Literary Terms etc.
Student Generated Slide Shows from Mr. Batcheller’s 7th Period
AP Lang./Comp. Class
Period 7
By lena maitkova & Andie Riffer
Movements

A notable change in direction
within the literary world

Literary Movements include all of
the following: Romanticism, PreRaphaelitism, Transcendentalism, Naturalism and
many more.
A Literary Movement

The adoption of a
new style for a
set period of
time, typically
within visual art,
but it can apply
to literature or
architecture.

-baroqueexemplified by drama and
granduer

Surreal-features
elements of surprise and
unexpected
juxtapositions

Cubism-pioneered
by
Picasso, revolutionized
art
Artistic Movements
It draws upon ancient Greek or
Roman culture and art.
 After Baroque style
 Dominant during mid 18th to end of
19th century

Neoclassicism



Contains magical
elements or illogical
scenarios appear in
otherwise realistic or
“normal” settings
First used by Franz
Roh
“[magical realism] is
like a polite way of
saying you write
fantasy” –Terry
Pritchett
Magical Realism

Involves close reading of texts in order
to demonstrate that, rather than being
an unified whole, any given text has
irreconcilably contradictory meanings.

Basically any book contradicts itself
Deconstruction
Miscellaneous
By Steve and Brian
e⋅piph⋅a⋅ny a sudden, intuitive perception of or
insight into the reality or essential meaning of
something, usually initiated by some simple, homely,
or commonplace occurrence or experience.
 After Traveling to India and witnessing the
way the people live, Jordan had an epiphany.
 After attending a
Lil’ Wayne concert,
T-Pain had an epiphany
realizing his true calling
was being a singer, not
a rapper.

Epiphany
per⋅so⋅na - a person's
perceived or evident
personality, as that of
a well-known official,
actor, or celebrity;
personal image; public role.
 In The Great Gatsby,
Nick’s persona was very
observational and
non-judgmental.

Persona
De⋅no⋅ta⋅tion: The literal meaning of a word
• Con⋅no⋅ta⋅tion: The
secondary meaning
associated with a word
• Although the denotation
of home is “a place of
residence, the connotation
of home can be “ a place
of warmth and comfort”.
•
Denotation/ Connotation



Au ⋅di ⋅ence: The person(s) reading a text,
listening to a speaker, or watching a performance
It is important to consider one’s audience when
writing to further get your point across and shed
new
light on their original
thoughts.
Pink Floyd performs in front of rock-n-roll
loving audiences across the world who also
look for a chill time.
Audience
Pur ⋅pose: The Reason for writing or doing
something. It is the point that a writer is
trying to get across through the work; the
meaning or significance of the action
 “Why do you think I have this
gun? I’m gunna shoot you
kitty, then I’m gunna shoot
myself.”
–Brian (He hates cats)

Purpose/Intent
Forms & Genres
Lorraine Hsiao
Michelle Mah


MOD: How writing is
developed.
Narration
◦ Relating a story of
event
 Ex: The Great Gatsby,
personal stories

Exposition
◦ to inform, analyze,
explain, define
 Ex: TERM PAPER,
Wikipedia entries,
textbook
Modes of Discourse

Description
◦ What things are like
according to the 5
senses
 Ex: Valley of Ashes

Persuasion
◦ To convince through
logic, a.k.a
argumentative
 Ex: Trials, ethos,
pathos, logos
Modes of Discourse-cont

What occurs when
someone is thinking
about homework.

I should start my
term paper……
BUT, there is
facebook.

Volta
A turn of thought, usually indicated by
BUT, AND YET, YET… etc.
 In a Petrarchan Sonnet it usually occurs
between the octet and the sestet. In a
Shakespearean Sonnet it usually occurs
between the 12th and the 13th line.

Volta
A short story that teaches a moral.
 Vs. Fable

◦ Fable: use animal, plants, or forces of nature

EX: Parables told by Jesus
◦ P.S. Parables can be about religious morals.
Parable
V
S
Our Parable

A bamboo is too straight
and firm, so if a strong
wind blows the bamboo
will break. In contrast a
wheat stock is flexible
and sways with the
wind. A wheat stock will
not break in the wind.

