AP English Literature Vocabulary Terms

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the key literary terms from the notes.

Abstract

Existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence.

Academic

Consists of writing in a formal tone without the use of personal and subjective language.

Accent

Stressing one syllable of a word over adjacent syllables.

Aesthetic

A particular individual’s set of ideas about style and taste, along with its expression.

Aesthetics

A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art.

Allegory

A representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of adjacent or stressed syllables; consonantal alliteration.

Allusion

Making a casual or indirect reference to something or someone.

Anachronism

Something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time.

Analogy

A similarity between two things used to explain or clarify.

Anecdote

A short account of an event or incident.

Antecedent

Something occurring before an event or action.

Anthropomorphism

The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object.

Anticlimax

A disappointing end as opposed to a proper climax.

Antihero

A main character who lacks traditional heroic qualities but has flaws and may take questionable actions.

Aphorism

A concise statement of a principle (often including a well-known example).

Apostrophe

A digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea.

Archaism

Word use that consists of older words, indicating the time period in which the writing was written.

Aside

A short remark or comment from a character spoken directly to the audience but unheard by other characters on the stage.

Assonance

The repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables near enough to be discernible.

Atmosphere

The mood or feeling that a setting and events create for the reader.

Ballad

A poem that tells a story, traditionally set to music; English ballads typically have four-line stanzas with an ABCB rhyme scheme.

Black humor

A literary device that discusses taboo subjects with comedy.

Bombast

High-sounding language with little meaning, used to impress people.

Burlesque

A style that mocks or imitates a subject by representing it ironically or ludicrously, resulting in comedy.

Cacophony

A harsh mixture of sounds; chaotic noise.

Cadence

The rhythm and pitch of the voice in reading; signals changes in rhythm and emphasis.

Canto

Sections to which long poems are divided.

Caricature

An exaggerated portrayal of a person’s features for comic, satirical, or critical effect.

Catharsis

Emotional release experienced by the audience when intense emotions are resolved in a work.

Chorus

A group of performers or a recurring section that comments on the main action.

Colloquialism

Informal, everyday language, including slang and dialect.

Conceit

An elaborate, intellectually complex extended metaphor.

Connotation

The secondary meanings, emotions, and cultural judgments associated with a word beyond its literal definition.

Consonance

The repetition of the same consonant sounds within a group of words.

Couplet

Two successive lines of verse connected by rhyme or rhythm, forming a unit.

Decorum

Prope or polite behavior appropriate to a given situation.

Denotation

The literal, explicit meaning of a word, separate from emotions or subjective ideas.

Diction

An author’s specific word choice and stylistic expression.

Dirge

A mournful, slow, somber poem or musical composition, often funeral.

Dissonance

Harsh or inharmonious sound.

Doggerel

Comic or burlesque verse, usually loose or irregular in measure.

Dramatic irony

Irony understood by the audience but not by the characters in a drama.

Dramatic monologue

A poetic form in which a single character speaks to a silent listener, revealing something personal or related to the situation.

Elegy

A mournful, lamenting poem, often funeral.

Enjambment

The running on of thought from one line to the next without a syntactical break.

Epic

A long poetic composition about a hero, centered on great achievements, told in elevated style.

Epitaph

A commemorative inscription on a tomb about the person buried.

Euphemism

The substitution of a mild or indirect expression for one thought to be offensive or blunt.

Euphony

Agreeableness of sound; harmonious and pleasing sound.

Farce

A light, humorous play relying on exaggerated situations.

Feminine Rhyme

A rhyme with two syllables where the second is unstressed (double rhyme) or three syllables with the second and third unstressed (triple rhyme).

Foil

A character who contrasts with another to highlight differences.

Foreshadowing

An indication of something that will happen in the future; hints at future plot developments.

Free verse

Verse that does not follow a fixed metrical pattern.

Gothic novel

An English genre of fiction marked by mystery, horror, and a pseudomedieval setting.

Hubris

Excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance.

Hyperbole

A deliberately obvious exaggeration.

Interior monologue

A form of writing that represents a character’s inner thoughts (often linked with stream of consciousness).

Foot

The basic unit of meter in poetry.

Inversion

An act of reversing position or turning something upside down.

Irony

The use of words to convey a meaning opposite to its literal meaning.

Lampoon

A sharp satire directed against an individual or institution.

Lyric

Having the form and musical quality of a song, or a personal, emotive expression by the poet.

Masculine Rhyme

A rhyme of final stressed syllables.

Melodrama

A sensational, dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and events designed to appeal to the emotions.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

Metonym

A word or expression used as a substitute for something closely associated.

Nemesis

A long-standing rival or archenemy.

Objectivity

The quality of being objective.

Onomatopoeia

The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear together.

Parable

A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.

Paradox

A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement that may prove true.

Parallelism

The state of being parallel or corresponding in some way.

Parody

An imitation of a writer’s or genre’s style with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.

Pastoral

A work portraying an idealized version of country life.

Pathos

A quality that evokes pity or sadness.

Persona

The aspect of someone’s character presented to or perceived by others.

Personification

The attribution of human characteristics to something nonhuman.

Plaint

An accusation or charge.

Protagonist

The leading character or one of the major characters in a work.

Pun

A joke exploiting multiple meanings of a word or similar-sounding words.

Refrain

A repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song.

Requiem

A Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead.

Rhapsody

An enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked to create a dramatic effect rather than to seek an answer.

Satire

The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize people’s stupidity or vices.

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using like or as.

Soliloquy

An act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when alone or regardless of listeners.

Stanza

A group of lines forming the basic recurring unit in a poem.

Stock characters

A character who represents a typical type and is recognizable within a genre.

Subjectivity

The quality of being influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.

Subjunctive mood

A verb form used to express hypothetical scenarios, wishes, suggestions, or commands.

Summary

A brief statement or account of the main points.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

Theme

The subject or main idea of a talk, writing, or artwork.

Thesis

A statement or theory put forward as a premise to be proved.

Tragic flaw

A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero.

Travesty

A false, distorted, or absurd representation of something.