Master List AP Lit. Terms Numbered

8/12/2019 Master List AP Lit. Terms Numbered

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General Terms Used in AP Literature Tests

1.Conventionany widely accepted literary device, style, or form; for example, a soliloquy is an example of a

dramatic convention.2.Stylean authors use of diction, different sentence structures, rhythm, figures of speech, rhetorical principles,

and other elements of composition. Style reflects an authors personality and suits his/her purpose inwriting. Style may be classified according to period (Metaphysical, Augustan, Georgian), individualauthors (Chaucerian), level (grand, middle, low, plain), or language (scientific, poetic, journalistic).

3.Dictionthe selection and arrangement of words in a literary work; either or both may vary depending on thedesired effect. There are four general types: formal(scholarly or lofty writing), informal (relaxed but

educated conversation), colloquial(everyday speech) and slang(newly coined words)4.Jargonlanguage used or understood only by a select group; for example: the terminology in a profession5.Idioma word construction or verbal expression that cannot be explained using the literal meaning; for

example: "how come" instead of "why; "a piece of cake" to describe a task that is easily done. 6.Figurative Languagethe opposite of literal language (in which every word is truthful, accurate, and free of

exaggeration or embellishment); examples include hyperbole, irony, simile, metaphor and apostrophe7.Genrea category of literary work, which may refer to the content (tragedy, comedy, pastoral), form (poetry,

novel, or drama) or type of popular literature (science fiction, detective story)8.Settingthe time period (1890's), place (downtown Warsaw), and historical milieu (during the Crimean War),

as well as the social, political, and spiritual environment in a literary work.

9.Ideologya manner of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture

Poetry

Sounds and Rhythm10.Assonancethe deliberate repetition of internal vowel sounds to create rhythm, mood, and emphasis on

certain words. "Tide" and "hide" are rhymes; "tide" and "mine" are examples of assonance. Otherexamples: "the rare and radiant maiden. . . "; "and so all the night tide, I lie by the side"

11.Alliterationthe repetition of the same or similar beginning consonant sounds in two or more words that areclose together,like Poe's "ghastly, gaunt, ungainly bird." Alliteration creates a musical effect, establishes

mood, and helps us remember.12.Consonance (known as half rhyme or slant rhyme when consonance occurs at the ends of lines)often occurs

in poetry; describes words that have similar consonant sounds but have vowel sounds that differ, as with"stuff" and "off" or "The curfew tolls the knells of parting day."

13.Cacophonya combination of harsh, jarring, or discordant sounds, especially in poetry. Such combinationsmay be accidental or intentional but result in a particular effect upon the reader.

14.Euphonya combination of pleasant mellifluous sounds in a literary work; the opposite of cacophony.15.Onomatopoeiathe invention or use of a word whose sound echoes or suggests its meaning, such as "hiss,"

"buzz," "fizz," "clatter," or "tick tock"16.End-stopped linea line of verse that ends with a grammatical break such as a comma, colon, semi-colon or

full stop, etc; the opposite of enjambment17.Enjambment - the breaking of a syntactic unit (a phrase, clause, or sentence) by the end of a line or between

two verses. The following lines from Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale (c. 1611) are heavily enjambed:I am not prone to weeping, as our sex

Commonly are; the want of which vain dewPerchance shall dry your pities; but I haveThat honourable grief lodged here which burns

Worse than tears drown.18.Caesuraan audible pause that breaks up a line of verse; caesura can be indicated by punctuation or occur

naturally in speech rhythms19.Cadencethe natural rhythm of language caused by the alternation ofaccented and unaccented syllables.

Much modern poetry (notably free verse) deliberately manipulates cadence to create complex rhythmic

effects.20.Rhythma regular pattern of sound, time intervals, or events occurring in writing, most often and most

discernibly in poetry. Regular, reliable rhythm is soothing to humans while interrupted, unpredictable, orrapidly changing rhythm is disturbing. Authors use rhythm to produce a desired reaction in the reader.
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Types and Placement of Rhyme

21.Perfect or exact rhymeoccurs when differing consonant-sounds precede identically stressed vowel-sounds.

Examples: foe - toe, meet -fleet, buffer - rougher, fix - sticks22.Slant, half, or near rhyme (also called consonance)occurs when only the final consonant sounds of the

rhyming words are identical. Examples: soul - oil, firth - forth, trolleybully23.Eye rhymeis not really rhyme; it just looks like rhyme. Examples: cough - bough - rough24.End rhymedescribes rhyme that occurs at the ends of lines25.Internal rhymerhyme that occurs within a single line of verse

Ex: "each narrow cell in which we dwell"26.Masculine rhymeoccurs when the rhyming sound falls in a single accented syllable, as with "heat" and

"eat"27.Feminine rhymea rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed, as in "merry" and "tarry"28.Terza rimaan interlocking three-line rhyme scheme: aba, bcb, cdc, ded, and so on. Dantes Divine

Comedyand Frosts "Acquainted with the Night" are written in terza rima.