Moral: People have to be
flexible in their behavior
MOCK heroic

Written in a heroic
poetry format to
mock an non-heroic
subject.

Ex: Canterbury
Tales, the Nun’s
priest tale
 The tale about the
chicken.

Exaggerated
emotions,
characters, sense of
maidenhood and
scheming villainy
◦ Ex: Pygmalion(1775)
by Rousseau
◦ Ex: Sweeny Todd,
The Demon Barber of
Fleet Street (1842)
Melodrama~
STYLISTIC
DEVICES
Jackie
Chung
Benita Lin
What are stylistic devices?

The use of any of a variety of techniques
to give an auxiliary meaning, idea, or
feeling to the literary work
Verisimilitude
The quality of appearing true
 Ex: A teenager goes somewhere without
the permission of her parents and tells
her parents that she was at the library. By
adding creative details about what
happened at the library with add
verisimilitude to the teenager’s story.

Chiasmus
A literary scheme in which the author
presents words or concepts in a certain
order, then repeats in reversed order
 Ex: “I lead the life I love; I love the life I
lead.”
 Ex: “Naked I rose from the earth; to the
grave I fall clothed.”

Stream of consciousness
Descriptions that allow the reader to
understand a character’s thoughts and
feelings (their “stream of conscious”)
 Ex: Thus do I ever make my fool my purse.

For I mine own gained knowledge should profane
If I would time expend with such a snipe
But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor,
And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets
He's done my office. I know not if 't be true,
But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
Will do as if for surety. He holds me well.
The better shall my purpose work on him.
(Othello, Act I, scene iii) - Iago
Detail/imagery




imagery = sensory detail that uses figurative
language that involve the 5 senses (sight,
smell, touch, taste, hearing)
Gustatory imagery involves the sense of
taste.
Ex: The little girl started to cry when she felt
the zesty red peppers leave a spicy sensation
in her mouth.
Ex: Accidentally eating a cup of yogurt over
two weeks old, Ace couldn’t get the dry sour
milk taste out of his mouth for the next
month.
Litotes
A form of understatement which uses
negation in order to emphasize the
opposite
 Ex: “She was not a little cross.”
(meaning: “She was very cross.”)
 Ex: “That wasn’t too bad.”
(meaning: “That was pretty good.”)

Figures of
Speech
Created by Mr. Jordan
Klein and Ms. Nikkie
Sedaghat
One word or phrase is substituted for
another with which it is closely associated
to
 Metonymy is contrasted with metaphor.
Both figures substitute one term for
another.
 Metaphor example: That man is a pig.
 Metonymy example: The White House
supports the bill.

"excessive pride“
 Extended metaphor with a complex logic
that governs an entire poem or poetic
passage.
 Ex. Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 "Shall I
compare thee to a summer's day?".

An epithet is a descriptive word or series
of words that replace the name of a
person or thing.
 One of the most popular examples of
using epithets in literature is in Homer’s
epic novel The Odyssey.
 Some examples include “Grey-eyed
Athene” and the “wine-dark sea.”

A euphemism occurs when one
substitutes a more agreeable and less
offensive expression in place of an
expression that might offend someone.
 An example might be if we refer to Brian’s
grandpa as “chronologically advanced” or
a “senior citizen,” instead of just old.
 Likewise, we refer to sex as “intercourse.”

figure of speech in which a part stands for
a whole, an individual stands for a class,
or a material stands for a thing.
 For example, saying that Washington
made a statement actually means that the
President said something. Washington
represents the larger executive branch.
 Saying Brazil won the soccer match
actually means their team did.

Logical Fallacies
Joon Ha Lee and Kristin Charles

A "red herring" argument is one which diverts the audience from the issue in question
through the introduction of an unrelated issue

In other words,
1) Topic X is under debate.
2) Topic Z is brought up with the appearance of being related to topic X, when it is actually
irrelevant.
3) Topic X is forgotten
Red Herring
Slippery Slope

The ‘slippery slope argument claims that
some occurrence must unavoidably ensue
from another with no support for the
certainty of the event in question.

