AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP Literature Literary Terms Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
2984278312lyricsubjective, reflective poetry with regular rhyme scheme and meter which reveals the poet's thoughts and feelings to create a single, unique impression.0
2984278313narrativenondramatic, objective verse with regular rhyme scheme and meter which relates a story or narrative.1
2984278314sonneta highly formal and rigid14-line lyric verse form, with variable structure and rhyme scheme according to type. It usually occurs in iambic pentameter, and is written about one important subject (often love).2
3040776859English (Shakespearean)Sonnet with three quatrains and concluding couplet in iambic pentameter, rhyming abab, cdcd, efef, gg or abba, cddc, effe, gg. The Spenserian sonnet is a specialized form with linking rhyme abab, bcbc, cdcd, ee.3
3040778633Italian (Petrarchan)Sonnet with an octave and sestet, between which a break in thought occurs. The traditional rhyme scheme is abba, abba, cde, cde (or, in the sestet, any variation of c, d, e).4
2984278315odeelaborate lyric verse which deals seriously with a dignified theme.5
2984278316blank verseunrhymed lines of iambic pentameter.6
2984278317free verseunrhymed lines without regular rhythm.7
2984278318epica long, dignified narrative poem which gives the account of a hero important to his nation or race.8
2984278319dramatic monologuea lyric poem in which the speaker tells an audience about a dramatic moment in her life and, in doing so, reveals her character.9
2984278320elegya poem of lament, meditating on the death of an individual.10
2984278321balladsimple, narrative verse which tells a story to be sung or recited; the folk ballad is anonymously handed down, while the literary ballad has a single author.11
2984278322idylllyric poetry describing the life of the shepherd in pastoral, bucolic, idealistic terms.12
2984278323villanellea French verse form, strictly calculated to appear simple and spontaneous; five tercets and a final quatrain, rhyming aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, abaa. Lines 1, 6, 12, 18 and 3, 9, 15, 19 are refrain.13
2984278324light versea general category of poetry written to entertain, such as lyric poetry, epigrams, and limericks. It can also have a serious side, as in parody or satire.14
2984278325haikuJapanese verse in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables, often depicting a delicate image.15
2984278326limerickhumorous nonsense-verse in five anapestic lines rhyming aabba; a-lines being trimeter and b-lines being dimeter.16
2984278327meterpoetry's rhythm, or its pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Meter is measured in units of feet.17
2984278328scansionthe analysis of the mechanical elements within a poem to determine meter. Feet are marked off with slashes ( / ) and accented appropriately as stressed or unstressed.18
2984278329caesuraa pause in the meter or rhythm of a line.19
2984278330enjambmenta run-on line, continuing into the next without a grammatical break.20
2984278331rimeold spelling of rhyme, which is the repetition of like sounds at regular intervals, employed in versification, the writing of verse.21
2984278332versificationthe writing of verse.22
2984278333end rhymerhyme occurring at the ends of verse lines; most common rhyme form.23
2984278334internal rhymerhyme contained within a line of verse.24
2984278335rhyme schemepattern of rhymes within a unit of verse; in analysis, each end rhyme-sound is represented by a letter (abab etc.)25
2984278336masculine rhymerhyme in which only the last, accented syllable of the rhyming words correspond exactly in sound; most common kind of end rhyme (night/skies/bright/eyes).26
2984278337feminine rhymerhyme in which two consecutive syllables of the rhyming words correspond, the first syllable carrying the accent; double rhyme (flying/dying).27
2984278338half rhyme (slant rhyme)imperfect, approximate rhyme (sun/sea/scud/beaks).28
2984278339assonancerepetition of two or more vowel sounds within a line.29
2984278340consonancerepetition of two or more consonant sounds within a line.30
2984278341alliterationrepetition of one or more initial sounds, usually consonants, in words within a line.31
2984278342onomatopoeiathe use of a word whose sound suggests it meaning.32
2984278343euphonythe use of compatible, harmonious sounds to produce a pleasing, melodious effect.33
2984278344cacophonythe use of inharmonious sounds in close conjunction for effect; the opposite of euphony.34
