Ap Literature

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Allegory

Back 1

A work that functions on a symbolic level.

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Alliteration

Back 2

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

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Allusion

Back 3

A reference contained in a work.

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Anapest

Back 4

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

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Antagonist

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

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Apostrophe

Back 6

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

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Aside

Back 7

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

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Aubade

Back 8

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

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Ballad

Back 9

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

Back 11

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

Back 13

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

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Character

Back 14

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

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Climax

Back 15

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

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Conflict

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A clash between opposing forces in a literary work.

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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 Shakespearean play or 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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Denotation

Back 21

The literal or dictionary meaning of a word.

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Protagonist

Back 22

The hero or main character of a literary work, the character the audience sympathizes with.