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AP Lit Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abstract (style) | writing style that is complex, discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points |
| Academic (style) | dry and theoretical writing that seems to be sucking all the life out of its subject with analysis |
| Accent | stressed portion of a word |
| Aesthetic | appealing to the senses |
| Allegory | literary work in which the characters represent abstract ideas; a symbolic representation |
| Alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| Allusion | reference or another work of literature, person, or event |
| Anachronism | something located at a time when it couldn't have existed or occurred |
| Analogy | comparison of two different things that are similar in some way |
| Anecdote | short narrative |
| Antecedent | word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers |
| Anthropomorphism | attribution of human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects |
| Anticlimax | disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events |
| Antihero | protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero |
| Aphorism | 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 | line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on stage |
| Assonance | repetition of vowel sounds |
| Atmosphere | emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene |
| Ballad | any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric form |
| Black Humor | 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 | major division of a long poem |
| Caricature | drawing, imitation, or description that ridiculously exaggerates peculiarities or defects |
| Catharsis | emotional or psychological cleansing that brings relief or renewal |
| Chorus | group of citizens who stand outside the main action and comment on it |
| Colloquialism | informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing |
| Conceit | fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects |
| Connotation | implied or associative meaning of a word |
| Consoncance | repetition of consonant sounds |
| Couplet | two consecutive liens of poetry that rhyme |
| Decorum | conformity to accepted standards of conduct; proper behavior |
| Denotation | dictionary definition of a word |
| Diction | writer's or speaker's choice of words |
| Dirge | song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person |
| Dissonance | harsh or grating sounds that don't go together |
| Doggerel | badly written or trivial verse, often with a singsong rhythm |
| Dramatic Irony | occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play |
| Dramatic Monologue | single speaker in literature says something to a silent audience |
| Elegy | formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme |
| Enjambment | continuation of a syntactic unit form one line of verse into the next line without a pause |
| Epic | 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 | brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone |
| Euphemism | mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term |
| Euphony | any agreeable sounds |
| Farce | comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose |
| Feminine Rhyme | end two syllables of first word rhyme with end two syllables of second word |
| Foil | character whose personality and attitude contrast sharply with those of another |
| Foot | basic until of rhythmic measurement in line of poetry |
| Foreshadowing | use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot |
| Free Verse | unrhymed verse without a consistent metrical pattern |
| Gothic Novel | 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 | uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor |
| Interior Monologue | narrative technique that records a character's internal flow of thoughts, memories, and ideas; a longish passage of uninterrupted thought |
| Inversion | reversal of the normal order of words |
| Irony | 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 emtion |
| Masculine Rhyme | final syllable of first word rhymes with a final syllable of second word |
| Melodrama | form of cheesy theater in which the hero is very, very good, the villain mean and rotten, the heroine pure |
| Metaphor | figure of speech comparing to unlike things without using like or as |
| Metonym | word used to stand for something else that it has attributes of or is associated with |
| Nemesis | protagonist’s arch enemy or supreme and persistent difficulty |
| Objectivity | impersonal presentation of events and characters |
| Onomatopoeia | use of words that imitate sounds |
| Oxymoron | two apparently contradicting terms |
| Parable | simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson |
| Paradox | statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth |
| Parallelism | use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similar grammatical form |
| Parody | work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner |
| Pastoral | literary work idealizing the rural life |
| Pathos | quality that arouses emotions |
| Persona | speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing |
| Personification | act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas |
| Plaint | poem or speech expressing sorrow |
| Protagonist | main character |
| Pun | play on words, use of words with similar sounds but different meanings |
| Refrain | repetition of phrases or lines at definite intervals in a poem, usually at end of stanza |
| Requiem | song of prayer for dead |
| Rhapsody | intensely passionate verse, of love or praise |
| Rhetorical Question | statement formulated as a question that’s not supposed to be answered |
| Satire | ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision |
| Simile | expresses a resemblance using like or as |
| Soliloquy | character speaks alone on stage to allow their thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience |
| Stanza | fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem |
| Stock Characters | standard or cliched character types (drunk, foolish girl) |
| Subjectivity | personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by author’s feelings and opinions |
| Subjunctive Mood | grammatical situation involving the words “if” and “were,” setting up a hypothetical situation |
| Summary | brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form |
| Symbolism | device in literature where an object represents an idea |
| Theme | main idea of story |
| Thesis | primary position taken by a writer or speaker |
| Tragic Flaw | character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall |
| Travesty | grotesque or grossly inferior imitation |
| Truism | obvious truth |
| Utopia | imaginary place that’s perfect |
| Zeugma | when a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them |
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