摘要：AP Literature| 英美文学必备术语 AP 文学词汇概念汇总 abstract an abbreviated synopsis of alonger work of scholarship or research adage asaying/proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched inmetaphorical language allegory a story in which the narrative/characterscarry an underlying symbolic, metaphorical or possibly an ethical meaning alliteration the repetition of one ormore initial consonant in a group of words
AP Literature| 英美文学必备术语
AP 文学词汇概念汇总
abstract an abbreviated synopsis of alonger work of scholarship or research
adage asaying/proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched inmetaphorical language
allegory a story in which the narrative/characterscarry an underlying symbolic, metaphorical or possibly an ethical meaning
alliteration the repetition of one ormore initial consonant in a group of words or lines of poetry or prose. writersuse this for ornament or for emphasis
allusion a referenceto a person, place, or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaningof an idea
ambiguity a vaguenessof meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings andinterpretation
anachronism a person, scene, event, or other element in literature that failsto correspond with the time/era in which the work is set
analogy a comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilarthings
annotation a brief explanation,summary, or evaluation of a text or work ofliterature
antagonist a character or force in awork of literature that, by opposing the protagonist produces tension orconflict
antithesis a rhetorical opposition orcontrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, orsentences
aphorism a short, pithy statement ofa generally accepted truth or sentiment
Apollonian in contrast to Dionysian, it refers to the most noble, godlikequalities of human nature and behavior
apostrophe a locution that addresses aperson/personified thing not present
archetype an abstract or idealconception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model/form
assonance the repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words orlines in poetry and prose
ballad a simple narrative versethat tells a story that is sung or recited; a long narrative poem, usually invery regular meter and rhyme, typically has a naive folksy quality
bard a poet, in olden times, a performer who told heroic stories to musicalaccompaniment
bathos矫揉造作 the use ofinsincere or overdone sentimentality
belle-lettres 纯文学the French term for the world of books,criticism, and literature in general
bibliography参考文献 a list of works cited or otherwise relevant to a subject or otherwork
Bildungsroman成长小说a German wordreferring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as thehero travels in quest of a goal
blankverse无韵体 poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used inEnglish poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton. its lines generally donot rhyme
bombast夸大的言辞inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects
burlesque滑稽模仿a work of literaturemeant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation; a broad parody andexaggerates it into ridiculousness
cacophony grating, inharmonious sounds
caesura a pause somewhere in the middle of a verse, often (but not alwaysmarked by punctuation)
canon the works considered most important in national literature orperiod; works widely read and studied
caricature a grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things; aportrait that exaggerates a facet of personality
carpediem "seize the day"
catharsis a cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of adramatic tragedy
classic a highly regarded work of literature or other art form that haswithstood the test of time, similar to canon
classicism deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Romanculture; implies formality, objectivity, simplicity and restraint
climax the high point, or turning point, of a story/play
novela tale in which a young protagonist experiences anintroduction to adulthood. the character may develop understanding via disillusionment,education, doses of reality, or any other experiences that alter his/heremotional/intellectual maturity. e.g. Invisible Man
conceita witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highlyfanciful idea, often stated in figurative language; a startling or unusualmetaphor, or a metaphor developed and expanded upon several lines
anticlimax this occurs when an action produces far smaller results than onehad been led to expect, it is frequently comic in effect
antihero a protagonist who is markedly unheroic: morally weak, cowardly,dishonest, or any number of other unsavory qualities
