sources of definitions are The Princeton Review (TPR) and Barron's AP study guides. and class notes that Mr. Enns distributed :)
Terms : Hide Images
| 4591830395 | bard | a poet, in olden times, a performer who told heroic stories to musical accompaniment | 0 | |
| 4591830396 | bathos | the use of insincere or overdone sentimentality | 1 | |
| 4591830397 | belle-lettres | the French term for the world of books, criticism, and literature in general | 2 | |
| 4591830398 | bibliography | a list of works cited or otherwise relevant to a subject or other work | 3 | |
| 4591830399 | Bildungsroman | a German word referring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as the hero travels in quest of a goal | 4 | |
| 4591830400 | blank verse | poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton. its lines generally do not rhyme | 5 | |
| 4591830401 | bombast | inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects | 6 | |
| 4591830402 | burlesque | a work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation; a broad parody and exaggerates it into ridiculousness | 7 | |
| 4591830403 | cacophony | grating, inharmonious sounds | 8 | |
| 4591830404 | caesura | a pause somewhere in the middle of a verse, often (but not always marked by punctuation) | 9 | |
| 4591830405 | canon | the works considered most important in national literature or period; works widely read and studied | 10 | |
| 4591830406 | caricature | a grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things; a portrait that exaggerates a facet of personality | 11 | |
| 4591830407 | carpe diem | "seize the day" | 12 | |
| 4591830408 | catharsis | a cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic tragedy | 13 | |
| 4591830409 | classic | a highly regarded work of literature or other art form that has withstood the test of time, similar to canon | 14 | |
| 4591830410 | classicism | deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Roman culture; implies formality, objectivity, simplicity and restraint | 15 | |
| 4591830411 | climax | the high point, or turning point, of a story/play | 16 | |
| 4591830412 | novel | a tale in which a young protagonist experiences an introduction to adulthood. the character may develop understanding via disillusionment, education, doses of reality, or any other experiences that alter his/her emotional/intellectual maturity. e.g. Invisible Man | 17 | |
| 4591830413 | conceit | a witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often stated in figurative language; a startling or unusual metaphor, or a metaphor developed and expanded upon several lines | 18 | |
| 4591830414 | anticlimax | this occurs when an action produces far smaller results than one had been led to expect, it is frequently comic in effect | 19 | |
| 4591830415 | antihero | a protagonist who is markedly unheroic: morally weak, cowardly, dishonest, or any number of other unsavory qualities | 20 | |
| 4591830416 | aside | a speech (usually just a short comment) made by an actor to the audience, as though momentarily stepping outside of the action on stage | 21 | |
| 4591830417 | aspect | a trait of characteristic, as in "an aspect of the dew drop" | 22 | |
| 4591830418 | atmosphere | the emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene | 23 | |
| 4591830419 | black humor | this is the use of disturbing themes in comedy. e.g. two tramps comically debating over which should commit suicide first, and whether the branches of a tree will support their weight | 24 | |
| 4591830420 | cadence | the beat or rhythm of poetry in a general sense | 25 | |
| 4591830421 | canto | is a divider in long poems, much like chapters in a novel | 26 | |
| 4591830422 | coinage | a.k.a. neologism, inventing a word | 27 | |
| 4591830423 | colloquialism | this is a word or phrase used in everyday conversational English that isn't a part of accepted "schoolbook" English | 28 | |
| 4591830424 | controlling image | when an image dominates and shapes the entire work | 29 |
