree, the lion emerged." Personification: figurative Language in which inanimate objects, animals, ideas, or abstractions are endowed with human traits or human form—e.g. "When Duty whispers…” 3 Cotton, Summer 2024 Plot: System of actions represented in a dramatic or narrative work. Point of View: The perspective from which a fictional or nonfictional story is told. First-person, third-person, third person limited, or third-person omniscient points of view are commonly used. Round Character: A character drawn with sufficient complexity to be able to surprise the reader without losing credibility. Also referred to as a dynamic character. Sarcasm: A type of verbal irony in which, under the guise of praise, a caustic and bitter expression of strong and personal disapproval is given. Sarcasm is personal, jeering, and intended to hurt. Satire: A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by portraying it in an extreme way. Satire doesn't simply abuse or get personal (as with sarcasm). Satire usually targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals; its purpose is customarily to inspire change. Setting: Locale and period in which the action takes place. Soliloquy: When a character in a play speaks his thoughts aloud —usually by him or herself. Stock Character: Conventional character types that recur repeatedly in various literary genres. For example, the wicked stepmother or Prince Charming. Stream of Consciousness: Technique of writing that undertakes to reproduce the raw flow of consciousness, with the perceptions, thoughts, judgments, feelings, associations, and memories presented just as they occur without being tidied into grammatical sentences or given logical and narrative order. Style: The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes. In combination they create a work's manner of expression. Style is thought to be conscious and unconscious and may be altered to suit specific occasions. Style is often habitual and evolves over time. Symbol: A thing, event, or person that represents or stands for some idea or event. Symbols also simultaneously retain their own literal meanings. A figure of speech in which a concrete object is used to stand for an abstract idea —e.g. the cross for Christianity Syntax: In grammar, the arrangement of words as elements in a sentence to show their relationship. Theme: A central idea of a work of fiction or nonfiction revealed and developed in the course of a story or explored through argument. Tone: A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization of the sentence and global levels. When identifying tone, an adjective must also preclude the word “tone.” Tragic Flaw: Tragic error in judgment; a mistaken act which changes the fortune of the tragic hero from happiness to misery; also known as hamartia. Understatement: Deliberately representing something as much less than it really is. For example, "Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her appearance." By Jonathan Swift 4 Cotton, Summer 2024