2984278345metaphora figure of speech which makes a direct comparison of two unlike objects by identification or substitution.35
2984278346similea direct comparison of two unlike objects, using like or as.36
2984278347conceitan extended metaphor comparing two unlike objects with powerful effect. (It owes its roots to elaborate analogies in Petrarch and to the Metaphysical poets, particularly Donne.)37
2984278348personificationa figure of speech in which objects and animals have human qualities.38
2984278349apostrophean address to a person or personified object not present.39
2984278350metonymythe substitution of a word which relates to the object or person to be named, in place of the name itself.40
2984278351synecdochea figure of speech in which a part represents the whole object or idea.41
2984278352hyperboleexaggeration for effect; overstatement.42
2984278353litotesa form of understatement in which the negative of an antonym is used to achieve emphasis and intensity.43
2984278354ironythe contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning:44
2984278358symbolismthe use of one object to suggest another.45
2984278359imagerythe use of words to represent things, actions, or ideas by sensory description.46
2984278360paradoxa statement which appears self-contradictory, but underlines a basis of truth.47
2984278361oxymoroncontradictory terms brought together to express a paradox for strong effect.48
2984278362allusiona reference to an outside fact, event, or other source.49
2984278363tonethe author's attitude toward her audience and subject.50
2984278364themethe author's major idea or meaning.51
2984278365dramatic situationthe circumstance of the speaker.52
2984278366stanzaa section of a poem53
2984278367aubadea song written to praise the coming of dawn.54
2984278368ballada simple poem, usually created for singing, dealing with a dramatic episode.55
2984278369balladea French poem of three stanzas and an envoy, a four-line refrain recited to another person.56
2984278370dirgea poem or song of lament, usually a commemoration for the dead.57
2984278371ecloguea bucolic or pastoral poem such as Spenser's Shepheardes Calendar.58
2984278372epithalamiona poem written in celebration of marriage.59
2984278373hymna poem of religious emotion usually written for singing.60
2984278374monodya poem similar to a dirge; a Greek poem of mourning sung by one person.61
2984278375pastoralmany forms of literature fit this category; its setting is a created world marked by constant summer and fecund nature.62
2984278376rondeaua French poem for light topics; it has 15 lines, with short refrains at lines 9 and 15, rhymed aabba, aabc, aabbac.63
2984278377rondela poem very similar to a rondeau, with 13 or 14 lines.64
2984278378songa poem for musical expression, usually brief, straightforward, and emotional.65
2984278379threnodya poem similar to a dirge; in Greek poetry it mourns the dead and is sung by a chorus.66
2984278380vers de sociétélight verse, written in a congenial, witty, amorous way.67
2984278381lyric poemThe lyric poem is the most widely used type of poem, so diverse in its format that a rigid definition is impossible. However, several qualities are common to all lyric poems=1. limited in length 2. intensely subjective3. personal expressions of personal emotion 4. expresses thoughts and feelings of a single speaker 5. highly imaginative 6. has a regular rhyme scheme68
2984278382narrative poemThe narrative poem tells a story, sometimes simple, sometimes complicated, sometimes brief, sometimes long (as in the epic). Because of the increasing acceptance of the novel and shorter forms of prose fiction, narrative poems appears less frequently today. Almost the opposite of the lyric, it can be characterized as follows=1. highly objective 2. told by a speaker detached from the action 3. the thoughts and feelings of the speaker do not enter the poem 4. the rhyme scheme is regular69
2984278383soliloquy(literally one-speech)--a sustained moment where one character speaks his private thoughts aloud. Other characters cannot hear him, but the audience can.70
2984278384asidea brief moment where one character speaks his private thoughts aloud while in the middle of a conversation with other characters. Other characters cannot hear him, but the audience can.71
2984278385odean exalted, complex, rapturous lyric poem written about a dignified, lofty subject.72
2984278386blank verseunrhymed verse, but each line is basically iambic pentameter. It is often used in plays, especially those of Shakespeare. The tone of blank verse tends to be serious. Today, critics employ the term to include many unrhymed metric forms, where iambic pentameter occurs but not constantly.73