Stanza Form

29.Stanzaa group of lines in poem

30.Coupleta stanza of two lines, usually with end rhyme31.Heroic coupleta rhyming couplet written in iambic pentameter (a line with five iambic feet)32.Terceta three-line stanza, usually with one rhyme33.Quatraina four-line stanza, rhymed or unrhymed34.Cinquaina five-line stanza35.Sesteta six-line stanza36.Heptasticha seven-line stanza37.Octavean eight-line stanza

Meter

38.Meterthe measurement of rhythm in poems and the rhythmic patterns resulting from combinations of heavy

and light stresses on syllables The symbol U (or sometimes x) represents light stress and the symbol /represents a heavier stress.

39.Footthe smallest unit of rhythm in a line of poetry; in English-language poetry, a foot is typically comprisedof one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables (see names of combinations below).

Types of feet:U (or x) = unstressed

/ = stressed syllable

Iamb U / con-tortTrochee / U tor-tureAnapest U U / in-ter-cept

Dactyl / U U su-i-cideSpondee / / rare in English

Pyrrhic U U rare in English

Number of Feet in a Line:

monometer = one footdimeter = two feet

trimeter = three feettetrameter = four feet

pentameter = five feet

hexameter = six feetheptameter = seven feet

octameter = eight feet

40.Prosodythe overall metrical structure of a poem


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41.Scansionthe process of measuring the stresses in a line of verse to determine the metrical pattern of the lineTo "scan" a poem:

1. identify the foot or syllabic pattern2. name the number of feet in the line3. describe the stanza patternif there is one

Example: I think that I shall never see (iambic feet + four iambs in the line = iambic tetrameter)U / U / U / U /

Other example combinations: iambic pentameter = five pairs of U /trochaic tetrameter = four feet of / U

Types of Analogy

42.Analogya comparison made to explain something unfamiliar through similarity to something familiar, or toprove one point based on the acceptance of another. Metaphor and simile are types of analogies.

43.Similea comparison using like or as44.Metaphora figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things

45.Conceita clever and fancifulmetaphor,usually expressed through elaborate and extended comparisonthat presents a striking parallel between two seemingly dissimilar thingsfor example, elaboratelycomparing a beautiful woman to an object like a garden or the sun. The conceit was a popular devicethroughout the Elizabethan and Baroque Ages and the principal technique of the 17 thcentury Englishmetaphysical poets.

46.Synesthesiaa cross-sensory metaphor; for example, 'a deafening yellow'47.Synecdochea figure of speech that presents a kind of metaphor in which:

A part of something is used for the whole, The whole is used for a part, The species is used for the genus OR the genus is used for the species The stuff of which something is made is used for the thing.

48.Metonymya type of metaphor in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely

associated with it (e.g. "the White House" for the President). Very similar to and easily confusedwith Synecdoche.

Language49.ApostropheSpeech directed to an imaginary or absent person or abstract quality or idea. In dramatic works

and poetry, it is sometimes made apparent by the word "O" (not "Oh").~ To what green altar, O mysterious priest" in John Keats"Ode on a Grecian Urn".

~ "Roll on thou dark and deep blue ocean..." in Lord Byrons"Childe Harold's Pilgrimage".50.Chiasmusa rhetorical construction in which the order of the words in the second of two paired phrases is the

reverse of the order in the first: Pleasure's a sin, and sometimes sin's a pleasure"

51.Euphemismthe substitution of a mild or less negative word or phrase for a harsh or blunt one, as in "to passaway. Many terms referring to death, sex, crime, and excremental functions are euphemisms.

52.Connotationthe impression that a word gives beyond its defined meaning; a connotation may be universallyunderstood or may be significant only to a certain group. Both "horse" and "steed" denote the same animal,

but "steed" has a different connotation, possibly because of its frequent use in chivalrous/romantic

narratives.53.Denotationthe definition of a word, apart from the impressions or feelings it creates in the reader. For

example, the word "apartheid" denotes a political and economic policy of segregation by race, but itsconnotationsoppression, slavery, inequalityare numerous.

