AP Lit Vocab 3

Anachronism

a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned

Reading a story about a caveman who microwaves his dinner.

Assonance

the repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds, especially in words that are together.

His tender heir might bear his memory (the “eh” sound)

Burlesque

an absurd or comically exaggerated imitation of something, especially in a literary or dramatic work; a parody.

Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock and Samuel Butler's Hudibras.

Dirge

a lament for the dead, especially one forming part of a funeral rite

It was a funeral dirge over the whole of his party's philosophy and program.

Feminine Rhyme

a rhyme between stressed syllables followed by one or more unstressed syllables

stocking / shocking, glamorous / amorous

Interior Monologue

 a narrative technique that exhibits the thoughts, feelings, and associations passing through a character's mind

She felt very young; at the same time unspeakably aged

Metaphor

 a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things

without the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles.

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Parallelism

the state of being parallel or of corresponding in some way.

I came, I saw, I conquered.

Persona

the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others.

Example: A middle-aged author uses the persona of a teenager to tell a story set in a high school.

Stock Characters

a type of character in a narrative (e.g. a novel, play, television show, or film) whom audiences recognize across many narratives or as part of a storytelling tradition or convention.

Example: The sidekick or the mad scientist

Subjunctive Mood

used to express wishes, proposals, suggestions, imagined situations, or statements contrary to fact

Example: If I were in your place, I would not do it.

Tragic Flaw

a character trait that leads to or contributes to a character's tragic downfall

Example: Pride