Ap English Vocab

Front 1

A work that functions on a symbolic level.

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Allegory

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The repetition of initial consonant sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."

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Alliteration

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A reference to a more famous literary work (such as the Bible or mythology).

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allusion

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A metrical pattern of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable.

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anapest

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The force or character that opposes the main character, the protagonist.

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antagonist

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Direct address in poetry. Yeats's line "Be with me Beauty, for the fire is dying" is a good example.

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apostrophe

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Words spoken by an actor intended to be heard by the audience by not by other characters on stage.

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aside

Front 8

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

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aubade

Front 9

A simple narrative poem, often incorporating dialogue that is written in quatrains, generally with a rhyme scheme of ABCD.

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ballad

Front 10

Unrhymed iambic pentameter. Most of Shakespeare's plays are in this form.

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blank verse

Front 11

Harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage of a literary work.

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cacophony

Front 12

A break or pause within a line of poetry indicated by punctuation and used to emphasize meaning.

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caesura

Front 13

According to Aristotle, the release of emotion that the audience of a tragedy experiences.

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catharsis

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One who carries out the action of the plot in literature. Major, minor, static, and dynamic are types.

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characters

Front 15

The turning point of action or character in a literary work, usually the highest moment of tension.

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climax

Front 16

The inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work, thereby intensifying the next tragic event.

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comic relief

Front 17

A clash between opposing forces in a lierary work, such as man vs. man; man vs. nature; man vs. God; man vs. self.

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conflict

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The interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning.

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connotation

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A traditional aspect of a literary work such as a soliloquy in a Shakepearean play or a tragic hero in a Greek tragedy

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convention

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Two lines of rhyming poetry; often used by Shakespeare to conclude a scene or an important passage.

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couplet

Front 21

A foot of poetry consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllabels,

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dactyl

Front 22

The literal or dictionary meaning of a word

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denotation

Front 23

The conclusion or tying up of loose ends in a literary work; the resolution of the conflict and plot

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denoument

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A Greek invention, literally "the god from the machine" who appears at the last moment and resolves the loose ends of a play. Today, the term refers to anyone, usually of some stature, who untangles, resolves, or reveals, the key to the plot of a work.

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deus ex machina

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The author's choice of words.

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diction

Front 26

A type of poem that presents a conversation between a speaker and an implied listener. Browning's "My Last Duchess" is a general example.

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elegy

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A technique in poetry that involves the 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. Walt Whitman uses this continually.

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enjambment

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A lengthy, elevated poem that celebrates the exploits of a hero. Beowulf is a prime example

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epic

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A brief witty poem. Pope often utilizes this form for satiric commentary

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epigram

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The pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work

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euphony

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Background information presented in a literary work.

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exposition

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A simple symbolic story usually employing animals as characters. Aesop and LaFontaine are authors who excel at this form.

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fable

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The body of devices that enables the writer to operate on levels other than the literal one. It includes metaphor, simile, symbol, motif, hyperbole, and others.

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figurative language

Front 34

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

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flashback

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A metrical unit in poetry; a syllabic measure of a line: iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, and spondee.

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foot

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Hints of future events in a literary work.

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foreshadowing

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The shape or structure of a literary work.

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form

Front 38

Poetry without a defined form, meter, or rhyme scheme.

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free verse

Front 39

Extreme exaggeration. In "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose," Burns speaks of loving "until all the seas run dry."

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hyperbole

Front 40

A metrical foot consisting of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one; the most common poetic foot in the English language

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iamb

Front 41

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

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idyll

Front 42

A verbal approximation of a sensory impression, concept, or emotion.

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image

Front 43

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

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imagery

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Writing that reflects a personal image of a character, event, or concept. The Secret Sharer is a fine example

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impressionism

Front 45

An unexpected twist or contrast between what happens and what was intended or expected to happen. It involves dialogueand situation, and it can be intentional or unplanned. Dramatic___________centers around the ignorance of those involoved while the audience is aware of the circumstance.

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irony

Front 46

A type of poetry characterized by emotion, personal feelings, and brevity; a large and inclusive category of poetry that exhibits rhyme, meter, and reflective thought.

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lyric poetry

Front 47

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.

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magical realism

Front 48

A direct comparison between dissimilar things.
EX. "Your eyes are stars."

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metaphor

Front 49

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

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metaphysical poetry

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A pattern of beats in poetry.

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meter