54.Syntaxthe ordering of words into meaningful verbal patterns such as phrases, clauses, and sentences. Poetsoften manipulate syntax, changing conventional word order, to place certain emphasis on particular words.Emily Dickinsons poemabout seeing a snake in the grass includes this line: "His notice sudden is." In

addition to the alliterative hissing s-sounds here, Dickinson also effectively manipulates the lines syntax sothat the verb isappears unexpectedly at the end, emphasizing the surprise of the snakes appearance.

55.Inversionchange in normal word order, such as placing the verb before its subject56.Oxymorona combination of contradictory or incongruous words (as cruel kindness); or, broadly, something

(as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements
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57.Paradoxa statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true58.Hyperbolean outrageous exaggeration59.Tonethe writer's attitude toward the material and/or readers; tone may be playful, formal, intimate, angry,

serious, ironic, outraged, baffled, tender, serene, depressed, etc.60.Rhetorical Questiona question asked for effect, not actually requiring an answer.

Example: "Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction?" (Patrick Henry)Example: "What kind of fool do you think I am?"

61.Personificationa figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human

qualities or abilities (Compare with anthropomorphism)62.Juxtapositionthe act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side

Types of Poetry63.NARRATIVE POETRYa poem that tells a story; may be short or long, simple or complex

64.Ballada simple narrative poem imitating the language, form, and spirit of a traditional song ballad,such as Keatss "La Belle Dame sans Merci"

65.Epica longpoem about the adventures of ahero of great historic or legendary importance; the settingis vast and the action may have cosmic significance through the intervention of gods, angels, ordemons; typically contain elaboratemetaphorsand allusions that enhance the symbolic importance of

the hero's adventures. Examples include Homer'sIliadand Odyssey,Virgil'sAeneid,and JohnMilton'sParadise Lost.Epics often begin in medias res, a Latin term meaning "in the middle of

things, referringto the technique of beginning a story at its midpoint and then using variousflashback devices to reveal previous action.

66.LYRIC POETRYa poem expressing the emotions and thoughts of a single speaker (not necessarily thepoet); takes many forms, including the dramatic monologue, elegy, haiku, ode, and sonnet. A traditionaltheme of lyric poetry is carpe diem, (Latin for seize the day), advising the reader or the person the poem

addresses to enjoy the pleasures of the moment. Two celebrated carpe diem poems are Marvell's "To HisCoy Mistress" and Herrick's "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may...."

67.Dramatic monologuea poem in which the speaker addresses a silent audience, revealing a dramaticsituation and some aspect of his or her temperament or personality. 68.Elegya mournful, contemplative lyric poem commemorating someone who is dead (often ending in a

consolation), or a serious meditative poem expressing melancholy thoughts69.Haikuthree unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables presenting an intense emotion or vivid image

of nature, leading to spiritual insight (style borrowed from the Japanese)70.Odea relatively lengthy lyric poem expressing lofty emotions in a dignified style; characterized by a serioustopic, such as truth, art, freedom, justice, or the meaning of life; tone tends to be formal. No prescribed pattern

defines an ode; some repeat the same pattern in each stanza, while others introduce a new pattern in each stanza.71.Idylla poem extolling the virtues of an ideal place or time72.Sonneta fixed poem of fourteen lines, usually written in iambic pentameter.73.The Italian or Petrarchan sonnetdivided into an octave, (abbaabba) and a sestet (cdecde, cdcdcd, orcdccdc). The octave often presents a situation, attitude, or problem that the sestet comments upon or resolves, as

in John Keatss"On First Looking into Chapmans Homer."74.The English or Shakespearean sonnetorganized into three quatrains and a couplet, with a typical rhyme

scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. This rhyme scheme is more suited to English poetry because English has fewerrhyming words than Italian. English sonnets, because of their four-part organization, also have more flexibility

with respect to where thematic breaks can occur. Frequently, however, the most pronounced break or turn comeswith the concluding couplet, as in Shakespeares "Shall I compare thee to a summers day?"75.Aubadea poem or song of or about lovers separating at dawn; Donnes The Sunne Rising is a famous

example76.Villanellea fixed poem consisting of nineteen lines of any length divided into five tercets and a concludingquatrain. The first and third lines of the initial tercet rhyme; these rhymes are repeated in each subsequent tercet(aba) and in the final two lines of the quatrain (abaa). Line 1 appears in its entirety as lines 6, 12, and 18, whileline 3 reappears as lines 9, 15, and 19. Example: Dylan Thomass "Do not go gentle into that good night"
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77.METAPHYSICAL POETRYThe term metaphysicalwas applied to a style of 17th Century poetry first byJohn Dryden and later by Dr. Samuel Johnson because of the highly intellectual and often abstruse imageryinvolved. Chief among the metaphysical poets are John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, AndrewMarvell, and Henry Vaughan. While their poetry is widely varied (the metaphysical poets are not part of a