asidea speech (usually just a short comment) made by anactor to the audience, as though momentarily stepping outside of the action onstage
aspect a trait of characteristic, as in "an aspect of the dewdrop"
atmosphere the emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene
blackhumor this is the use of disturbing themes incomedy. e.g. two tramps comically debating over which should commit suicidefirst, and whether the branches of a tree will support their weight
cadence the beat or rhythm of poetry in a general sense
canto is a divider in long poems, much like chapters in a novel
coinage a.k.a. neologism, inventing a word
colloquialism this is a word or phrase used in everyday conversational Englishthat isn't a part of accepted "schoolbook" English
controllingimage when an image dominates and shapes the entirework
metaphysicalconceit a type of conceit that occurs only inmetaphysical poetry
connotation the suggest or implied meaning of a word/phrase
consonance the repetition of two or more consonant sounds within a group ofwords or a line of poetry
couplet a pair of lines that end in rhyme
heroiccouplet two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter arecalled this
denotation the literal, dictionary definition of a word
denouement the resolution that occurs at the end of a play or work or fiction
deusex machina解围的人或事件in literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve aproblem
Dionysian酒神精神的 as distinguished from Apollonian, the word refers to sensual,pleasure seeking impulses
diction the choice of words in oral and written discourse
syntax the ordering and structuring of the words in a sentence
dirge a song for the dead, its tone is typically slow, heavy, andmelancholy
dissonance the grating of incompatible sounds
doggerel crude, simplistic verse, often in sing-song rhyme
dramaticirony when the audience knows something that thecharacters in the drama do not
dramaticmonologue when a single speaker in literature sayssomething to a silent audience
elegy a poem or prose selection that laments or meditates on thepassing/death of something/someone of value
elements the basic techniques of each genre of literature. IN SHORT STORY:characters, irony, theme, symbol, plot, setting. IN POETRY: figurativelanguage, symbol, imagery, rhythm, rhyme. IN DRAMA: conflict, characters,climax, conclusion, exposition, rising action, falling action, props. INNONFICTION: argument, evidence, reason, appeals, fallacies, thesis.
ellipsis three periods (...) indicating the omission of words in a thoughtor quotation
empathy a feeling of association or identification with an object/person
endstopped a term that describes a line of poetry thatends with a natural pause often indicated by a mark of punctuation
enjambment the continuation of a syntactic unit from one line or couplet of apoem to the next with no pause
epic an extended narrative poem that tells of the adventures andexploits of a hero that is generally larger than life and is often considered alegendary figure
mockepic a parody form that deals with mundane eventsand ironically treats them as worthy of epic poetry
epitaph lines that commemorate the dead at their burial place. usually aline or handful of lines, often serious or religious, but sometimes witty andeven irreverent
epigram a concise but ingenious, witty and thoughtful statement
euphony when sounds blend harmoniously; pleasing, harmonious sounds
epithet an adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of aperson or thing
eponymous a term for the title character of a work of literature
euphemism a mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term
exegesis a detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of literature
expose a piece of writing that reveals weaknesses, faults, frailties, orother short comings
explicit to say or write something directly and clearly
explication the interpretation/analysis of a text
extendedmetaphor a series of comparisons between two unlikeobjects that occur over a number of lines
fable a short tale often featuring nonhuman character that act as peoplewhose actions enable the author to make observations or draw useful lessonsabout human behavior. i.e Orwell's "Animal Farm"
fallingaction the action in a play or story that occursafter the climax and that leads to the conclusion and often to the resolutionof the conflict
fantasy a story containing unreal, imaginary features
farce a comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard ofseriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose
figurativelanguage in contrast to literal language, thisimplies meanings. It includes devices such as metaphors, similes, andpersonification, etc.