Event A has occurred, therefore Event B
will occur, which causes Event C and Event
D etc. until the conclusion is reached that
Event A will cause Event Z.

An argument in which the same word is
used with two different meanings

Example: A feather is light. What is light
cannot be dark. Therefore, a feather
cannot be dark.
Equivocation

Event A occurs before Event B, so Event
A must be the cause of event B

Example: Joon Ha goes out in cold
weather without a scarf. A week later, he
catches a cold. His mother ‘logically’
concludes that going out without a scarf
caused his cold
Post Hoc

A false dilemma fallacy that unjustly
presents only two choices to the audience

This attempts to force the audience to
accept a conclusion on the grounds that
the other seems outrageously wrong

Example: You either support our
president, or you’re on the side of the
terrorists
Black or White (AKA Either/or)
By:
Michael Albert
A word or a group of words that imitate the
sound that is being described
Sound that is pleasant to the ears,
To Autumn by John Keats
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
Harsh discord of sounds; unpleasant to
the ear
Jabberwocky by Lewis Caroll
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Word play that suggests more than one
Punmeaning; double meaning
Show me a piano falling down a mineshaft and I’ll show you A-flat
minor.
Misuse of a word, especially by
confusion with a word with
a similar sound
“He’s a wolf in cheap
Clothing”
Michael Choi
Jin Joo
Old-fashioned or obsolete
use of a word, phrase, or
usage
 Sometimes used to invoke
ancient styles of writing
EXAMPLES
1.“Thou” instead of “You”
2.“Grand Old Party” instead
of “Republicans”
3.“Automobile” instead of
“car”

Using an unnecessarily large number of
words to express an idea
 Literally, “speaking around” something
EXAMPLES
 “Your room is so dirty, how do you live in
it?” as opposed to “Clean your room!”
 “I’m so cold, and you look so warm in
your jacket,” as opposed to “Give me your
jacket.”






A harsh or reproachful accusation.
The word “vector” is math language for an
arrow; thus, an invective is a pointed
comment.
EXAMPLES
“Brian Khorshad doesn’t know how to
write Highlights articles.”
“Mr. Guidetti is too mean and crotchety to
be our principal.”
A small truth/saying that has been used
so much that it has lost its meaning.
 Basically, it’s a cliché.
EXAMPLES
 “Haste makes waste.”
 “Two heads are better than one.”
 “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”
 “Do unto others as you would have others
do to you.”

Formal public speech of
praise
 It comes from the Greek
word for “fit for a general
assembly.”
EXAMPLES
 Ronald Reagan gave a
panegyric praising
Gorbachev’s movement for
reform.
 The panegyric given at the
benefit highlighted the
employee’s perspicacity and
hard work.

Tone Words
Michelle Jang
Frances Chuey
Ornate
Elaborate, Flashy, showy, or florid in
style or manner; flowery. Over elaborate;
using many literary expressions.

Example: “If personality is an unbroken
series of successful gestures, then there
was something gorgeous about him,
some heightened sensitivity to the
promises of life, as if he were related to
one of those intricate machines that
register earthquakes ten thousand miles
away.”

- The Great Gatsby
Sardonic
Disdainfully or ironically humorous;
scornful and mocking.

Example: “I do not want people to be
very agreeable, as it saves me the
trouble of liking them a great deal.”
Jane Austen (in a letter to her sister)
Lacking restraint and discernment
tactless
aggressively self-assertive
Example: “That's the difference between
me and the rest of the world! Happiness
isn't good enough for me! I demand
euphoria!”
Calvin (From Calvin and Hobbes)
Brash
Sophisticated
 Characterized by tact and propriety
 Polished, refined, svelte

Example: "faced—or seemed to face—the
whole world, then concentrated on you
with an irresistible prejudice in your
favor".
The Great Gatsby
Urbane
Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to
an exaggerated or ludicrous degree.

