Literary/AP Terms Flashcards
DIDALS
Diction
Imagery
Details
Attitude
Language
Syntax
Four Layers
- Paraphrasable Content - Literal Surface Meaning
- Mood = Emotional Content
- Tone = Author’s Attitudes
- Interpretation of Author’s Intent
Antecedent
A word, phrase, clause, or sentence to which another word (especially a following relative pronoun) refers.
Ex: Bob went to grab his mail
Antecedent: Bob
Apastrophe
Speaker is directly speaking to someone who is either not physically present, to someone who is dead, or to an inanimate object.
Ex: “Why do you have to be such a pain, math?”
Diction
Specific word choices conveying meaning
Connotation
The emotional impact of a word
Syntax
Sentence structure (arrangement of words)
Parallelism
Using matching sentence structures/phrases
Ex: We wanted to cook and to swim.
Synecdoche
Using a word/phrase to refer to a group
Ex: The flutes are smart
Anaphora
Repetition of a word or phrase in successive clauses or phrases.
Ex: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Asyndeton
Underuse of conjunctions with items in a series (opposite of polysyndeton)
Ex: He studied math, history, Spanish, science, English.
Bildungsroman
Novel of education, depicts and explores the manner in which the protagonist develops morally and psychologically
Ex: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Picaresque
Relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero
Ex: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Trope
Figures of speech that move the meaning of the text from literal to figurative
Ex: “stop and smell the roses”
- Doesn’t mean to literally do that, it just means to stop, be calm, etc.
Scheme
Figures of speech that deal with word order, syntax, letters, and sounds, rather than the meaning of words, which involves tropes
Ex: “Mankind must put an end to war– or war will put an end to mankind”
Cumulative Sentence
Information accumulates in the sentence until it reaches a period
Ex: “The radiators put out lots of heat, too much, in fact, and old-fashioned sounds and smells came with it, exhalations of the matter that composes our own mortality, and reminiscent of the intimate gases we all diffuse.”
Periodic Sentence
Sentence with predicate at the end of the sentence for emphasis
Polysyndeton
Repetition of conjunctions in close succession
Ex: He had to study math and chemistry and history and biology and english and spanish.
Aphorism
A short statement or catchphrase containing a well-known or general truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner
Ex: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Didactic
Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive
Paradox
A statement that seems to go against logic/common sense but may still have truth
Ex: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others
Denotation
The literal or primary meaning of a word
Juxtaposition
The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect (Contrast)
Ex: Day & Night, Good & Evil, War & Peace, Humanity & Technology
Antithesis
A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else
Ex: Money is the root of all evil: poverty is the fruit of all goodness
Allegory
A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning
Tone
Author’s attitude toward a certain topic
Irony
Whenever a person says something or does something that departs from what they (or we) expect them to say or do
Ex: If it were a cold, rainy gray day, you might say, “What a beautiful day!”
Inverted Syntax
A style of writing that places unexpected emphasis on objects or verbs in sentences
Ex: A group of rich donors is the most important thing for a would-be politician.