2984278387free verse (vers libre)it is free from the limitations of fixed meter and rhyme, but this is not to say that it lacks poetic techniques. Free verse is very rhythmic, often patterned after the spoken word. (The American poet Walt Whitman is one of its great practitioners).74
2984278388dramatic monologueAnother form of the lyric, the dramatic monologue was brought to great heights by the Victorian poet Robert Browning. As the title suggests, it is a poem told by one speaker about a significant event. We enter the psyche of the speaker, and the skillful poet makes much of his own nature, attitudes and circumstances available in words to the reader who discerns the implications of the poem. The dramatic monologue differs from soliloquy in a play in that in drama time and place are developed before the character ascends the stage alone to make his remarks, whereas the dramatic monologue by itself establishes time, place and character. In the dramatic monologue, the speaker= 1. reveals in his own words some dramatic situation in which he is involved 2. demonstrates his character through the poem 3. addresses a listener who does not engage in dialogue but helps to develop the speech75
2984278389elegya poem that mourns the death of an individual, the absence of something deeply loved, or the transience of mankind. A form of the lyric, the poem has a solemn, dignified tone as it laments the loss of something dear to the poet or to man. A particular subset is the Pastoral Elegy, a mourning poem with a joyous ending. The format involves a shepherd set in a pastoral world, a rustic, fertile environment marked by eternal summer and a fecund nature.76
2984278390metric feetiambic= a light followed by a stressed syllable (balloon) trochaic= a stressed followed by a light syllable (soda) anapestic= two light followed by a stressed syllable (contradict) dactylic= a stressed followed by two light syllables (maniac) spondaic= two successive syllables with approximately equal strong stresses (man-made) pyrrhic= two successive syllables with approximately equal light stresses77
2984278391types of verse linesAspect of poetry measured as follows: monometer/one foot; dimeter/two feet; trimeter/three feet; tetrameter/four feet; pentameter/five feet hexameter/six feet (also called an Alexandrine); heptameter/seven feet (also called a fourteener); octometer/eight feet78
2984278392figurative languagewriting or speech not meant to be interpreted literally; it is language used to create vivid word pictures, to make writing emotionally intense and concentrated, and to state ideas in new and unusual ways79
2984278393flashbackinterruption of the narrative to show an episode that happened before that point in the story80
2984278394foreshadowinghint to the reader of what is to come81
2984278395mood (atmosphere)feeling created in the reader by the passage82
2984278396parableshort tale that teaches a lesson or illustrates a moral truth (The Pearl, "The Minister's Black Veil")83
2984278397point of viewthe vantage point from which a story is told; first-person- the story is told by a character within the story third-person- the story is told by a narrator outside the story limited - the storyteller knows the internal state of one character omniscient - the storyteller knows the internal states of all characters84
2984278398rhythmpattern of stressed or unstressed sounds in spoken or written language85
2984278399sentence structurevaried length and arrangement of words to produce a desired effect86
2984278400settingtime and place of action87
2984278401structureoverall design or arrangement of material88
2984278402stylemode of expression, the devices an author employs in his writing, the way the content is presented89
2984278403syntaxarrangement of words to show their mutual relations90
2984278404word choice (diction)particular choice of words for meaning and suggestion91
2998185039anaphorathe repetition of a word or short phrase for dramatic or rhetorical effect (ex: MLK's use of "I have a dream")92
2998189200anastropheInverted syntax, like how Yoda talks93
2998190717asyndetonthe omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentnece94
2998193303zeugmaa figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses or to two others of which it semantically suits only one (ex: Frank and his license expired last month [different ways of expiring])95

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!