AP Lit Vocab Words 1

Abstract

This is typically complex writing that discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points

Academic

Theoretical writing that analyzes objectivly

Accent

In poerty, this refers to the stressed portion of a word

Aesthetic

Used as an adjective meaning “appealing to the senses”

Allegory

A literary work in which the characters represent abstract ideas; a symbolic representation

Alliteration

Repitition of initial consonant sounds

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature

Anachronism

Something located at a time when it could not have existed or occured

Analogy

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

Anecdote

(!) A short narrative or brief account of an incident.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

Anthropomorphism

The attribution of human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects

Anticlimax

A disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events

Antihero

A protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero

Aphorism

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

Apostrophe

(!) An address to someone not present or to a personified object or idea.

Archaism

The use of deliberately old-fashioned language

Aside

A line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage

Assonance

(!) The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words

Atmosphere

The emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene

Ballad

Any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric form

Black Humor

The use of disturbing themes in literature

Bombast

Speech or writing that sounds grand or important but has little meaning

Burlesque

A theatrical entertainment of broad and earthy humor

Cacophony

Harsh, jarring, discordant sounds; dissonance

Cadence

Rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words

Canto

A major division of a long poem

Caricature

A drawing, imitation, or description that ridiculously exaggerates ,peculiarites, or defects

Catharsis

An emotional or psychological cleansng that brings relief or renewal

Chorus

In Greek drama, the group of citizens who stand outside the main action on stage and comment on it

Colloquialism

Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects

Connotation

The implied or associative meaning of a word

Consonance

(!) Repetition of consonant sounds within words, not at the beginnings.

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

Decorum

(!) Observing proper speech and behavior according to social station and occasion

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

Diction

A writer’s or speaker’s choice of words

Dirge

A song or prayer for the dead

Dissonance

(!) The grating effect of incompatible sounds

Doggerel

Badly written or trivial verse, often with a singsong rythem

Dramatic Irony

Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play

Dramatic Monolouge

When a single speaker in literature says something to a silent audience

Elegy

(!) A poem that meditates on death or mortality, often memorializing someone.

Enjambment

The continuation of a syntactic unit from one line of verse into the next line without a pause

Epic

A long narrative poem written in elevated style which present the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation

Epitaph

(!) Lines commemorating the dead at burial, usually serious or religious

Euphemism

(!) A milder or less harsh expression used in place of a blunt one

Euphony

Any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds

Farce

(!) Extremely broad humor; historically a simple funny play, not necessarily modern comedy

Feminine Rhyme

When the latter two syllables of a first word rhyme with the latter two syllables of a second word

Foil

A character whose personality and attitude contrast sharply with those of another character

Foot

The basic unit of rhythmic measurement in a line of poetry

Foreshadowing

The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

Free verse

Unrhymed verse without a consistent metrical pattern

Gothic Novel

A novel in which supernatural horror and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action

Hubris

Excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy

Hyperbole

A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor

Interior monolouge

A narratie technique that records a character’s internal flow of thoughts, memories, and ideas; a longish passage of uninterrupted thought

Inversion

The reversal of the normal order of words

Irony

A contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens

Lampoon

To ridiicule with satire

Lyric

(!) A poem that expresses the poet's personal feelings and interpretation of the world

Masculine Rhyme

The final syllable of the first word rhymes with the final syllable of the second word

Melodrama

A form of cheesy theater in which the hero is very, very good, the villain mean and rotten, and the heroine oh-so-pure

Metaphor

A comparison between two things without using like or as

Metonym

A word thatt is used to stand for something else that it has attributes or is associated with

Nemisis

The protagonist’s arch enemy or supreme and persistent difficulty

Objectivity

Impersonal, outside view of events, without the narrator's personal bias.

Onomatopoeia

The use of words that imitate sounds

Oxymoron

A figure of speech consisting of two apparently contradictory terms

Parable

(!) A short tale that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson, like a fable

Paradox

A statement or proposition that seems selff-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth

Parallelism

The use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similar grammatical form

Parody

A work that imitates another by exaggerating qualities to ridicule.

Pastoral

A literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the life of shepherds)

Pathos

(!) A literary device used to evoke pity, sympathy, or sadness

Persona

The speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing

Personification

The act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas

Plaint

A poem or speech expressing sorrow

Protagonist

(!) The main character of a novel or play

Pun

A play on words, often achived through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings

Refrain

The repetition of one or more phrases or lines at difinite intercals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza

Requiem

A song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person

Rhapsody

(!) An intensely passionate passage or section of verse, often about love or praise

Rhetorical Question

A statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered

Satire

A literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or denotation

Simile

A figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually forms with ‘like’ or ‘as’)

Soliloquy

In drama, a character speaks slone on stage to allow his/her thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience

Stanza

(!) A group of lines in verse, akin to a paragraph in prose

Stock Characters

Standard or clichéd character types: the drunk, the miser, the foolish girl, etc.

Subjectivity

A personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author’s feelings and opinions

Subjunctive Mood

(!) A hypothetical mood using 'if I were' constructions to express wishes or unreal situations

Summary

A breif statement that presents the main points in concise form

Symbolism

(!) Using objects to represent ideas beyond their literal meaning

Theme

The main idea of a story

Thesis

(!) The main position or central claim that will be supported

Tragic Flaw

The character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall

Travesty

A grotesque or grossly inferior imitation

Truism

(!) An obvious or self-evident truth