AP LIT Vocab Terms

allegory

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

allusion

An indirect or passing reference to a person, event, or other work of literature without explicit mention.

anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines.

anthropomorphism

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

aphorism

A pithy observation that contains a general truth, often expressed in a memorable way.

apostrophe (lit. term)

A figure of speech in which the speaker directly addresses an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something non-human as if it were present and capable of responding.

archetype

A very typical example of a certain person or thing; an original model or pattern from which copies are made.

assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words that are close together, creating an echo.

aubade

A poem or piece of music appropriate to the dawn or early morning, typically dealing with parting lovers.

bildungsroman

A literary genre focusing on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood.

black humor

A style of humor that makes light of otherwise grim or tragic subjects, such as death, war, or disease.

blank verse

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

caesura

A break or pause in the middle of a line of poetry, usually indicated by punctuation.

catharsis

The purging of emotions or relieving of emotional tension, especially through art or tragedy.

chiasmus

A rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in the second clause (e.g., 'Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you').

choral figure

In literature, a character or group that functions like a chorus in ancient Greek drama, providing commentary or explaining events.

cliché

A phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.

colloquialism

A word or phrase that is not formal or literary; used in ordinary or familiar conversation.

connotation

An idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning.

consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words in a phrase or sentence, typically in quick succession.

couplet

Two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit.

denotation

The literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

denouement

The final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.

deus ex machina

An unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel.

diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

didactic

Intended to teach, particularly in having a moral instruction as an ulterior motive.

dramatic irony

A literary device by which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than the characters do.

elegy

A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.

end-stopped

A line of poetry in which the grammatical pause (punctuation) and the poetic meter coincide at the end of the line, creating a full pause.

enjambment

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

epigram

A pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way.

epiphany

A moment of sudden and striking realization or insight.

epistle

A poem or other literary work in the form of a letter.

euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.

extended metaphor

A metaphor that is developed in great detail, sometimes throughout an entire poem, paragraph, or even a book.

feminine rhyme

A rhyme between two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed, usually at the end of lines.

flashback

An interruption of the chronological sequence of a story to present an event that occurred earlier.

foil

A character who contrasts with another character, typically the protagonist, to highlight particular qualities of the other character.

foreshadowing

A literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come later in the story.

gerund

A verb form ending in '-ing' that functions as a noun.

hamartia

A fatal flaw or error in judgment that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine.

heroic couplet

A pair of rhyming iambic pentameters, popular in epic and narrative poetry.

Horatian Satire

A type of satire characterized by a good-humored, gentle approach to pointing out societal flaws, often using wit and irony.

hubris

Excessive pride or self-confidence that ultimately leads to a character's downfall.

hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

iambic pentameter

A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable.

imagery

Visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work, appealing to the five senses.

in medias res

A narrative technique of beginning a storytelling 'in the middle of things,' plunging the reader directly into a key event.

irony

A literary device involving a contrast or incongruity between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.

Juvenalian Satire

A type of satire characterized by its harsh, cynical, and often contemptuous criticism of societal vices and follies.

juxtaposition

The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

malapropism

The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect.

masculine rhyme

A rhyme that occurs only in the final stressed syllable of rhyming words.

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, suggesting a resemblance without using 'like' or 'as'.

mood

The atmosphere or emotional setting created by a literary work, evoking certain feelings in the reader.

motif

A recurring distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.

novel of manners

A novel that re-creates a social world, conveying with minute fidelity the details of its customs, values, and mores.

ode

A lyrical stanza or poem of elaborate praise, often addressed to a specific subject.

oxymoron

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., 'jumbo shrimp').

paradox

A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

parody

An imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.

pastoral

A literary work presenting an idealized view of rural life and the natural world.

personification

The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

picaresque

A genre of fiction dealing with the episodic adventures of a usually roguish but appealing hero, often of low social class, who lives by his wits in a corrupt society.

portmanteau

A word blending the sounds and meanings of two other words, as in 'smog' from 'smoke' and 'fog'.

pseudonym

A fictitious name, especially one used by an author to conceal their identity (a pen name).

pun

A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.

quatrain

A stanza of four lines, especially one having alternate rhymes.

satire

The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

shift

A change in tone, mood, setting, or focus in a literary work, often indicating a turning point or change in perspective of the speaker.

situational irony

Irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.

slant rhyme

A rhyme in which the vowel sounds are not identical, but the consonant sounds are, or vice versa (also called near rhyme or half rhyme).

sonnet (Elizabethan vs. Petrarchan)

A poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes; an Elizabethan (Shakespearean) sonnet uses three quatrains and a couplet (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG); a Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet uses an octave and a sestet (ABBAABBA CDECDE or CDCDCD).

stream-of-consciousness

A narrative method that attempts to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings that pass through the mind of a narrator.

style

The distinct way an author writes, determined by aspects such as word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and rhetorical devices.

symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

theme

The main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work, often a universal truth about life, society, or human nature.

tone

The general character or attitude of a piece of writing, typically conveyed by the author's choice of words and style.

understatement

The presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is, often for ironic or humorous effect.

verbal irony

A figure of speech in which a speaker says something in a way that implies a meaning opposite to its literal meaning, often used for humor or sarcasm.

volta

The turn of thought or argument in a sonnet, typically occurring between the octave and sestet in Petrarchan sonnets, or before the final couplet in Shakespearean sonnets.