AP Lit Vocab 4

accent

Definition: a distinct emphasis given to a syllable or word in speech by stress or pitch

Example: The accent falls on the middle syllable

aesthetic

Definition: concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty

Example: the pictures give great aesthetic pleasure

antihero

Definition: a central character in a story, movie or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes

Example: John Wick

atmosphere (literary)

Definition: the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art

Example: the hotel is famous for its friendly, welcoming atmosphere

caricature

Definition: a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect

Example: There were a lot of caricatures of Lincoln during the Civil War

conceit

Definition: a fanciful expression in writing or speech; an elaborate metaphor; excessive pride in oneself

Example:  The idea of the wind’s singing is a prime romantic conceitdo

doggerel

Definition: a comic verse composed in irregular rhythm 

Example: Thopas was a doughty swain, White was his face as paindemain, His lippes red as roseelegy

elegy

Definition: a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead

Example: "O Captain, My Captain" by Walt Whitman

enjambment

Definition: the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza

Example: he uses enjambment less than many poets

parable

Definition: a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels

Example: The parable of the blind men and the elephant

pastoral

Definition: a work of literature portraying an idealized version of country life

Example: The story, though a pastoral, has an actual connection with the life of agricultural labor