AP Literature November and December vocab terms (Maddy)

Satire

A genre that uses wit, humor, and exaggeration to criticize and ridicule human vices, follies, and shortcomings; brings attention to the need for change

Comedy of Manners

A realistic satirical comedy that questions/comments on social and societal conventions of a sophisticated but artificial society; satire with rich people

Grotesque

A style that exaggerates and distorts reality, often the human form, blending the horrific with the absurd

Apostrophe

When the speaker speaks to something that is not human

Tezra Rima

A poetic form that uses an interlocking rhyme scheme in stanzas of three lines called tercets (ABA BCB CDC DED ...)

Allegory

A story, poem, or picture that can reveal a hidden meaning that's typically moral or political

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create sentences

Alliteration

Repetition of the first sounds in words

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds in words

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds in words (Sibilance is a type that repeats s or sh sounds)

Near Rhyme

Rhyming in which the words sound the same/similar but do not rhyme perfectly

Epistolary Writing

A letter that is meant to be read by more than one person; allows for 1st person POV; allows for a variety of tones; changes setting

Free Indirect Discourse

When the 3rd person narrator takes on the emotions of the characters

Situational Irony

When the opposite of what you would normally expect happens

Foil

A character who contrasts with another character that emphasizes that character's traits

The Romantic Movement

A literary and artistic movement during the 19th century that is marked by an emphasis on the imagination and emotions

Shakespearean (English) Sonnet

A 14-line poem that is comprised of 3 quatrains and 1 couplet written in iambic pentameter (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG)

Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet

A 14-line poem that is comprised of an octave and a sestet (ABBA ABBA CDECDE/CDCDCD)

Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)

A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero

Aside

A remark or passage in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play

Archetype

A very typical example of a certain person or thing (tragic hero, everyman, innocent, leader, villain)

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which on object or idea takes the place of another with which it has a close association

Aestheticism

refined sensitivity toward the beauty of art or nature

Dandyism

characterized by a man's focus on his appearance and style

Wit

intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights

Epigrams

a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way

free verse

Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme

blank verse

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

Victorian Era

a time of significant social change, rapid industrialization, major scientific advancements, and a strong emphasis on morality and family values

Farce

plot intended primarily to make people laugh; relies on quick shift of action to keep characters from finding out about each other.

Parody

To imitate the techniques and/ or style of another person, place or thing for the purpose of amusement and/or entertainment

Sentimental Comedy

a plot in which the protagonist, no matter how degenerate, reforms in the end

Burlesque

 play which depends upon physical action and buffoonery

Verbal Irony

a contrast between what is said and what is actually meant

Dramatic Irony

the contrast between what a character knows and what the reader or audience knows

Understatement

a figure of speech that consists of saying less than what is really meant, or saying something with less force than is approptiate

Hyperbole

a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or create a comic effect

Diction

word choice - important in persuasive writing - choose words w/ strong connotations (words loaded with strong feelings, associations, judgments)

Incongruity

to present things that are out of place or absurd in relation to their surroundings.

Reversal

to present the opposite of the normal order of events or hierarchy

Non-sequitur

comment which is humorously absurd or has no relation to the comment it follows; a statement so foolish, or illogical that can not be responded to

Pun

a joke exploiting the different meanings of a word or the fact that there are words of the same sound and different meanings

Double-entendre

a word or phrase open to two interpretations, one of which is usually indecent