thematic or even a structural school), there are some common characteristics: Argumentative structure The poem often engages in a debate or persuasive presentation; the

poem is an intellectual exercise as well as or instead of an emotional effusion. Dramatic and colloquial mode of utterance The poem often describes a dramatic event ratherthan being a reverie, a thought, or contemplation. Diction is simple and usually direct; inversion is

limited. The verse is occasionally rough, like speech, rather than written in perfect meter, resulting ina dominance of thought over form. Acute realism The poem often reveals a psychological analysis; images advance the argumentrather than being ornamental. There is a learned style of thinking and writing; the poetry is oftenhighly intellectual.

Metaphysical wit The poem contains unexpected, even striking or shocking analogies, offeringelaborate parallels between apparently dissimilar things. The analogies are drawn from widely varied

fields of knowledge, not limited to traditional sources in nature or art. Analogies from science,mechanics, housekeeping, business, philosophy, astronomy, etc. are common. These "conceits" reveala play of intellect, often resulting in puns, paradox, and humorous comparisons. Unlike other poetrywhere the metaphors usually remain in the background, here the metaphors sometimes take over the

poem and control it. Metaphysical poetry represents a revolt against the conventions of Elizabethan

love poetry and especially the typical Petrarchan conceits (like rosy cheeks, eyes like stars, etc.).78.PASTORAL POETRYpoetry presenting the pleasures of rural life (often that of a shepherd) through

idealism rather than realism; common topics include love and seduction; the value of poetry; death andmourning; the corruption of the city or court vs. the "purity" of idealized country life; politics (generallysatirical)

79.DIDACTIC POETRYpoetry designed to teach an ethical, moral, or religious lesson. MichaelWigglesworths Puritan poem Day of Doomis an example of didactic poetry.

80.CONCRETE POETRYpoetry in which punctuation marks, letters, or words are arranged on a page toform a visual design (for ex: a cross or a bumblebee).

81.CONFESSIONAL POETRY-- aform of poetry in which thepoet reveals very personal, intimate, or

sometimes shocking information about himself or herself. Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, andJohn Berryman wrote poetry in the confessional vein.

82.DOGGERELa derogatory term used to describe poetry whose subject is trite and whose rhythm and soundsare monotonously heavy-handed.

83.BLANK VERSEa type of poetry with regular meter (usually iambic pentameter) but no rhyme. For

example: Shakespeares playsand MiltonsParadise Lost84.FREE VERSE OR OPEN FORMterms describing various styles of poetry lacking strict meter and rhyme,

but still recognizable as poetry (Walt Whitman and E.E. Cummings)85.FIXED FORMa poem categorized by the pattern of its lines, meter, rhythm, or stanzas. Fixed forms include

the sonnet, limerick, sestina, and villanelle.

86.Sestinaa type of fixed form poetry consisting of thirty-six lines of any length divided into six sestetsand a three-line concluding stanza called an envoy. The six words at the end of the first sestets lines

must also appear at the ends of the other five sestets, in varying order. These six words must alsoappear in the envoy, where they often resonate important themes. An example of this highly

demanding form of poetry is Elizabeth Bishops "Sestina." A sestina may be categorized as lyricpoetry or narrative poetry, depending on its focus.

87.Limericka light, humorous poem of five lines with the rhyme scheme aabba; lines 1, 2, and 5 contain

three feet, while lines 3 and 4 usually contain two feet. Subjects range from the silly to the obscene.88.Epigrama brief, pointed, and witty poem (usually a couplet), making a satiric or humorous point. Samuel

Taylor Coleridge wrote an epigram that neatly sums up theform:

What is an Epigram? A Dwarfish whole,Its body brevity, and wit its soul.

