AP english terms

Caesura

A break or pause within a line of poetry indicated by punctuation (comma, dash, ellipsis points) used to emphasize meaning

Elegy

A poem that lamenta the dead or a loss

Diction

The authors choice of words

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds

Dénouement

The conclusion or tying up of loose ends, the resolution of a conflict

Dramatic monologue

Poem that presents a conversation between a speaker and an implied listener

Denotation

Literal or dictionary meaning of a word

Allegory

A work that functions on a symbolic level

Antagonist

The force or character that opposes the main character

Aside

Words spoken by an actor intended to be heard by the audience but not other characters

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter, commonly used by Shakespeare

Climax

Turning Point of action or characters, the highest moment of tension

Catharsis

The release of emotion that the audience of a tragedy experiences

Couplet

Two lines of rhyming poetry, typically concludes a poem

Conflict

A clash between opposing forces in a literary work

Allusion

A reference to something famous or well known in a work

Connotation

The interpretive level of a word based on its associated images, not literal

Annotation

To make personal notes in a text to better understand it

Character

One who carries out the action of the plot, can be static, dynamic or minor

Comic relief

The inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast tragic elements of a work, intensifying the tragedy

Anapest

A metrical pattern of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. (Ex: understand)

Apostrophe

Direct address in poetry, by speaking to an inanimate thing or concept. “Death be with me”

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in non-rhyming words in close proximity

Aubade

A love poem set at dawn which bids farewell to the beloved

Ballad

A narrative poem, typically containing quatrains, with the rhyme scheme a b c d

Cacophony

Harsh or discordant sounds in a line of literature

Complexity

The presence of tension, conflict, differences, changes, emotions and human faults(foibles) in a text

Conventions

A traditional aspect of literary work

Dactyl

A foot of poetry consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. (Ex: fabulous)

Deus ex machina

A greek term referring to anyone who untangles, resolves or reveals the key to the plot of a work.

Paradox

A set of seemingly contradictory elements which nevertheless reflect an underlying truth

Enjambment

A technique in poetry that involves running on of a line or stanza. It enables the poem to move and to develop coherence as well as directing the reader with regard to form and meaning.

Epigram

A brief witty poem

Parable

A story that operates on more than one level and usually teaches a moral lesson

Irony

An unexpected twist or contrast between what happens and what was intended or expected to happen.

Oxymoron

An image of contradictory terms

Image

A verbal approximation of a sensory impression, concept or emotion

Imagery

The total effect of related sensory images in a work of literature

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like the sound they represent

Narrative poem

A poem that tells a story

Metaphor

A direct comparison between dissimilar things

euphany

The pleasant and soft presentation of sounds in a literary work

Epic poem

A lengthy, elevated poem that celebrates the exploits of a hero

Meter

The pattern of beats in poetry

Exposition

Background information presented in a literary work

Monologue

A speech given by one character

Ode

A formal and lengthy poem that celebrates a particular subject

Fable

A simple, symbolic story usually employing animals as characters

Format

The shape or structure of literature

Idyll

A type of lyric poem which extols the virtues of an ideal place or time

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration

Plot

The logical sequencing of claims that present support of a thesis statement

Foot

A metrical unit in poetry, a syllabic measure of a line

Lyric poem

A type of poem characterized by emotion, personal feelings, and brevity

Flashback

A device that enables a writer to refer to the past thoughts, events, episodes

Iamb

A metrical foot consisting of an un accented syllable followed by an accented one, most common

Magical realism

A type of literature that explores narratives by and about characters who inhabit and experience their reality differently from what we term the objective world

Motif

The repetition of variations of an image or idea in a work which is used to develop theme or character

Figurative language

The body of devices that enables the writer to operate on levels other than the literal one

Foreshadowing

Hints of future events in a literary work

Impressionism

Writing that reflects a personal image of a character, event or concept

Narrator

The speaker of a literary work

Octave

An eight line stanza

Metaphysical poetry

Refers to the work of poets like John Donne who explore highly complex, philosophical ideas through extended metaphors and paradox

Free verse

Poetry without a defined form, meter or rhyme scheme

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea