AP Literature Vocabulary

a poem about morning

Informal, not always grammatically correct expressions that find acceptance in certain places

A quality of style which is market by pleasing, harmonious sounds

Unable to be touched; not concrete

A line of two metrical feet

An approach to literature which emphasizes reason, harmony, balance, proportion and clarity

Three syllable foot consisting of an accented syllable followed by unaccented syllables

The expression of an idea in language which gives more than one meaning and leaves uncertainty

Two extremes in a continuum of intermediate possibilities

A tragic flaw or error in judgement

A form of rhyme wherein the look rather than the sound is important

unrhymed poetry with lines of varying lengths, containing no specific metrical pattern

Lyrical poem about death; a serious poem, meant to express grief or sorrow

Assertions made based on facts

Lines in which both the grammatical structure and the sense reach completion at the line end

Works generally considered by scholars, critics, and teachers to be the most important

An author's choice of words

A story made to make a moral point

A line of three metrical feet

Everything that happens in a plot between the climax or crisis and the denoument

A work which strives to provoke smiles and laughter

Two successive lines of rhymed poetry in iambic pentameter

A dominant technique in which the author analyzes reasons for a chain of events

The method a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character in a literary work

A line of six metrical feet

A form of verse to be sung or recited and characterized by a dramatic episode

The arrangement and presentation of events and information in such a way that prepare for later

Not rhymed iambic pentameter

The intentional use of elevated language to describe the trivial or a sudden transition

Refers to the noble qualities of human beings and nature as opposed to the savage forces

Imaginative writing; writing in which the author breaks away from reality

An extended metaphor- two unlike things are compared in several different ways

The basic foot of a dipodic verse

Schematic rhyme that comes at the ends of lines of verse (aa,bb, or ab,ab)

The specific, exact meaning of a word

Where the actual typeset layout of the poem suggests the topic

A story performed by actors on a stage

A metrical foot consisting of one unaccented syllable followed by one accented syllable

Feelings of pity and understanding for a character

Elevated language, often pompous and overdone

A protagonist who is the antithesis of the hero

A line of four metrical feet

A metrical foot consisting of two syllables equally accented

A story which has been composed orally and then passed down by word of mouth

Brief statement which expresses an observation on life, usually intended as a wise observation

Double rhyme: two syllables rhyme

word choices that appeal to the ear, that help you "hear" the words

Author's own life story; first person account

A part of a plot in which the entanglement caused by the conflict is developed

The introductory material that sets the tone, gives the setting, introduces the characters, etc

Focuses of physically or mentally impaired characters

Character who provides a contrast to another character; thus emphasizing the other's traits

Meter having two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable

Aristotle's word for the pity and fear an audience feels upon viewing the downfall of a hero

A metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by one accented syllable

Writing or speech not meant to be taken literally; figure of speech

Occurs when the final consonants rhyme, but the vowel sounds do not

The character in a narrative or play who is in conflict with the main character

Subjective point of view when a character relays a narrative using "I"

A pause for effect in the middle of a line of poetry; it may or may not have a meter

The comparison of two things, which are alike, to explain a difficult idea

Popular Japanese form of poetry developed in the 17th century

Repetition in successive clauses which are usually parallel in syntax

A unit of meter; the basic unit of measurement in a line of poetry

Something out of its place in time or history

A line of five metrical feet

A combination of harsh, unpleasant sounds which create an affect of disordinance

A metrical foot consisting of two unaccented syllables

The structure, shape, pattern, organization, or style of a piece of literature

Addressing someone or something, usually not present, as though present

Line of verse that carries over into next line without a pause of any kind

An anticlimax which is unintentional

The emotional implications that a word may carry

A fictional tale, marked by fantasy and magic, often appealing to the imagination

A totally ridiculous comedy

The turning point, or crisis in a play or other piece of literature

A witty saying, usually at the end of a poem, about two lines long

Substitute words that sound better than another

Attacking the arguer and not the argument

Figure of speech in which a thought is balanced with a contrasting thought

The omission of conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words or phrases

Conversation between two or more characters

A term for a poem that teaches, almost preaches

A pair of rhyming lines written in the same meter

A brief reference to a historical, literary figure, event, or object

A line of one metrical foot

Irony when the character says words that mean more to someone who understands the situation

An engraving on a tombstone

A struggle between opposing forces

Speech peculiar to a region

A term applied to a group of attitudes which emphasize existence rather than the essence

A statement delivered by an actor in a way that the other characters are not presumed to hear

A specific kind or category of literature

An awakening; or burst of insight

Something of humor interrupts and otherwise serious, often tragic, literary work

A device by which an author can present action or scenes that occurred before the opening scene

An unexpected, artificial, or improbable character introduced suddenly to resolve a problem

A novel showing the development of its central character from childhood to maturity

The climax or turning point in a story or play (may have more than one)

Pertaining to the base side of man

A narrative constructed so that one or more stories are embedded within another story

The opposite of utopia; a controlled world where pain instead of pleasure exists

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

A larger than life presence ; a godlike paragon worthy of respect and reverance

A character who isn't fully developed by an author

A concept or value that cannot be seen

Assuming the answer

Begins and ends with same setting and/or narrators; middle is flashback

A form of novel in which magic, mystery, horrors, and chivalry abound

similarity or repetition of a vowel sound in two or more words , especially in a line of verse

The repetition of consonant sounds with differing vowel sounds in words in a line of poetry

The repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases

A Latin phrase which translated means "seize the day"

A nickname

main character who has strength or moral character, a noble cause

The resolution of a plot after the climax

A long story written in elevated language, to relate to a nations hero

A brief quotation at the beginning of a book or chapter

The claim that whatever has not been proved

A poem that reveals a "soul in action" through the speech of one character in a dramatic state