89.Epitapha serious or humorous inscription on a tomb or tombstone, or verse written on the occasion of aperson's death. Dorothy Parker's epitaph reads, "I told you I was sick."
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Fiction90.Verisimilitudehow fully a work of fiction conforms to our sense of reality. A high degree of verisimilitude

indicates that the work is very realistic and believable; it is "true to life."91.Allusiona brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or fictitious, or to a work of art, usually to make

an idea more easily understood. An allusion may be drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion.92.Anthropomorphismthe presentation of animals or objects in human shape or with human characteristics;

term derived from the Greek word for "human form." The Fables of Aesop, the animated films of WaltDisney, and Richard Adams's Watership Down feature anthropomorphic characters. (Compare with

personification.)93.Epiphanya sudden revelation of truth inspired by a seemingly trivial incident

94.Symbol/symbolismsomething that suggests or stands for something else without losing its original identity.Inliterature,symbols combine their literal meaning with the suggestion of anabstract concept. Literarysymbols are of two types: universalthose that carry complex associations of meaning no matter what

their contexts; and contextualthose that derive their suggestive meaning from their functions in specificliterary works. (Compare with archetype.) Examples include a flag that stands for a nation or movement, or

an empty cupboard used to suggest hopelessness, poverty, and despair.95.Moodthe atmosphere or feeling in a literary work; setting and descriptive details contribute to mood96.Deus ex machinagod from a machine lowered onto the stage in some ancient Greek plays to solve plot

problems at a stroke. A later example is Shakespeare's introduction of Hymen into the last scene ofAs You

Like Itto marry off the main characters. The term is now used pejoratively for any improbable orunexpected contrivance by which an author resolves the complications of the plot in a play or novel. Thediscovery of a lost will was a favorite resort of Victorian novelists.

97.Archetypea universal pattern or motif that recurs so frequently or prominently in literature, religion,

mythology, dreams, rituals, legends, or fairytales as to suggest that it embodies some essential element ofuniversal human experience. Examples include recurrent symbols (the rose, serpent, or sun); common

themes (unrequited love, revenge); mythical settings (the paradisiacal garden); stock characters (the femmefatale, the hero, the magician); and some basic plots (the quest, the descent to the underworld, or the feud).

Archetypes reflect basic patterns in human behavior and often the natural cycle of the seasons.

Categories of Fiction98.Existentialist novela novel written from an existentialist viewpoint, often pointing out the absurdity and

meaninglessness of existence (existentialism = cultural movement that flourished in Europe in the 1940s-1950s) Life is suffering/ Life is not fair. Individuals are alienated from themselves by the highly complex, sophisticated, technological,

bureaucratic world in which they live.

Individual alienationthe loss of ones sense of identity is perpetuated by the labels and categoriesused to describe people.

Individuals are free to choose how they will respond to the painful existence in which they findthemselves.

Because they are free, individuals are also responsible for their own actions. Reality is not objectively knowable. All knowledge is subjective. Knowledge presumed to be objective and factual is actually of minimal value because it is superficial.

(Science is not all it is cracked up to be.)

Knowledge recognized as subjective is the most valuable, because it consists of internalized, integrated,self-initiated meanings. It is not merely cognitive, but is also affective.

99.Gothic novela novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terror pervades theaction. Gothic elements include:

Ancient prophecy, especially mysterious, obscure, or hard to understand
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Mystery and suspense High emotion, sentimentalism, but also pronounced anger, surprise, and especially terror Supernatural events (e.g. a giant, a sighing portrait, ghosts or their apparent presence, a skeleton) Omens, portents, dream visions Fainting, frightened, screaming women Women threatened by powerful, impetuous male Setting in a castle, especially with secret passages The metonymy of gloom and horror (wind, rain, doors grating on rusty hinges, howls in the distance,

distant sighs, footsteps approaching, lights in abandoned rooms, gusts of wind blowing out lights orblowing suddenly, characters trapped in rooms or imprisoned)

The vocabulary of the gothic (use of words indicating fear, mystery, etc.: apparition, devil, ghost,haunted, terror, fright)

100.Frame narrativea narrative structure that provides a setting and exposition for the main narrative in anovel. Often, a narrator will describe where he found the manuscript of the novel or where he heardsomeone tell the story he is about to relate. The frame helps control the reader's perception of the work, andmay lend credibility to the main section of the novel. Examples of novels with frames include Frankenstein

and The Scarlet Letter.101.Allegorya narrative in verse or prose in which the literal events (persons, places, and things) consistently

point to a parallel sequence of symbolic ideas, often used to dramatize abstract ideas, historical events,religious systems, or political issues. An allegory has two levels of meaning: a literal level that tells a

surface story and a symbolic level in which the abstract ideas unfold.102.Coming-of-age story or Bildungsromana type of novel where the protagonist is initiated into adulthood

through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after

the dropping of preconceptions, a destruction of a false sense of security, or in some way the loss ofinnocence. Possible shifts include: Ignorance to knowledge Innocence to experience False view of world to correct view Idealism to realism Immature responses to mature responses

103.Utopian novela novel that presents an ideal society where the problems of poverty, greed, crime, and soforth have been eliminated