Example: “Love never dies a natural
death. It dies because we don't know how
to replenish its source. It dies of blindness
and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness
and wounds; it dies of weariness, of
withering, of tarnishing.”
Anais Nin
Lugubrious
PERSUASIVE
DEVICES
Presented by Oxana Ermolova
Defined


Induction: facts are
determined by
repeated
observations.
Deduction: facts are
determined by
combining existing
statements
(premises).
Examples


Induction: All
observed crows are
black. Therefore: All
crows are black.
Deduction: No
reptiles have fur and
all snakes are
reptiles. Therefore:
no snakes have fur.
INDUCTION/DEDUCTION
Definition
The act or process of
deriving logical
conclusions from
premises known or
assumed to be true
 A type of deductive
reasoning

INFERENCE
Example


1. All mortals die.
2. All men are
mortals.
The inference would
be that all men die. 
Definition

A form of inference
consisting of a major
premise, a minor
premise, and a
conclusion.
SYLLOGISM
Example



Major Premise:
Socrates is a man
Minor Premise:
All men are mortal
Conclusion:
Socrates is mortal
Definition

A statement in a
syllogism that is
assumed to be true
and from which a
conclusion can be
derived.
Example



MAJOR PREMISE
Major Premise:
Socrates is a man
Minor Premise:
All men are mortal
Conclusion:
Socrates is mortal
Definition

The additional
statement in a
syllogism that is
assumed to be true
and that can be used
to formulate a
conclusion.
Example



MINOR PREMISE
Major Premise:
Socrates is a man
Minor Premise:
All men are mortal
Conclusion:
Socrates is mortal
Rhetorical Devices
By: Joseph Cohan
And
Paul Song
Greek: “carrying back”; emphasizing
words by repeating them at the
beginnings of neighboring clauses
 It was the best of times, it was the
worst of times, it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness … — Charles
Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
 Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!
— William Shakespeare, King John, II, i

Repetition / Anaphora




Pacing
Sentence variety, progression, and speed of flow of a piece of
writing.
Often using sentence variety to avoid monotony and to create
good coherence.
Falstaff, in debate with good friend Prince Hal, the future King of
England:
Prince Hal: If sack and sugar be a fault,
God help the wicked! if to be old and merry be a
sin, then many an old host that I know is damned: if
to be fat be to be hated, then Pharaoh’s lean kine
are to be loved. No, my good lord; banish Peto,
banish Bardolph, banish Poins: but for sweet Jack
Falstaff, kind Jack Falstaff, true Jack Falstaff,
valiant Jack Falstaff, and therefore more valiant,
being, as he is, old Jack Falstaff, banish not him
thy Harry’s company, banish not him thy Harry’s
company: banish plump Jack, and banish all the
Something that is very distasteful
"Let anyone be accursed who has no love
for the Lord. Our Lord, come! (I Cor.
16:22)." –The Bible
Anathema
Normal word order: subject + verb +
complement.
 Inversion: When the verb, modifier, or
complement comes first. (To emphasize
the element which comes first more than
the subject.)
 In a green room by a crackling fire sat an
old lady in a rocking chair.

Inversion
Greek: definition; an original thought,
spoken or written in a brief and easily
memorable form.
 Lost time is never found again.
— Benjamin Franklin
 That which does not destroy us makes us
stronger.
— Friedrich Nietzsche

Aphorism / Epigram
Narrative Devices
By Sara Hendel
Protagonist/Antagonist



Protagonist = main character
Antagonist = opposition of protagonist
In The Crucible, John Proctor is the protagonist
and Abigail Williams is the antagonist.
V
S
Flat/Round



Flat = two-dimensional, don’t change throughout
story
Round = complex, develop
Becky Sharp from Vanity Fair is a round
character, whereas Mrs. Joe from Great
Expectations is a flat character.
V
S
Frame Story


A story that sets up the telling of other stories
within it
Canterbury Tales and The Thousand and One
Nights are both frame stories.
Rising Action/Falling
Action



Rising action = suspense-builder up to climax
Falling action = shows the effects of the climax
In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s goading speeches
are part of the rising action, and Macbeth’s
many murders after Duncan’s are part of the
falling action.
Deus Ex Machina


a person or thing that appears or is introduced
suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a
contrived solution to an apparently insoluble
difficulty
In the Dark Night, Batman can easily find Joker
with a computer that can spy on every phone.
Where did this computer come from?
Methods of
Development
By Yasemin Bulut and Nicole Kim
ANALOGY


