AP Lit & Comp - Vocab Part 3

continuation of a sentence from one line or couplet of a poem to the next

poem that celebrates the achievements of mighty heroes and heroines, often concerned with the founding of a nation or developing of a culture; uses elevated language, and grand, high style

part of the structure that sets the scene, introduces and identifies characters, and establishes the situation at the beginning of a story or play

complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work (aka conceit)

legend or short moral story often using animals as characters

the complications of the rising action are untangled

play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor

retrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative


ex. To Kill a Mockingbird

to hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand

language that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal

poetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and nonrhyming lines


ex. Hamlets "To be or not to be"

type or class of literature

overstatement characterized by exaggerated language

a metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable


- iambic pentamenter: iambic in sets of five - Shakespeare

short poem describing a country or pastoral scene, praising the simplicity and peace of rustic life