104.Dystopian novelan anti-utopian novel where, instead of a paradise, everything has gone wrong in theattempt to create a perfect society; examples include 1984andBrave New World105.Black Humor(also known as Black Comedy)writing that places grotesque elements side by side with

humorous ones in an attempt to shock the reader, forcing him or her to laugh at the horrifying reality of adisordered world. Joseph Heller'snovel Catch-22is a superb example of the use of black humor. Otherwell-known authors who use black humor include Kurt Vonnegut, Edward Albee, Eugene Ionesco, and

Harold Pinter.106.Burlesqueany literary work that uses exaggeration to make its subject appear ridiculous, either by treating

a trivial subject with profound seriousness or by treating a dignified subject frivolously

107.Grotesquedescribes a work or astyle of expression characterized by exaggeration, deformity,freakishness, or disorder. The grotesque often includes an element of comic absurdity. Examples: some ofthe works of Edgar Allan Poe, Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor (and many others)

Characterization

108.Characterization the process by which an author creates vivid, believable characters: (1) directdescription of the character by thenarrator;(2) the direct presentation of the speech, thoughts, or actions of

the character; and (3) the responses of other characters to the character.109.Protagonistthe main character of a narrative who engages the readers interest and, usually, empathy110.Antagonistthe character, force, or collection of forces in fiction or drama that opposes the protagonist and

gives rise to the conflict of the story, such as Claudius in Shakespeares play Hamlet
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111.Foila character whose behavior and values contrast with those of another character, therefore highlightingeach characters distinct temperament. In Shakespeares Hamlet, Laertes acts as a foil to Hamlet becausehis willingness to act underscores Hamlets inability to do so.

112.Allegorical characterthis type of character has a symbolic role beyond his/her function in the work; the

name of an allegorical character often hints at his/her symbolic role. For example, in NathanielHawthornes Young Goodman Brown, Faith is not only the name of a character but also a symbol ofreligious faith.

113.Static charactera character who does not undergo important change in the course of the story, remainingessentially the same throughout the story

114.Dynamic charactera character who undergoes important change in the course of the storynot changesin circumstances, but changes withinthe character: changes in insight or understanding, commitment,values

115.Round charactermore complex than a flat or stock character, displaying the inconsistencies and internalconflicts found in real people

116.Flat charactera character who embodies one or two qualities, ideas, or traits that can be described in abrief summary. Not psychologically complex. Some flat characters are stock characters, embodying

stereotypes such as the "dumb blonde" or the "mean stepfather." They become types rather thanindividuals.

117.Stock charactera character who exists only because the plot demands it118.Antiheroa protagonist who lacks the traditional attributes of a hero. He or she may be bewildered,

ineffectual, deluded, or merely pathetic. Often what antiheroes learn, if they learn anything at all, is that the

world isolates them in an existence devoid of God and absolute values. Yossarian from Joseph HellersCatch-22is an example of an antihero.

119.Doppelganger (also known as The Double)a duplicate character (usually in the form of an alter ego,

though sometimes as a ghostly counterpart) OR a character divided into two distinct, usually oppositepersonalities. The use of this character device is widespread in nineteenth- and twentieth-centuryliterature,and indicates a growing awareness among authors that the "self" is really a composite of many "selves." Awell-known story with a doppelgangercharacter is Robert Louis Stevenson'sDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,whichdramatizes an internal struggle between good and evil. Doppelgangers also appear in popular culture,

including "evil twins" in soap operas, Captain Picard's double in Star Trek, and Phoebe's twin sister onFriends.

Point of view

120.First personnarration by a character involved in the story. When the narrator uses "I" and describes his or

her own experience, thoughts, or feelings, the work is in first person.121.Third person omniscientnarration by a seemingly all-knowing person who does not take part in the

action of the story, but who presents the thoughts and feelings of a number of characters; Gods point of

view122.Third person limitednarration by a person who does not take part in the action of the story, and who

reveals the thoughts and feelings of one particular character; hence the use of the term limited as opposedto omniscient

123.Third person objective narration by a person who does not take part in the action of the story, and who

does not reveal the thoughts or feelings of any character; reporter. Example: Hills Like WhiteElephants.
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124.Second personnarration that speaks to the reader or another character in the story, directly addressed asyou. With this point of view, the reader may feel like a character in the narrative. This POV is VERYRARE.

125.Stream-of-consciousness techniquethe most intense use of a central consciousness in narration; this

technique takes a reader inside a characters mind to reveal perceptions, thoughts, and feelings on aconscious or unconscious level, suggesting the flow of thought as well as content. Complete sentences maygive way to fragments as the characters mind makes rapid associations free of conventional logic ortransitions.