DefinitionA form of reasoning in which
one thing is inferred to be similar to
another thing in a certain respect, on the
basis of the known similarities between
the things in other respects.
Example: “Pupils are more like oysters
than sausages. The job of teaching is not
to stuff them and then seal them up, but
to help them open and reveal the riches
within. There are pearls in each of us, if
only we knew how to cultivate them with
ardor and persistence.”
-Sydney J. Harris, “What True Education Should Do,” 1964
EXTENDED METAPHOR

Definition  comparison between two
unlike things that continues
throughout a series of sentences in a
paragraph or lines in a poem.
EXAMPLE:
◦ “Hope
is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
"And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
"I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
CLASSIFICATION


Definition A method of paragraph or
essay development in which a writer
arranges people, objects, or ideas with
shared characteristics into classes or
groups.
Example:
◦ "The English-speaking world may be divided
into (1) those who neither know nor care what
a split infinitive is; (2) those who do not know,
but care very much; (3) those who know and
condemn; (4) those who know and approve;
(5) those who know and distinguish.“
- H.W. Fowler and Ernest Gowers, A
Dictionary of Modern English Usage
PROCESS ANALYSIS


Definition A method of paragraph or
essay development by which a writer
explains step by step how something is
done or how to do something.
Example:
◦ "Breaking in a new baseball glove is a time-honored
spring ritual for pros and amateurs alike.
◦ To prepare your glove, you will need a pint of linseed
oil, a baseball or softball, and a heavy string. Because
the process can be messy, you should work outdoors,
in the basement, or in the bathroom--certainly not
over the carpet in the living room.
◦ Begin by smearing the linseed oil all over the glove,
especially in the palm. Then take the baseball and
pound it into the glove for at least 20 minutes to form
a pocket. Now, wedge the ball in the pocket, tie heavy
string around the glove, and let it sit for a week.
- Frank Capella, "How to Break in a New
Baseball Glove"
Description:
to tell or depict in words;
to give an account of
Writers use description to inform and to
promote a dominant impression.
•Chronological: in the order of time
•Order of Importance
•Spatial: logical progression in relation to space
Chronological order
First, there was an egg. A week later, the egg became a
tadpole. Then the tadpole became the frog.
Christina tripped in the hallway while everyone stood
watching. Worse yet, she sat on chocolate pudding in
the cafeteria. But she was most humiliated when her
hair caught on fire.
Order of Importance
Spatial order
The Eiffel Tower is divided
into three sections.
The lowest section of the
tower contains the entrance,
a gift shop, and a restaurant.
The middle section of the
tower consists of stairs and
elevators that lead to the top.
The top section of the tower
includes an observation deck
with a spectacular view of
Paris.
Diction Words
By Zach Carriker
ef⋅fu⋅sive –adjective 1. unduly
demonstrative; lacking reserve: effusive
greetings; an effusive person. 2. pouring
out; overflowing.
 Example: The effusive lady cried at the
slightest upset.

Effusive
Cic⋅e⋅ro⋅ni⋅an–adjective 1. in the style of
Cicero: characterized by melodious
language, clarity, and forcefulness of
presentation: Ciceronian invective.
 Example: The professor’s speech was
ciceronian and graceful.

Ciceronian
col⋅lo⋅qui⋅al –adjective 1. characteristic of
or appropriate to ordinary or familiar
conversation rather than formal speech or
writing; informal. 2. involving or using
conversation.
 Example: His colloquial speech was
inappropriate for the business meeting.

Colloquial
lam⋅bent –adjective 1. running or moving
lightly over a surface: lambent tongues of
flame. 2. dealing lightly and gracefully
with a subject; brilliantly playful: lambent
wit. 3. softly bright or radiant: a lambent
light.
 His Lambent attitude at the funeral
shocked others.

Lambent
suc⋅cinct –adjective 1. expressed in few
words; concise; terse. 2. characterized by
conciseness or verbal brevity. 3.
compressed into a small area, scope, or
compass.
 Due to time constraints, the teacher had
to give a succinct lecture

Succinct