AP Lit summer vocab

Alexandrine

A line of iambic hexameter (12 syllables/6 feet)

allegory

A tale in verse or prose in which characters, actions, or settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities

alliteration

Repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants, in a group of words

allusion

a reference to a person, place, an event, or a literary work that a writer expects the reader to recognize and respond to

analogy

a comparison between two things to show their similarities, often to explain something unfamiliar by comparing it to something familiar

antagonist

person or force opposing the protagonist (main characterP

antipastoral

realistic tone used in poetry which shatters the idealism of pastoral life

anti-petrarchan

does NOT idealize beauty and grace; provides a more realistic view

antistrophe

the second part of a Greek ode where the chorus sings as it reverses its direction across the stage

antithesis

exact opposite, the balancing of two contrasting ideas, words, phrases, or sentences

aphorism

A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life

apostrophe

a figure of speech in which an absent/dead person, an abstract quality or something nonhuman is addressed directly

aside

lines spoken by a character in an undertone or directly to the audience

assonance

the repetition of similar vowel sounds, especially in poetry

atmosphere

the prevailing mood or feeling of a literary work

autobiography

a person's account of his or her own life

ballad

A story/narrative in poetic form

ballad stanza

A four-line stanza where the first and third lines have four stressed words or syllables; the second and fourth lines have three stresses. The second and fourth lines rhyme.

biography

A written account of another person's life.

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter (10 syllables in 5 pairs unstressed-stressed)

caesura

a break or pause in a line of poetry

canto

a section or division of a long poem

caricature

the use of exaggeration or distortion to make a figure appear comic or ridiculous

carpe diem tradition

a tradition dating back to classical Greek and Latin poetry and particularly popular among English Cavalier poets, seize the day

characterization

the personality a character displays; also the means by which a writer reveals that personality

classicism

the principles and styles admired in the classics of Greek and Roman literature, such as objectivity, sensibility, restraint, and formality

climax

the point of greatest intensity, interest, or suspense in a narrative

comedy

in general, a literary work that ends happily with a healthy, amicable armistice between the protagonist and society

conceit

a kind of metaphor that makes a comparison between two startingly different things

conflict

a struggle between two opposing forces or characters in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem

connotation

all the emotions and associations that a word or phrase may arouse

consonance

the repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words

couplet

two consecutive lines or poetry that rhyme

dactyl

stressed, unstressed, unstressed (syllables)

denotation

the literal or dictionary meaning of a word

denouement

an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot

diction

a writer's choice of words, particular clarity, effectiveness, and precision

dissonance

a harsh or disagreeable combination of sounds

dramatic monologue

a kind of narrative poem in which one character speaks to one or more listeners whose replies are not given in the poem

elegy

a poem of mourning, usually over the death of an individual

emblematic image

a verbal picture or figure with a long tradition of moral or religious meaning attached to it

epic

a long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the society from which it originated

epigram

a short, witty, pointed statement often in the form of a poem

epigraph

a quotation or motto at the beginning of a chapter, book, short story or poem that makes some point about the work

epilogue

a short addition or conclusion at the end of a literary work

epiphany

a moment of illumination, usually occurring at or near at the end of a work

epitaph

an inscription on a gravestone or a short poem written in memory of someone who has died

epithet

a descriptive name or phrase characterize someone or something, such as "America the Beautiful" or "Catherine the Great"

epode

final stanza of the ode

essay

a piece of prose writing, usually short, that deals with a subject in a limited way and expresses a particular point of view

exemplum

a tale, usually inserted into the text of a sermon, that illustrates a moral principle

exposition

that part of a narrative or drama in which important background information is revealed

fable

a brief story that is told to present a moral, or practical lesson

falling action

Events after the climax, leading to the resolution

farce

a type of comedy based on a ridiculous situation, often with stereotyped characters.

figurative language

language that is not intended to be interpreted in a literal sense

figure of speech

a word or an expression that is not meant to be interpreted in a literal sense

flashback

a scene in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem that interrupts the action to show an event that happened earlier

foil

a character who sets off another character by contrast

foot

made up of a specific combination of stressed (loud or strong) and unstressed (soft or weak) syllables

foreshadowing

the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what will happen later

free verse

verse that has either no metrical pattern or an irregular pattern

heroic couplet

a pair of rhyming lines in a poem that have ten syllables each and follow a strict rhythm called iambic pentameter

hyperbole

a figure of speech using exaggeration, or overstatement, for special effect

iamb

One unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

iambic pentameter

a poetic line consisting of five verse feet with each foot an iamb - that is, an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

imagery

words or phrases that create pictures, or images, in the reader’s mind

incremental repetition

the repetition of a previous line, or lines, but with a slight variation each time, that advances the narrative stanza by stanza

in medias res

a technique of plunging into the middle of a story and only later using a flashback to tell what has happened previously (in the middle of things)

interlocking rhyme

The poet repeats the last syllable of a line as the first syllable of the following line

interlude

in the late fifteenth century, a play with a nonreligious plot and characters

internal rhyme

rhymes in the middle of lines of poetry

inversion

the technique of reversing, or inverting the normal word order (subject, verb, object) of a sentence

invocation

at the beginning of an epic (or other poem) a call to a muse, god, or spirit for inspiration

irony

a contrast or an incongruity between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens

kenning

in old english poetry, an elaborate phrase that describes persons, things, or events in a metaphorical and indirect way

lyric

a poem, usually a short one, that expresses a speaker’s personal thoughts or feelings

masque

an elaborate and spectacular dramatic entertainment that was popular among the English aristocracy in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries

maxim

a concise statement expressing a principle or rule of conduct

melodrama

a drama that has stereotyped characters, exaggerated emotions, and a conflict that pits an all-good hero or heroine against an all-evil villain.

metaphor

a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are basically dissimilar

metaphysical conceit

creates a far-fetched comparison between two very dissimilar things—usually linking a spiritual, emotional, or abstract concept (like the soul or love) with an ordinary, physical object from the real world.

metaphysical poetry

the poetry of John Donne and other seventeenth-century poets who wrote in a similar style. verbal wit and excess, ingenious structure, irregular meter, colloquial language, elaborate imagery, and a drawing together of dissimilar ideas

meter

a generally regular pattern of stresses and unstressed syllables in poetry

metonymy

a figure of speech in which something very closely associated with a thing is used to stand for or suggest the thing itself

miracle play

a popular religious drama of medieval England

mock epic

a comic literary form that treats a trivial subject in the ground, heroic style of the epic

morality play

an outgrowth of miracle plays, virtues and vices are personified

motif

a recurring feature (such as a name, an image, or a phrase) in a work of literature

motivation

the reasons, either states or implied, for a character’s behavior

mystery play

plays based on scripture and biblical history

myth

a story, often about immortals and sometimes connected with religious rituals, that is intended to give meaning to the mysteries of the world

narrative poem

a poem that tells a story

narrator

one who narrates, or tells, a story

naturalism

an extreme form of realism

neoclassicism

a revival in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of classical standards of order, balance, and harmony in literature

novel

a book-length fictional prose narrative, having many characters and often a complex plot

octave

an eight line poem or stanza

ode

a complex and often lengthy lyric poem, written in a dignified formal style on some lofty or serious subject

onomatopoeia

the use of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its meaning