126.Unreliable narratora narrator, usually a first person narrator, whose vision or version of the details of a

story are consciously or unconsciously deceiving

Plot Structure

127.Freytags Pyramidexplication, complication, climax, turning point/reversal, resolution/catastrophe;originally designed to describe the structure of a five-act drama; see diagram on last page

128.Flashbacka device that allows the writer to present events that happened before the time of the current

narration or the current events in the fiction. Techniques include memories, dreams, stories of the past (toldby characters), or even authorial sovereignty. (That is, the author might simply say, "But back in Tom'syouth. . . .") Flashback is useful for exposition, to fill in the reader about a character or place, or about the

background to a conflict.129.Foreshadowinghints of future events in a literary work

130.Subplota secondary story in anarrative which may serve as a motivating or complicating force for themainplot of the work, or it may provide emphasis for (or relief from) the main plot. Theconflictbetweenthe Capulets and the Montagues in William Shakespeare'sRomeo and Julietis an example of a subplot.

131.Parallel plota secondary story line that mimics and reinforces the main plot.

Drama

132.Prologuethe opening speech or dialogue of a play, especially a classic Greek play, that usually gives theexposition necessary to follow the subsequent action. Today the term also refers to the introduction to any

literary work.133.Epiloguea concluding statement or section of a literary work. Indramas, particularly those of the

seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the epilogue is a closing speech, often in verse, delivered by an actorat the end of aplay and spoken directly to theaudience. A famous epilogue is Puck's speech at the end ofWilliam Shakespeare'sA Midsummer Night's Dream.(Compare withPrologue.)

134.Acta major division in the action of a play. Playwrights frequently employ acts to accommodate changesin time, setting, characters onstage, or mood. In many full-length plays, acts are further divided into scenes,

which often mark a point in the action when the location changes or when a new character enters.135.Scenein drama, a scene is a subdivision of an act. In modern plays, scenes usually consist of units of

action in which there are no changes in the setting or breaks in the continuity of time. According to

traditional conventions, a scene changes when the location of the action shifts or when a new characterenters.

136.Soliloquya monologue in a drama used to give the audience information and to develop the speaker'scharacter. It is typically a projection of the speaker's innermost thoughts. Usually delivered while the

speaker is alone on stage, a soliloquy is intended to present an illusion of unspoken reflection. A celebratedsoliloquy is Hamlet's "To be or not to be" speech in William Shakespeare'sHamlet.(Compare withMonologue.)

137.Monologuea speech given by a single individual in adrama or other public entertainment. It has no setlength, although it is usually several or more lines long.

138.Asidea comment made by a stage performer that is intended to be heard by the audience but supposedlynot by other characters

139.Comic reliefa humorous scene or incident that alleviates tension in an otherwise serious work; in many

cases, these moments enhance the thematic significance of the story in addition to providing laughter. WhenHamlet jokes with the gravediggers we laugh, but recognize something hauntingly serious about the humor.
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Categories of Drama

140.COMEDYa work intended to interest, involve, and amuse the reader or audience, in which no terrible

disaster occurs and that ends happily for the main characters. Comedy is generally divided into twoclassifications: high comedy and low comedy.141.LOW COMEDYcomedy which relies on slapstick and horseplay, often focusing on the everyday

life of the lower classes. Low comedy is generally physical rather than verbal.142.Farcelow comedy intended to make us laugh by means of a series of exaggerated, unlikely

situations that depend less on plot and character than on gross absurdities, slapstick humor, and coarsedialogue. Characters themselves may be considered farcical.143.HIGH COMEDYcomedy relying on sophisticated wit, subtle irony or sarcasm, and an intricate plot;

primarily verbal rather than physical, making generous use of satire; often concerns polite society144.Satirethe literary art of ridiculing a folly or vice in order to expose or correct it. The object of satire

is usually some human frailty; although, people, institutions, ideas, and things are all fair game. Satireevokes attitudes of amusement, contempt, scorn, or indignation toward its faulty subject in the hope of

somehow improving it.

Satirical techniques:

145.Ironya literary device that uses contradictory statements or situations to reveal a realitydifferent from what appears to be true.146.Verbal ironyoccurs when a person says one thing but means the opposite.

147.Situational ironyexists when there is an incongruity between what is expected to happenand what actually happens due to forces beyond human comprehension or control.

148.Dramatic ironycreates a discrepancy between what a character believes or says and whatthe reader or audience knows to be true.149.Tragic ironyis a form of dramatic irony found in tragedies such as Oedipus the

King (Oedipus searches for the person responsible for the plague that ravishes hiscity and ironically ends up hunting himself).

