AP Literature Terms 747474

allegory

A work that functions on a symbolic level.

alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant
sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a peck of
picked peppers. "

allusion

A reference contained in a work.

anapest

A metrical pattern of two unaccented
syllables followed by accented syllable

antagonist

The force or character that opposes the
main character, the protagonist.

apostrophe

Direct address In poetry. Yeats's line
"Be with me Beauty, for the fire is dying" is a
good example.

aside

Words spoken by an actor intended to be heard
by the audience but not by other characters on stage.

aubade

A love poem set at dawn which bids
farewell to the beloved.

ballad

A simple narrative poem, often incorporating
dialogue that is written in quatrains, generally
with a rhyme scheme of A B C D.

blank verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter. Most of
Shakespeare's plays are in this form.

cacophony

Harsh and discordant sounds in a line or
passage of a literary work.

caesura

A break or pause within a line of poetry
indicated by punctuation and used to emphasize
meaning.

catharsis

According to Aristotle, the release of emo-
tion that the audience of a tragedy experiences.

character

One who carries out the action of the plot
in literature. Major, minor, static, and dynamic
are types of characters.

climax

The turning point of action or character in a
literary work, usually the highest moment of
tension.

comic relief

The inclusion of a humorous character
or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a
work, thereby intensifying the next tragic event.

conflict

A clash between opposing forces in a
literary work, such as man vs. man; man vs. nature;
man vs. God; man vs. self.

connotation

The interpretive level of a word based
on its associated images rather than its literal
meaning.

convention

A traditional aspect of a literary work
such as a soliloquy in a Shakespearean play or a
tragic hero in a Greek tragedy.

couplet

Two lines of rhyming poetry; often used by
Shakespeare to conclude a scene or an important
passage.

dactyl

A foot of poetry consisting of a stressed
syllable followed by two unstressed syllables, / u u.
denotation The literal or dictionary meaning of a
word.

denouement

The conclusion or tying up of loose
ends in a literary work; the resolution of the
conflict and plot.

deus ex machina

A Greek invention, literally "the
god from the machine" who appears at the last
moment and resolves the loose ends of a play.
Today, the term refers to anyone, usually of some
stature, who untangles, resolves, or reveals the
key to the plot of a work. See the conclusion of
Euripides's Medea for an example or the sheriff at
the end of Desire Under the Elms by O'Neill.

diction

The author's choice of words.

dramatic monologue

A type of poem that presents a
conversation between a speaker and an implied
listener. Browning's "My Last Duchess" is a
perfect example.

elegy

A poem that laments the dead or a loss.
"Elegy for Jane" by Roethke is a specific example.
Gray's "Elegy in a Country ChurchYard" is a general example.

enjambment

A technique in poetry that involves the
running on of a line or stanza. It enables the poem
to move and to develop coherence as well as
directing the reader with regard to form and
meaning. Walt Whitman uses this continually.

epic

A lengthy, elevated poem that celebrates the
exploits of a hero. Beowulf is a prime example.

epigram

Abrief witty poem. Pope often utilizes this
form for satiric commentary.

euphony

The pleasant, mellifluous presentation of
sounds in a literary work.

exposition

Background information presented in a
literary work.

setting

The time and place of a literary work.

simile

An indirect comparison that uses the words
"like" or "as" to link the differing items in the
comparison. ("Your eyes are like stars.

soliloquy

A speech in a play which is used to reveal
the character's Inner thoughts to the audience.
(Hamlet's "To be or not to be is one of the
most famous soliloquies in literature.)

sonnet

A 14-line poem with a prescribed rhyme
scheme in iambic pentameter. (See Chapter 8 for
a comparison between Shakespearean and
Petrarchan sonnets.)

spondee

A poetic foot consisting of two accented
syllables, (/ /).

stage directions

The specific instructions a play-
wright includes concerning sets, characterization,
delivery, etc. (See Hedda Gabler by Ibsen.)

stanza

A unit of a poem, similar in rhyme, meter,
and length to other units in the poem

structure

The organization and form of a work.

style

The unique way an author presents his ideas.
Diction, syntax, Imagery, structure, and content
all contribute to a particular style.

subplot

A secondary plot that explores ideas different from the main storyline. (In Hamlet, the main storyline has Hamlet avenging the death of his father. The subplot has Hamlet dealing with his
love for Ophelia.)

symbol

Something in a literary work that stands for
something else. (Plato has the light of the sun
symbolize truth in "The Allegory of the Cave. ")

synecdoche

A figure of speech that utilizes a part as
representative of the whole. ("All hands on deck"
is an example.)

syntax

The grammatical structure of prose and
poetry.

tercet

A three-line stanza.

theme

The underlying ideas that the author
illustrates through characterization, motifs, language,
plot, etc.

tone

The author's attitude toward his subject.

tragic hero

According to Aristotle, a basically good
person of noble birth or exalted position who has
a fatal flaw or commits an error in judgment
which leads to his downfall. The tragic hero must
have a moment of realization and live and suffer.

understatement

The opposite of exaggeration. It is a
technique for developing irony and/or humor
where one writes or says less than intended.

villanelle

A highly structured poetic form that comprises six stanzas: five tercets, and a quatrain. The poem repeats the first and third lines throughout.