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AP Lit Final Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abstract | typically complex writing, discusses intangible qualities |
| Academic | dry, theoretical writing |
| Accent | the stressed portion of a word |
| Aesthetic | an adjective for "appealing to the senses" |
| Allegory | a work where the characters represent abstract ideas |
| Alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| Allusion | a reference to another work, person, or event |
| Anachronism | something located at a time when it shouldn't exist |
| Analogy | a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way |
| Anecdote | a short narrative |
| Antecedent | the word, phrase, or clause which a pronoun refers to |
| Anthropomorphism | the attribution of human characteristics to animals |
| Anticlimax | a disappointing end to an exciting series of events |
| Antihero | a protagonist without heroic characteristics |
| Aphorism | a brief, clever statement making a wise observation about life |
| Apostrophe | address to an absent or imaginary person |
| Archaism | the use of old-fashioned language |
| Aside | a line spoken by an actor to the audience and is not intended for others on stage |
| Assonance | the repetition of vowel sounds |
| Atmoshphere | the emotional tone or background of a scene |
| Ballad | any popular narrative poem in lyric form |
| Black humor | the use of disturbing themes in comedy |
| Bombast | speech/writing that sounds grand but has little meaning |
| Burlesque | theatrical entertainment of broad and earthy umor |
| Cacophony | harsh, discordant sound |
| Cadence | rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words |
| Canto | a major division of a long poem |
| Caricature | a drawing or imitation that ridiculously exaggerates peculiarities or defects |
| Catharsis | an emotional cleansing that brings relief |
| Chorus | the group of citizens who stand outside the stage and comment on it |
| Colloquialism | informal words not usually acceptable in formal writing |
| Conceit | a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor |
| Connotation | the implied meaning of a word |
| Consonance | repetition of consonant sounds |
| Couplet | two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme |
| Decorum | conformity to accepted standards of conduct |
| Denotation | the dictionary definition of a word |
| Diction | the author's choice of words |
| Dirge | a song or hymn of mourning performed as a memorial to the dead |
| Dissonance | harsh or grating sounds that don't go together |
| Doggerel | badly written or trivial verse, often with singsong rhythm |
| Dramatic Irony | occurs when the meaning of a situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters |
| Dramatic monologue | when a single speaker says something to a silent audience |
| Elegy | a formal poem presenting a meditation on death |
| Enjambment | the continuation of a syntactic unit from one verse to another without pause |
| Epic | a long narrative poem of elevated style presenting the adventures of characters of high position |
| Epitaph | a brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone |
| Euphemism | a mild, indirect term substituting for a harsh term |
| Euphony | any agreeable sounds |
| Farce | a comedy that contains an extravagant disregard of seriousness |
| Feminine rhyme | latter two syllables of first word rhyme with latter two syllables of second word |
| Foil | a character whose personality contrast sharply with another |
| Foot | the basic unit of rhythmic measurement in poetry |
| Foreshadowing | the use of hints and clues to suggest a future event in the plot |
| Free verse | unrhymed verse without consistent metrical pattern |
| Gothic Novel | a novel with supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown |
| Hubris | excessive pride or arrogance resulting in the downfall of the protagonist |
| Hyperbole | figure of speech using exaggeration to express strong emotions or to make a point |
| Interior monologue | records a character’s internal flow of thoughts |
| Inversion | the reversal of the normal order of words |
| Irony | a contrast between the expected and what actually happens |
| Lampoon | ridicule with satire |
| Lyric | relating to a category of poetry that expresses emotion in a song like form |
| Masculine rhyme | final syllable of first word rhymes with final syllable of second |
| Melodrama | a form of cheesy theater where the hero is very, very good, and the heroine oh-so-pure |
| Metaphor | figure of speech comparing two unlike things without like or as |
| Metonym | a word used to stand for something else that its associated with |
| Nemesis | the protagonist’s arch enemy |
| Objectivity | an impersonal presentation of events |
| Onomatopoeia | the use of words that imitate sounds |
| Oxymoron | figure of speech with two contradictory terms |
| Parable | simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson |
| Paradox | a statement that seems contradictory but expresses a possible truth |
| Parallelism | the use of words, phrases, or sentences with similar grammatical form |
| Parody | a work that imitates another in a ridiculous manner |
| Pastoral | a work idealizing the rural life |
| Pathos | a quality that arouses emotions |
| Persona | the speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author |
| Personification | giving human characteristics to abstract ideas |
| Plaint | a poem or speech expressing sorrow |
| Protagonist | the main character |
| Pun | a play on words |
| Refrain | the repetition of one or more phrases |
| Requiem | a song of prayer for the dead |
| Rhapsody | an intensely passionate verse |
| Rhetorical question | a statement that is formulated as a question, not supposed to be answered |
| Satire | a literary work that ridicules a human vice through humor |
| Simile | a figure of speech comparing two things using like or as |
| Soliloquy | a character speaking alone on a state to allow their thoughts to be conveyed to the audience |
| Stanza | a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem |
| Stock characters | cliched character types: the drunk, the miser, the foolish girl, etc. |
| Subjectivity | a personal presentation of events |
| Subjunctive mood | a grammatical situation setting up a hypothetical situation |
| Summary | a brief statement presenting the main points in a concise form |
| Symbolism | a device in literature where an object represents an idea |
| Theme | the main idea of the story |
| Thesis | the primary position taken by a writer/speaker |
| Tragic flaw | the character flaw of a tragic hero that leads to their downfall |
| Travesty | a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation |
| Truism | an obvious truth |
| Utopia | a place considered to be perfect or ideal |
| Zeugma | a word used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes sense with one |
Created by:
Luka13