AP Literature Vocabulary

A pair of rhyming lines written in the same meter

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

An author's choice of words

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

The omission of conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words or phrases

Elevated language, often pompous and overdone

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

A line of five metrical feet

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

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

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

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

A specific kind or category of literature

A struggle between opposing forces

A brief quotation at the beginning of a book or chapter

A protagonist who is the antithesis of the hero

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

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

Author's own life story; first person account

The claim that whatever has not been proved

An anticlimax which is unintentional

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

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

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

A term for a poem that teaches, almost preaches

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

A line of three metrical feet

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

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

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

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

A tragic flaw or error in judgement

The basic foot of a dipodic verse

A line of four metrical feet

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

A metrical foot consisting of two unaccented syllables

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

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

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

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

Pertaining to the base side of man

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

A metrical foot consisting of two syllables equally accented

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

A nickname

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

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

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

Two extremes in a continuum of intermediate possibilities

An awakening; or burst of insight

Double rhyme: two syllables rhyme

Substitute words that sound better than another

A work which strives to provoke smiles and laughter

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

An engraving on a tombstone

Repetition in successive clauses which are usually parallel in syntax

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

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

Speech peculiar to a region

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

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

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

A Latin phrase which translated means "seize the day"

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

The resolution of a plot after the climax

A line of six metrical feet

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

Meter having two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable

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

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

Assuming the answer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

a poem about morning

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

The specific, exact meaning of a word

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

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

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

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

A character who isn't fully developed by an author

Unable to be touched; not concrete

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

The emotional implications that a word may carry

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

A concept or value that cannot be seen

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

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

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

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

Assertions made based on facts

A totally ridiculous comedy

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

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

Two successive lines of rhymed poetry in iambic pentameter

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

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

Feelings of pity and understanding for a character

Something out of its place in time or history

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

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

Popular Japanese form of poetry developed in the 17th century

A line of two metrical feet

Conversation between two or more characters

A story performed by actors on a stage

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

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

A line of one metrical foot

Not rhymed iambic pentameter

Where the actual typeset layout of the poem suggests the topic

Attacking the arguer and not the argument

A story made to make a moral point

Focuses of physically or mentally impaired characters