Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

ap lit terms quiz 3 Fernandez

Terms in this set (22)

antithesis
The balancing of two contrasting ideas, words, phrases, or sentences often expressed in a balanced sentence: To err is human; to forgive, divine.
aphorism
a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner
epithet
A descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something, such as "Catherine the Great" or "America the Beautiful."
hyperbole
Exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis. Hyperbole or overstatement can be used for serious, comic, or ironic effect.
irony
Essentially a contradiction—between what is said and what is meant (verbal irony), what is expected and what occurs (situational irony), or what a character knows and what the audience/ reader knows (dramatic irony). Sarcasm is a strong form of verbal irony.
metaphor
A comparison between two things that are basically dissimilar. To Macbeth, life is "a brief candle." There are various types of metaphors including synecdoche and metonymy.
metonymy
the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing.
onomatopoeia
A word whose sound imitates its meaning: roar or buzz.
oxymoron
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., faith unfaithful kept him falsely true ).
paradox
A statement that reveals a kind of truth, although appearing at first to be self contradictory, such as "fair is foul."
parallelism
The use of phrases, clauses or sentences similar or complementary in form or meaning.
parody
Humorous imitation of another, usually serious, work. A frequently used tool of satire. It can take any form as artists imitate the tone, language, and shape of the original in order to deflate the subject matter, making the original work seem absurd.
pathos
The quality in a work of literature or art that arouses the reader's feelings of pity.
personification
A form of metaphor in which something nonhuman is given human qualities.
plot
The sequence of events in a novel or play—exposition, climax, rising/falling action, resolution or denouement.
pun
A play on a word's multiple meanings or on its sounding like another word. In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio puns, "Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man."
satire
A kind of writing that holds up to ridicule or contempt the weaknesses and wrongdoings of whatever is being ridiculed. The intent of satire is often to correct or change the subject of the satiric attack. Chaucer employs much satire in The Canterbury Tales.
simile
An explicit, poetic comparison using like or as. See metaphor.
shared line
In a play, a line is deeply indented to indicate that two speakers share a line. The pace of dialogue is so fast that there should be no pause between the end of one character's line and the beginning of the next.
soliloquy
An extended speech delivered by a character alone on stage; a dramatic monologue which allows the audience to "hear" what the character is "thinking."
style
The distinctive and unique manner in which a writer uses language and a variety of literary techniques to achieve particular effects. F. Scott Fitzgerald's style can be described as characterized by florid diction; long and complex sentence structures; and the frequent use of imagery, especially color imagery, and symbolism.
synecdoche
a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...