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AP Lit Vocab MRHS

AP Lit Vocab

TermDefinition
Abstract(Style) this is typically complex, discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points
Academic(Style) dry and theoretical writing. When a piece of writing seems to be sucking all the life out of its subject with analysis
Accent in poetry, refers to the stressed portion of the word
Aesthetic used as an adjective meaning "appealing to the senses"
Allegory a literary work in which the characters represent abstract ideas; a symbolic representation
Alliteration repetition of initial consonant sounds
Allusion a reference to another work of literature, person, or event
Anachronism something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred
Analogy a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way
Anecdote a short narrative
Antecedent the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
Anthropomorphism the attribution of human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects
Anticlimax a disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events
Antihero a protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero (or her a heroine)
Aphorism a brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life
Apostrophe address to an absent or imaginary person
Archaism the use of deliberately old-fashioned language
Aside a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage
Assonance the repetition of vowel sounds
Atmosphere the emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene
Ballad any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric form
black humor the use of disturbing themes in comedy
Bombast speech or writing that sounds grand or important but has little meaning
Burlesque a theatrical entertainment of broad and earthy humor
Cacophony harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
Cadence rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words
Canto a major division of a long poem
Caricature drawing, imitation, or description that ridiculously exaggerates peculiarities or defects
Catharsis an emotional or psychological cleansing that brings relief or renewal
Chorus in Greek drama, the group of citizens who stand outside the main action on stage and comment on it
Colloquialism informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing
Conceit a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects
Connotation the implied or associative meaning of a word
Consonance the repetition of consonant sounds
Couplet two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
Decorum conformity to accepted standards of conduct; proper behavior
Denotation the dictionary definition of a word
Diction a writer's or speaker's choice of words
Dirge a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person
Dissonance harsh or grating sounds that do not go together
Doggerel badly written or trivial veres, often with a singsong rhythm
Dramatic Irony (theater) irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play
Dramatic monologue when a single speaker in literature says something to a silent audience
Elegy a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme
Enjambment the continuation of a syntactic unit from one line of verse into the next line without a pause
Epic a long narrative poem written in elevated style which present the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation
Epitaph a brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone
Euphemism a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term
Euphony any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds
Farce a comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose
Feminine Rhyme latter two syllables of first word rhyme with latter two syllables of second word (ceiling appealing)
Foil a character whose personality and attitude contrast sharply with those of another
Foot the basic unit of rhythmic measurement in a line of poetry
Foreshadowing the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot
Gothic Novel a novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action
Hubris excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy
Hyperbole a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor
Interior Monologue a narrative technique that records a character's internal flow of thoughts, memories, and ideas; a longish passage of uninterrupted thought
Inversion a reversal of the normal order of words
Irony a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens
Lampoon ridicule with satire
Lyric of or relating to a category of poetry that expresses emotion (often in a songlike way)
Masculine Rhyme final syllable of first word rhymes with final syllable of second word (scald recalled)
Melodrama a form of cheesy theater in which the hero is very, very good, the villian mean and rotten, and the heroine oh-so-pure
Metaphor a figure of speech comparing two unlike things without using like or as
Metonym a word that is used to stand for something else that it has attributes of or is associated with
Nemesis the protagonist's arch enemy or supreme and persistent difficulty
Objectivity an impersonal presentation of events and characters
Onomatopoeia the use of words that imitate sounds
Oxymoron a figure of speech consisting of two apparently contradictory terms
Parable a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson
Paradox a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth
Parallelism the use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similar grammatical form
Parody a work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner
Pastoral a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the life of shepherds)
Pathos a quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow)
Persona the speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing
Personification the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc.
Plaint a poem or speech expressing sorrow
Protagonist the main character in a literary work
Pun a play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings
Refrain the repetition of one or more phrases or lines at definite intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza
Requiem a song of prayer for the dead
Rhapsody an intensely passionate verse or section of verse, usually of love or praise
Rhetorical Question a statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered
Satire a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
Simile a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with 'like' or 'as')
Soliloquy in drama, a character speaks alone on stage to allow his/her thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience
Stanza a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem
Stock Characters standard or cliched character types: the drunk, the miser, the foolish girl, etc.
Subjectivity a personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author's feelings and opinions
Subjunctive Mood a grammatical situation involving the words "if" and "were" setting up a hypothetical situation
Summary a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form
Symbolism a device in literature where an object represents an idea
Theme the main idea of a story
Thesis the primary position taken by a writer or speaker
Tragic Flaw the character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall
Travesty a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation
Truism an obvious truth
Utopia an imaginary place considered to be perfect or ideal
Zeugma when a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them
Created by: pworthen0723
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