foil a secondary character whose purpose is to highlight thecharacteristics of a main character, usually by contrast
firstperson narrative a narrative told by a characterinvolved in the story, using first-person pronouns such as "I" and"we"
flashback a return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarifypresent actions or circumstances i.e. Invisible Man
foreshadowing an event or statement in a narrative that suggests, in miniature, alarger event that comes later
foot the basic rhythmic unit of a line in poetry. it is formed by acombination of two or three syllables, either stressed or unstressed
frame a structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative
freeverse a kind of poetry without rhymed lines, rhythmor fixed metrical feet
genre a term used to describe literary forms, such as novel, play, andessay
Gothicnovel a novel in which supernatural horrors and anatmosphere of unknown terror pervades the action. i.e. "Frankenstein"
harangue热烈的演说a forceful sermon,lecture, or tirade
hubris the excessive pride/ambition that leads to the main character'sdownfall
hyperbole exaggeration/deliberate overstatement
humanism a belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential andcreativity
implicit to say or write something that suggests and implies but never saysit directly or clearly
inmedias res Latin for "in the midst ofthings"; a narrative that starts not at the beginning of events but atsome other critical point
idyll a lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life orplace
image a word or phrase representing that which can be seen, touched,tasted, smelled or felt
inversion switching customary order of elements in a sentence or phrase. whendone badly it can give a stilted, artificial look-at-me-I'm-poetry feel to theverse. type of syntax
irony a mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the oppositeof what is stated, often implying ridicule or light sarcasm
invective a direct verbal assault; a denunciation. i.e. Candide
kenning a device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of athing is replaced by one of its functions/qualities, as in"ring-giver" for king and "wale-road" for ocean
lament a poem of sadness or grief over the death of a loved one or oversome other intense loss
lampoon a satire
lightverse a variety of poetry meant to entertain oramuse, butt sometimes with a satirical thrust
loosesentence a sentence that is complete before itsend. follows customary word order of English sentences i.e. subject-verb-object
periodicsentence a sentence not grammatically completeuntil it has reached its final phrase; sentence that departs from the usualword order of English sentences by expressing its main thought only at the end
lyric personal, reflective poetry that reveals the speaker's thoughts andfeelings about the subject; the word is used to describe tone, it refers to asweet, emotional melodiousness
melodrama a form of cheesy theater in which the hero is very, very good, thevillain mean and rotten, and the heroine oh-so-pure.
litotes a form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary isused to achieve emphasis or intensity
maxim a saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth
metaphor a figure of speech that compares unlike objects
metaphysicalpoetry the work of poets, particularly those of17th c., that uses elaborate conceits, is highly intellectual, and expressesthe complexities of love and life
meter the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in poetry
metonymy a figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to representsomething else with which it is associated. e.g. "The White Housesays..."
mode the general form, pattern, and manner of expression of a work ofliterature
montage a quick succession of images/impressions used to express an idea
mood the emotional tone in a work of literature
nemesis the protagonist's archenemy or supreme and persistent difficulty
objectivity this treatment of a subject matter is an impersonal/outside view ofevents
subjectivity this treatment of a subject matter uses the interior/personal viewof a single observer and is typically colored with that observer's emotionalresponses
onomatopoeia words that sound like what they mean
moral a brief and often simplistic lesson that a reader may infer from awork of literature
motif a phrase, idea, event that through repetition serves to unify orconvey a theme in a work of literature.
muse one of the ancient Greek goddesses presiding over the arts. theimaginary source of inspiration for an artist or writer
myth an imaginary story that has become accepted part of the cultural orreligious tradition of a group/society. often used to explain naturalphenomena.
narrative a form of verse or prose that tells a story
naturalism a term often used as a synonym for "realism"; also a viewof experiences that is generally characterized as bleak and pessimistic
nonsequitur不和逻辑的推论a statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before
novelof manners a novel focusing on and describing thesocial customs and habits of a particular social group
ode a lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful and exaltedfeelings toward the subject.
omniscientnarrator a narrator with unlimited awareness,understanding, and insight of characters, setting, background, and all otherelements of the story
oxymoron a phrase composed of opposites; a contradiction. juxtaposition ofcontradictory element to create a paradoxical effect
opposition one of the most useful concepts in analyzing literature. it meansthat you have a pair of elements that contrast sharply.
0ctave an eight-line rhyming stanzaof a poem
parable like a fable or an allegory, it's a story that instructs; a storyconsisting of events from which a moral or spiritual truth may be derived
paradox a statement that seems self-contradictory yet true
parallelism repeated syntactical similarities used for effect
parody an imitation of a work meant to ridicule its style and subject
paraphrase a version of a text put into simpler, everyday, words
pastoral a work of literature dealing with rural life
pathetic fallacy faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes humanfeelings to nature or nonhuman objects
pathos that element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow
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