150.Cosmic ironyoccurs when a writer uses God, destiny, or fate to dash the hopes andexpectations of a character or of humankind in general.

151.Parodya humorous imitation of another, usually serious, work. Parodists imitate the tone,language, and shape of the original in order to deflate the subject matter, making the originalwork seem absurd. Parody may be used to expose the defects in a work, but more often is an

affectionate acknowledgment that a well-known work has become both institutionalized in ourculture and fair game for some fun.

152.Reversalthepoint in a story when the protagonists fortunes turn in an unexpected direction153.Inversiona reversal of position, order, form, or relationship154.Hyperboleaboldly exaggerated statement or overstatement that adds emphasis but is not

intended to be literally true. For ex: "He ate everything in the house." Hyperbole may be usedfor serious, comic, or ironic effect.

155.Understatementthe opposite of hyperbole; says less than is intended, usually with an ironiceffect

156.Sarcasma form of sneering criticism in which disapproval is often expressed as ironic praise.157.Witclever humor characterized by astuteness of perception or judgment.

158.Invectivespeech or writing that abuses, denounces, or attacks, directed against a person, idea,or system. It employs a heavy use of negative emotive language. Example: I cannot butconclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin thatnature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth. Jonathan Swift

159.Puna play on words that relies on a particular word having multiple meanings or sounding like

another word. For example, in Romeo and Juliet (III.i.101), the dying Mercutio puns, "Ask forme tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man." Puns have serious literary uses, but since theeighteenth century, puns have been used almost purely for humorous effect.


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TRAGEDY160.Tragic herocentral figure must be both good and noble (by social position and moral stature),

otherwise the fall to misfortune would not be great enough for tragic impact. The catastrophicconsequences involve an entire nation because of the tragic heros social rank. He must possess atragic flaw and experience hamartia.

161.Hamartiaintragedy,the event or act that leads to the downfall of thehero orheroine.This term isoften incorrectly used as a synonym fortragic flaw.In Richard Wright'sNative Son,the act that seals

Bigger Thomas's fate is his first impulsive murder.162.Tragic Flawthe quality within thehero orheroine which leads to his or her downfall. Examples of

the tragic flaw include Othello's jealousy and Hamlet's indecisiveness163.Hubristhe most common tragic flaw: an excessive pride that adversely influences the protagonists

judgment164.Catharsisemotional reaction produced by observing the events in a tragedy. A cleansing or

purging that should leave the audience feeling not depressed but relieved and almost elated. The

tragic results prove the existence of truth, thereby reassuring our faith that existence is sensible.165.REVENGE TRAGEDYa dramatic form popular during the Elizabethan Age, in which the protagonist,

directed by the ghost of his murdered father or son, inflicts retaliation upon a powerful villain. Notablefeatures of the revenge tragedy include violence, bizarre criminal acts, intrigue, insanity, a hesitant

protagonist, and the use of soliloquy. Thomas Kyd's Spanish Tragedyis the first example of revenge

tragedy in English, and William Shakespeare'sHamletis perhaps the best.166.TRAGICOMEDYa type of drama that combines certain elements of both tragedy and comedy; the plays

plot tends to be serious, leading to a terrible catastrophe, until an unexpected turn in events leads to areversal of circumstance, and the story ends happily. Tragicomedy often employs a romantic, fast-moving

plot dealing with love, jealousy, disguises, treachery, intrigue, and surprises, all moving toward a

melodramatic resolution. Shakespeares Merchant of Venice is a tragicomedy.167.MELODRAMAa play in which the typicalplot is aconflictbetweencharacterswho personify extreme

good and evil. Melodramas usually end happily and emphasize sensationalism.168.ROMANTIC COMEDY involves a love affair that meets with various obstacles (like disapproving

parents, mistaken identities, deceptions, or other sorts of misunderstandings) but overcomes them to end in

a blissful union. Shakespeares comedies, such as A Midsummer Nights Dream, are considered romanticcomedies.

169.PROBLEM PLAYpopularized by Henrik Ibsen, a problem play is a type of drama that presents a socialissue in order to awaken the audience to it. These plays usually reject romantic plots in favor of holding upa mirror that reflects not simply what the audience wants to see but what the playwright sees in them. Often,

a problem play will propose a solution to the problem that does not coincide with prevailing opinion. Theterm is also used to refer to certain Shakespeare plays that do not fit the categories of tragedy, comedy, orromance
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Documents

Master List AP Lit. Terms Numbered