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AP Literature Poetry Terms & Definitions Flashcards

Based on Glossary of Poetry Terms for Mrs. Christensen's AP English Literature class.

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5835536042accentThe prominence or emphasis given to a syllable or word. In the word poetry, it falls on the first syllable.0
5835536043alexandrineA line of poetry that has 12 syllables.1
5835536044alliterationThe repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words.2
5835536045anapestA metrical foot of three syllables, two short (or unstressed) followed by one long (or stressed). It is the reverse of the dactyl.3
5835536046antithesisA figure of speech in which words and phrases with opposite meanings are balanced against each other.4
5835536047apostropheWords that are spoken to a person who is absent or imaginary, or to an object or abstract idea.5
5835536048assonanceThe repetition or a pattern of similar sounds, especially vowel sounds.6
5835536049balladA poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain.7
5835536050balladeA type of poem, usually with three stanzas of seven, eight, or ten lines and a shorter final stanza (or envoy) of four or five lines. All stanzas end with the same one-line refrain.8
5835536051blank versePoetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.9
5835536052caesuraA natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.10
5835536053canzoneA medieval Italian lyric poern, with five or six stanzas and a shorter concluding stanza (or envoy).11
5835536054carpe diemA Latin expression that means "seize the day."12
5835536055chanson de gesteAn epic poem of the 11th to the 14th century, written in Old French, which details the exploits of a historical or legendary figure, especially Charlemagne.13
5835536056classicismThe principles and ideals of beauty that are characteristic of Greek and Roman art, architecture, and literature. Examples of classicism in poetry can be found in the works of John Dryden and Alexander Pope, which are characterized by their formality, simplicity, and emotional restraint.14
5835536057conceitA fanciful poetic image or metaphor that likens one thing to something else that is seemingly very different.15
5835536058consonanceThe repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the ends of words.16
5835536059coupletIn a poem, a pair of lines that are the same length and usually rhyme and form a complete thought.17
5835536060dactylA metrical foot of three syllables, one long (or stressed) followed by two short (or unstressed).18
5835536061elegyA poem that laments the death of a person, or one that is simply sad and thoughtful.19
5835536062enjambmentThe continuation of a complete idea (a sentence or clause) from one line or couplet of a poem to the next line or couplet without a pause.20
5835536063envoyThe shorter final stanza of a poem.21
5835536064epicA long, serious poem that tells the story of a heroic figure.22
5835536065epigramA very short, witty poem.23
5835536066epithalamium (or epithalamion)A poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom.24
5835536067feminine rhymeA rhyme that occurs in a final unstressed syllable.25
5835536068figure of speechA verbal expression in which words or sounds are arranged in a particular way to achieve a particular effect.26
5835536069footTwo or more syllables that together make up the smallest unit of rhythm in a poem.27
5835536070free verse (or vers libre)Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set meter.28
5835536071haikuA Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables.29
5835536072heptameterA line of poetry that has seven metrical feet.30
5835536073heroic coupletA stanza composed of two rhymed lines in iambic pentameter.31
5835536074hexameterA line of poetry that has six metrical feet.32
5835536075hyperboleA figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis.33
5835536076iambA metrical foot of two syllables, one short (or unstressed) and one long (or stressed).34
5835536077iambic pentameterA type of meter in poetry, in which there are five iambs to a line.35
5835536078idyll (or idyl)Either a short poem depicting a peaceful, idealized country scene, or a long poem that tells a story about heroic deeds or extraordinary events set in the distant past.36
5835536079layA long narrative poem, especially one that was sung by medieval minstrels called trouveres.37
5835536080limerickA light, humorous poem of five usually anapestic lines with the rhyme scheme of aabba.38
5835536081litotesA figure of speech in which a positive is stated by negating its opposite.39
5835536082lyricA poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. It may resemble a song in form or style.40
5835536083masculine rhymeA rhyme that occurs in a final stressed syllable.41
5835536084metaphorA figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected.42
5835536085meterThe arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of accented (or stressed) syllables.43
5835536086metonymyA figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.44
5835536087narrativeTelling a story.45
5835536088odeA lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise, formal structure.46
5835536089onomatopoeiaA figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds.47
5835536090ottava rimaA type of poetry consisting of 10- or 11-syllable lines arranged in 8-line "octaves" with the rhyme scheme abababcc.48
5835536091parallelismA similar grammatical structure within a line or lines of poetry.49
5835536092pastoralA poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, idealized way.50
5835536093pentameterA line of poetry that has five metrical feet.51
5835536094personificationA figure of speech in which things or abstract ideas are given human attributes.52
5835536095poetryA type of literature that is written in meter or has a metrical quality.53
5835536096quatrainA stanza or poem of four lines.54
5835536097refrainA line or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually after every stanza.55
5835536098rhymeThe occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words.56
5835536099rhyme royalA type of poetry consisting of stanzas of seven lines in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme ababbcc.57
5835536100romanticismThe principles and ideals of the movement in literature and the arts during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, which favored feeling over reason and placed great emphasis on the subjective, or personal, experience of the individual.58
5835536101scansionThe analysis of a poem's meter. This is usually done by marking the stressed and unstressed syllables in each line and then, based on the pattern of the stresses, dividing the line into feet.59
5835536102senryuA short Japanese poem that is similar to a haiku in structure but treats human beings rather than nature, often in a humorous or satiric way.60
5835536103simileA figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word "like" or "as."61
5835536104sonnetA lyric poem that is 14 lines long. Italian (or Petrarchan) are divided into two quatrains and a six-line "sestet," with the rhyme scheme abba abba cdecde (or cdcdcd). English (or Shakespearean) are composed of three quatrains and a final couplet, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efefgg.62
5835536105spondeeA metrical foot of two syllables, both of which are long (or stressed).63
5835536106stanzaTwo or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a poem.64
5835536107stressThe prominence or emphasis given to particular syllables.65
5835536108synecdocheA figure of speech in which a part is used to designate the whole or the whole is used to designate a part.66
5835536109tankaA Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the rest of seven.67
5835536110terza rimaA type of poetry consisting of 10- or 11 -syllable lines arranged in three-line "tercets" with the rhyme scheme aba bob cdc, etc.68
5835536111tetrameterA line of poetry that has four metrical feet.69
5835536112trocheeA metrical foot of two syllables, one long (or stressed) and one short (or unstressed)70
5835536113tropeA figure of speech, such as metaphor or metonymy, in which words are not used in their literal (or actual) sense but in a figurative (or imaginative) sense.71
5835536114verseA single metrical line of poetry, or poetry in general (as opposed to prose).72

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