AP Lit Quiz

Ballad

A narrative folk song, often created by common people and passed orally.

Middle Ages

The historical period during which ballads were first traced back.

Subjects of Ballads

Common themes include killings, feuds, historical events, and rebellion.

Dramatic Monologue

A poem where the speaker addresses a silent listener, not the reader.

Dramatic Situation

The plot line that creates conflict for characters, engaging the audience emotionally.

Elegy

A poem expressing sorrow or lamentation, typically for someone who has died.

Epic

A long poem about heroic exploits, often from oral tradition or a single poet's imitation.

Lyric

A short, song-like poem expressing personal emotions or thoughts, usually concise.

Narrative Poem

A poem that tells a story, which can vary in complexity and length.

Ode

A moderate-length lyric poem with a serious subject, elevated style, and elaborate stanza pattern.

Sonnet

A fixed form of fourteen lines in iambic pentameter with specific rhyme schemes.

Petrarchan Sonnet

Composed of an octave and a sestet with a specific rhyme pattern (abba abba for octave).

Villanelle

A nineteen-line poem with two repeating rhymes and refrains, structured in five tercets and a quatrain.