Ap Lit Glossary Terms

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allegory

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a work that functions on a symbolic level

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alliteration

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the repetition of initial consonant

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anapest

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a metrical pattern of two unaccented syllable

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antagonist

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

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aside

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words spoken by an actor intended to be hard by the audience but not by other characters on stage

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aubade

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

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ballad

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a simple narrative poem, often incorporating dialogue that is written in quatrains, generally with a rhyme schem of a b c d

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blank verse

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unrhymed iambic pentameter. most of shakespeare's plays are in this form

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cacophony

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harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage of a literary work

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caesura

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

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catharsis

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

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character

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one who carries out the action of the plot in literature. major, minor, static, and dynamic are types of characters.

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climax

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

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comic relief

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the inclusion of a humorous character

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conflict

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

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connotation

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

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convention

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

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couplet

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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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dactyl

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a foot of poetry consisting of a stressed

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denotation

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the literal or dictionary meaning of a word

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denouement

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

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deus ex machina

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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 refers to anyone, usually of some stature, who untangles, resolves, or reveals the key to the plot of a work

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diction

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the author's choice of words

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dramatic monologue

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

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elegy

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a poem that laments the dead or a loss. "Elegy for Jane" by Roethke is a specific example

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enjambment

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a technique in poetry that involves the runnning on of a line or stanza. Walt Whitman

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epic

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

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epigram

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a brief witty poem. pope often utilizes this form of a satiric commentary

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euphony

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the pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work

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exposition

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background information presented in a literary work

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fable

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a simple, symbolic story usually emplyoing animals as characters. Aesop and La Fontaine are authors who excel at this form

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figurative language

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

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flashback

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a device that enables a writer to refer t opast thoughts, events, episodes

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foot

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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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foreshadowing

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hints of future events in a literary work

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form

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the shape or structure of a literary work

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free verse

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poetry without a defined form, meter, or a rhyme scheme

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hyperbole

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extreme exaggeration. in "my love is like a red, red rose"

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iamb

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a metrical foot consisting of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one

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idyll

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

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image

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

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imagery

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the total effect of related sensoryimages in a work of literature

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impressionism

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writing that reflect a personal image of a character, event, or concept. i.e. The Secret Sharer

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irony

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

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lyric poetry

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a type of poetry characterized by emotion, personal feeligns, and brevity

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magical realism

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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 i.e. Gunter Grass

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metaphor

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a director comparison between disimilar things

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metaphysical poetry

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

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meter

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a pattern of beats in poetry

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metonymy

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

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monologue

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a speech given by one character

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motif

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the repetition or variations of an image or diea in a work which is used to develop theme or characters

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narrative poem

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a poem that tells a story

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narrator

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the speaker of a literary work

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octave

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an eight-line stanza, usually combined with a sestet in a Petrarchan sonnet

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ode

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a formal, lengthy poem that celebrates a particular subject

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onoatopoeia

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words that sound like the sound they represent

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parable

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a story that operates on more than oen level and usaully teaches a moral lesson. i.e. The Pearl by John Steinbeck

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paradox

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a set of seemingly contradictory elements which nevertheless reflects an underlying truth

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parallel plot

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a secondary story line that mimics and reinforces the main plot

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parody

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a comic imititation of a work that ridicules the original

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pathos

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the aspects of a literary work that elicit pity frmo the audience

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personification

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the assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects or concepts

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plot

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a sequence of events in a literary work

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point of view

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the method of narration in a work

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protagonist

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the hero or main character of a literary work

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quatrain

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a four-line stanza

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resolution

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the denouement of a literary work

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rhetorical question

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the question that does not expect an answer

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rhyme/rime

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the duplication of final syllable sounds in two or more lines

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rhyme scheme

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the annotation of the pattern of the rhyme

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rhythm

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the repetitive pattern of beats in poetry

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romanticism

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a style or movement of literature that has as its foundation an interest in freedom, adventure, idealism, and escape

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sestet

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a six-line stanza, usually paired with an octave to form a Petrarchan sonnet

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sestina

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a highly structured poetic form of 39 lines, written in iabmic pentameter. depends upon the reptiion of six words from the first stanza in each of six stanzas

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spondee

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a poetic foot consisting of two accented syllables

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synedoche

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a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of a whole

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villanelle

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a highly strucutre poetic form that comprises six stanzas: five tercets and a quatrain.