ap literary terms

lyric poem

lyric poem

subjective, reflective poetry with regular rhyme scheme and meter which reveals the poet's thoughts and feelings to create a single, unique impression

narrative poem

nondramatic, objective verse with regular rhyme scheme and meter that relates a story or narrative

sonnet

a rigid 14-line verse form, with variable structure and rhyme scheme according to type

shakespearean (english) sonnet

three quatains and concluding couplet in iambic pentameter, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg or abba cddc effe gg

italian (petrarchan) sonnet

an octave and sestet, between which a break in thought occurs. The traditional rhyme scheme is abba, abba, cde, cde (or, in the sestet, any variation of c, d, e).

ode

elaborate lyric verse that deals seriously with a dignified theme

blank verse

unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter

free verse

unrhymed lines without regular rhythm

epic

a long, dignified narrative poem which gives the account of a hero important to his nation or race

dramatic monologue

a lyric poem in which the speaker tells an audience about a dramatic moment in his/her life and, in doing so, reveals his/her character

elegy

a poem of lament, meditating on the death of an individual

ballad

simple, narrative verse which tells a story to be sung or recited; the folk ballad is anonymously handed down, while the literary ballad has a single author

idyll

lyric poem describing the life of the shepherd in pastoral, bucolic, idealistic terms

villanelle

French verse form, strictly calculated to appear simple and spontaneous; five tercets and a final quatrain, rhyming aba aba aba aba aba abaa. Lines 1, 6, 12, 18 and 3, 9, 15, 19 are refrain.

light verse

a general category of poetry written to entertain, such as lyric poetry, epigrams, and limericks. It can also have a serious side, as in parody or satire.

haiku

japanese verse in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables, often depicting a delicate image

limerick

humorous nonsense-verse in five anapestic lines rhyming aabba, a-lines being trimeter and b-lines dimeter

meter

poetry's rhythm, or its pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

feet

Units of stressed and unstressed syllables

iambic

unstressed, stressed (baLOON)

trochiac

stressed, unstressed (SOda)

anapestic

unstressed, unstressed, stressed (contraDICT)

dactyllic

stressed, unstressed, unstressed (MAniac)

spondaic

stressed, stressed (MAN-MADE)

scansion

The process of marking lines of poetry to show the type of feet and the number of feet they contain to determine meter

stanza

A group of lines in a poem

couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

tercet

3 line stanza

quatrain

A four line stanza

cinquain

a five line stanza

sestet

six line stanza

septet

seven line stanza

octet/octave

8 line stanza

x-lined stanza

9 or more lines

caesura

a pause in the meter of rhythm of a line

enjambment

a run-on line, continuing into the next without a grammatical break

rime

old spelling of rhyme, which is the repetiton of like sounds at regular intervals, employed in versification, the writing of verse

end rhyme

rhyme occurring at the ends of verse lines; most common rhyme form

internal rhyme

rhyme contained within a line of verse

rhyme scheme

pattern of rhymes within a unit of verse; in analysis, each end rhyme-sound is represented by a letter

half rhyme/slant rhyme

imperfect, approximate rhyme

assonance

repetition of two or more vowel sounds within a line

consonance

repetition of two or more consonant sounds within a line

alliteration

the repetition of one or more initial sounds, usually consonants, in words within a line

onamatopoeia

the use of a word whose sound suggests its meaning

euphony

the use of compatible, harmonious sounds to produce a pleasing, melodious effect

cacophony

the use of inharmonious sounds in close conjunction for effect; opposite of euphony

metaphor

a figure of speech that makes direct comparison of unlike objects by identification or substitution

simile

a direct comparison of two unlike objects using like or as

conceit

an extended metaphor comparing two unlike objects with powerful effect

personification

a figure of speech in which objects and animals have human qualities

apostrophe

an address to a person or personified object not present

metonymy

the substitution of a word that relates to the object or person to be named, in place of the name itself

synechdoche

a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole object or idea

hyperbole

gross exaggeration for effect; overstatement

litotes

a form of understatement in which the negative of an antonym is used to achieve emphasis and intensity

irony

the contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning

verbal irony

meaning one thing and saying another

dramatic irony

two levels of meaning--what the speaker says and what they mean, and what the speaker says and the author means

situational irony

when the reality of a situation differs from the anticipated or intended effect; when something unexpected occurs

symbolism

the use of one subject to suggest another, hidden object or idea

imagery

the use of words to represent things, actions, or ideas by sensory description

paradox

a statement that appears to be self-contradictory, but that underlines a basis of truth

oxymoron

contradictory terms brought together to express a paradox for strong effect

allusion

a reference to an outside fact, event, or other source.

antonym

a word opposite in meaning to another