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Literary Terms
Literary Terms for AP British Literature
36
English
11th Grade
09/02/2014

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Term
narrative poem
Definition
epics, tell stories (ex. Beowulf)
Term
primary epic
Definition
tragic and true narrative poem, serious/formal in nature, having to do with an individual
Term
caesura
Definition
a break in a poem
Term
stressed syllables
Definition
emphasized to create meter in poetry
Term
alliteration
Definition
same sounding initial consonants
Term
plot
Definition
an obvious sequence of events, including exposition, rising action, climax or crisis, falling action, resolution or denouement (day new ma)
Term
plot line
Definition
a sketch of the plot
Term
exposition
Definition
first part of the plot in which the author reveals information about characters and setting
Term
rising action
Definition
developments that add to the excitment of the story
Term
climax or crisis
Definition
the high point of the plot
Term
falling action
Definition
the moment in the plot development where a relief of tension from the climax occurs
Term
resolution or denouement
Definition
everything after the moment of tension resolution in the plot
Term
scop
Definition
a poet
Term
parallelism
Definition
the same phrase repeated in slightly different ways
Term
archaic diction
Definition
words that are not part of today's regular vocabulary
Term
allusion
Definition
refers to a familiar thing, event or person (draws upon prior knowledge)
Term
diction
Definition
the author's choice of words
Term
personification
Definition
when the author gives a nonhuman item or thing human characteristics
Term
foreshadowing
Definition
events or descriptions in the plot that hint at what is to come later
Term
foil
Definition
A foil is another character in a story who contrasts with the main character, usually to highlight one of their attributes
Term
anecdote
Definition
a short and interesting story or an amusing event often proposed to support or demonstrate some point and make readers and listeners laugh
Term
setting
Definition
identify and establish the time, place and mood of the events of the story
Term
iamb
Definition
an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
Term
dramatic irony
Definition
when the audience sees a character's mistake but the character is yet unaware of it
Term
irony
Definition
something incongruous or irregular compared to what is expected
Term
theme
Definition
central idea, statement about life the author wants to express
Term
moral
Definition
an explicitly stated theme upon which the author wants to elaborate
Term
epigram
Definition
a concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically with a single thought or event and often ending with an ingenious turn of thought
Term
iambic pentameter
Definition
a type of English poetry containing 5 iambic feet; common to Shakespearean poetry and all English sonnets
Term
iambic
Definition
exhibiting an unstressed-stressed cadence
Term
foot
Definition
a unit of cadence containing some combination of stressed and unstressed syllables
Term
realism
Definition
depictions of contemporary life and society as it was
Term
narrator
Definition
the person who tells a story
Term
narration
Definition
the story
Term
first person point of view
Definition
the "I" perspective
Term
farce
Definition
story with a humorous and improbably plot
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