AP English Literature - Literary Terms: 1-20

alliteration

the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables (such as wild and woolly, threatening throngs)

allusion

an implied or indirect reference especially in literature

ambiguity

the quality or state of being ambiguous especially in meaning. The ambiguity of the poem allows several interpretations.

anapest, anapestic

a metrical foot consisting of two short syllables followed by one long syllable or of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable (such as unaware)

anaphora

repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect. Lincoln's "we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground"

antecedent

a substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun that typically follows the substantive (such as John in "Mary saw John and called to him")

antithesis

the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences (as in "action, not words" or "they promised freedom and provided slavery")

assonance

relatively close juxtaposition of similar sounds especially of vowels (as in "rise high in the bright sky")

aubade

a song or poem greeting the dawn

audience

a reading, viewing, or listening public

ballad

a narrative composition in rhythmic verse suitable for singing

blank verse

unrhymed verse. specifically : unrhymed iambic pentameter verse

cacophony

harsh or jarring sound. specifically : harshness in the sound of words or phrases

caesura

a usually rhetorical break in the flow of sound in the middle of a line of verse

carpe diem

the enjoyment of the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future

conceit

favorable opinion. especially : excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue

connotation

something suggested by a word or thing

consonance

correspondence or recurrence of sounds especially in words. specifically : recurrence or repetition of consonants especially at the end of stressed syllables without the similar correspondence of vowels (as in the final sounds of "stroke" and "luck")

couplet

two successive lines of verse forming a unit marked usually by rhythmic correspondence, rhyme, or the inclusion of a self-contained utterance

dactyl, dactylic

a metrical foot consisting of one long and two short syllables or of one stressed and two unstressed syllables (as in tenderly)