ap lit

ambiguity

the intentional or unintentional expression of a word or idea that implies more than one meaning and usually leaves uncertainty in the reader

anachronism

anything out of its proper time

anaphora

the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs

apostrophe

where a speaker directly addresses an absent person or a personified quality, object, or idea

archetype

an image, a descriptive detail, a plot pattern, or a character type that occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore

asyndeton

the omission of conjunctions from constructions in which they would normally be used; speeds up the rhythm of the sentence

Byronic hero

an antihero who is a romanticized but wicked character; a young, attractive male with a bad reputation; defies authority and conventional morality; destructive passions, selfish brooding, loneliness, intense introspection, and fiery rebellion

colloquial

a word or phrase used every day in plain and relaxed speech but rarely found in formal writing, usually pertinent to a given area

conceit

an unusual and surprising comparison between two very different things. This special kind of metaphor or complicated analogy is often the basis for a whole poem.

denouement

in a literary work, anything that happens after the resolution of the plot

dramatic irony

when there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true

dynamic character

one who has undergone changes and has matured greatly, usually learning harsh lessons along the way

elegy

a solemn and formal lyric poem about death—often in tribute to a person who has died recently

epic

a long, narrative poem about the adventures of gods or of a hero

epigram

a brief, pointed statement in prose or in verse. It developed from simple inscriptions on monuments into a literary genre—short poems or sayings characterized by conciseness, balance, clarity, and wit.

epilogue

the final part of a work of literature (except a play) completing and rounding it off

epiphany

a moment of sudden revelation or insight

flat character

one who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of the story

foil

a character who provides a contrast to another character, thus intensifying the impact of that other character

hubris

Greek for excessive pride

situational irony

when a character or the reader expects one thing to happen but something else actually happens

verbal irony

when a writer or character says one thing but means another

jargon

the special language of a profession or group

metonymy

a figure of speech that substitutes something closely related for the thing actually meant

paradox

a statement that seems to be contradictory but that actually reveals some element of truth

parallelism

the repetition of a grammatical pattern to express ideas that are related or equal in importance

round character

one who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which the name of a part is used to refer to a whole

synesthesia

a form of imagery where one sensation is described in terms of another

tragic hero

a dignified character who experiences a fall due to a fault

hamartia

criminal act committed in ignorance or for the greater good

anagnorisis

the moment when a character makes a critical discovery

kenning

a metaphorical phrase used in Anglo-Saxon poetry to replace a concrete noun

static character

one who does not change

catharsis

process by which an unhealthy emotional state produced by an imbalance of feelings is corrected and emotional health is restored

blazon

praise of a lover's body part(s)

tragic flaw

quality that leads to a character's destruction

tragedy

dramatic work that presents the downfall of a dignified character who is involved in historically or socially significant events

peripetia

sudden change of events or reversal of fortune

antithesis

a figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas, as in "Man proposes; God disposes." a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness.

assonance

the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds

ballad meter

a four-line stanza rhymed abcd with four feet in lines one and three and three feet in lines two and four

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

cacophony

a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones.

caesura

a pause, usually near the middle of a line of verse, usually indicated by the sense of the line, and often greater than the normal pause

consonance

the repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words

couplet

a two-line stanza, usually with end-rhymes the same

didactic poem

a poem which is intended primarily to teach a lesson

dramatic poem

a poem which employs a dramatic form or some element or elements of dramatic techniques as a means of achieveing poetic ends

end-stopped

a line with a pause at the end

enjambment

the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next

euphony

a style in which combinations of words pleasant to the ear predominate.

eye rhyme

rhyme that appears correct from spelling, but is half-rhyme or slant rhyme from the pronunciation

feminine rhyme

a rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed, as "waken" and "forsaken" and "audition" and "rendition"

free verse

poetry which is not written in a traditional meter but is still rhythmical

heroic couplet

two end-stopped iambic pentameter lines rhymed aa, bb, cc with the thought usually completed in the two-line unit

internal rhyme

rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end

lyric poem

any short poem that presents a single speaker who expresses thoughts and feelings

masculine rhyme

rhyme that falls on the stressed and concluding syllables of the rhyme-words

meter

the repetition of a regular rhythmic unit in a line of poetry. each unit is known as a foot

metonymy

a figure of speech which is characterized by the substitution of a term naming an object closely associated with the word in mind for the word itself

mixed metaphors

the mingling of another metaphor with another immediately following with which the first is incongruous

octave

an eight-line stanza

oxymoron

a form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single expression

poetic foot

a group of syllables in verse usually consisting of one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables associated with it

quatrain

a four-line stanza with any combination of rhymes

refrain

a group of words forming a phrase or sentence and consisting of one or more lines repeated at intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza

rhyme royal

a seven-line stanza of iambic pentameter rhymes ababbcc, used by Chaucer and other medieval poets

rhythm

the recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables

scansion

a system for describing the meter of a poem by identifying the number and the type(s) of feet per line

sestet

a six-line stanza

sonnet

normally a fourtenn-line iambic pentameter poem

tercet

a stanza of three lines in which each line ends with the same rhyme

terza rhyme

a three-line stanza rhymes aba, bcb, cdc, etc.

villanelle

a nineteen-line poem divided into five tercets and a final quatrain