AP Literature Literary Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key AP Literature terms and their definitions from the provided handout.

Allegory

A story in which people, things, and actions represent an idea about life; allegories often have a strong lesson.

Alliteration (a-LIT-uh-RAY-shuhn)

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (tongue twisters).

Allusion (a-LOO-zhuhn)

A reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature. Allusions are often indirect or brief references to well-known characters or events.

Analogy

A comparison of two or more like objects that suggests if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well.

Anecdote

A brief account of an interesting incident or event that usually is intended to entertain or to make a point.

Aside

An actor's speech, directed to the audience, that is not supposed to be heard by other actors on stage. An aside is used to let the audience know what a character is about to do or what he or she is thinking.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry.

Ballad

A poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited.

Blank verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Caesura

A pause or a sudden break in a line of poetry.

Cliché

A type of figurative language containing an overused expression or a saying that is no longer considered original.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry.

Couplet (KUP-let)

A rhymed pair of lines in a poem.

Dialect

A form of language that is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people.

Dramatic monologue

A literary device that is used when a character reveals his or her innermost thoughts and feelings, those that are hidden throughout the course of the story line, through a poem or a speech. This speech, where only one character speaks, is recited while other characters are present onstage.

Elegy (EL-e-je)

A literary song or poem that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died.

Enjambment

In poetry, the running over of a line or thought into the next of verse.

Epigram (ep-e-gram)

A short poem or verse that seeks to ridicule a thought or event, usually with witticism or sarcasm.

Epic

A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or group.

Epiphany

A sudden moment of understanding that causes a character to change or to act in a certain way.

Epitaph

A short poem or verse written in memory of someone.

Extended metaphor

A figure of speech that compares two essentially unlike things in great length.

Fable

A brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature. Fables often feature animals as characters.

Figurative language or figure of speech

Expressions that are not literally true, such as simile and metaphor.

Flashback

An interruption of the chronological sequence of an event of earlier occurrence.