AP Lit - Vocab 3

Bildungsroman

A novel or story whose theme is the moral or psychological growth of the main character (coming of age). Example: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger details Holden Caulfield's coming of age and loss of innocence.

Paradox

Definition: A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. Example: "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room." (Dr. Strangelove)

verbal irony

Definition: a figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant Example: "I rather recommend buying the children alive and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs" ("A Modest Proposal").

Apostrophe

Definition: a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. Example: "Oh! Stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock me; if ye really pity me, crush sensation and memory; let me become as naught; but if not, depart, depart, and leave me in darkness." (Shelley)

Flashback

Definition: a method of narration in which present action is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events Example: There is a flashback when Gatsby reveals his past to Nick.

Romanticism

Definition: a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual. Example: Frankenstein was a notable Romantic novel.

Foreshadowing

Definition: a narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader. Example: Mary Shelley foreshadows the death of Elizabeth in Frankenstein.

unreliable narrator

Definition: a narrator whose account of events appears to be faulty, misleadingly biased, or otherwise distorted Example: Patrick Bateman is an unreliable narrator in the novel American Psycho due to his schizophrenia and psychopathy.

epistolary

Definition: a piece of literature contained in or carried on by letters Example: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley begins with letter written by Robert Walton.

narrative frame

Definition: a plot device in which the author places the main narrative of his or her work within another narrative - the narrative frame. This exterior narrative usually serves to explain the main narrative in some way. (Frame story). Example: Frankenstein makes extensive use of narrative frame, as both Victor and the Monster's stories are contained within Walton's story.

disgusted

Definition: a sick feeling of strong dislike Example: Victor Frankenstein was disgusted by the sheer ugliness of his creation.

awestruck

Definition: amazed; filled with wonder mixed with fear Example: The baby was awestruck by the fireworks.

audacious

Definition: bold, adventurous, recklessly daring Example: Indiana Jones was an audacious archeologist.

melancholic

Definition: characterized by or causing or expressing sadness Example: Victor was melancholic after the death of his younger brother.

Archetype

Definition: detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response Example: Victor Frankenstein represents the archetype of "the creator."

hubristic

Definition: excessively proud or self-confident Example: Frankenstein is extremely hubristic, as he creates life for the sole purpose of wanting to be worshipped as a great scientist.

effusive

Definition: expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner Example: The student spoke about his favorite teacher in an effusive speech.

contemptuous

Definition: feeling hatred; scornful Example: The customer shot me a contemptuous glare when I told him that he could not returns items without a receipt.

compassionate

Definition: feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others. Example: Atticus Finch is a compassionate father.

remoreseful

Definition: filled with sorrow or guilt Example: The Monster was remorseful after the death of Victor at the end of Frankenstein.

wrathful

Definition: full of or characterized by intense anger Example: After the murder of Elizabeth, Victor wrathfully pursues his creation to the arctic.

dramatic irony

Definition: irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. Example: Oedipus does not realize he is the murderer of King Laius in the story Oedipus Rex.

enigmatic

Definition: puzzling, perplexing, inexplicable, not easily understood Example: Michael Stipe is an enigmatic lyricist, often stringing together obtuse phrases to write songs for his band R.E.M.

Motif

Definition: recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes. Example: The motif of passive women is prevalent throughout Frankenstein to reinforce the theme of the destructive nature of men.

Allusion

Definition: reference to another work of literature, person, or event Example: Mary Shelley makes numerous references to Paradise Lost in her novel Frankenstein.

passionate

Definition: showing or caused by strong feelings or a strong belief Example: Victor Frankenstein was very passionate about natural philosophy before creating the monster.

Overstatement

Definition: the action of expressing or stating something too strongly; exaggeration. Example: "A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County" (Lee).

denouement

Definition: the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved. Example: The denouement in The Great Gatsby is when Nick moves back to the midwest.

Understatement

Definition: the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is. Example: The Black Knight received more than "just a flesh wound" in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Anaphora

Definition: the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses Example: "I have a dream" is repeated at the beginning of each paragraph in Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech of the same name.