Vocabulary Terms for AP Spanish Literature & Culture

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary terms relevant to AP Spanish Literature and Culture, including definitions of literary techniques and movements.

acción dramática

Expression of the movements occurring within and outside the characters in a play.

acotación

A note from the playwright indicating the action or movement of characters, features of the scenery, sounds, etc.

acto

Each of the parts into which a play is divided; often called jornada in the Golden Age.

aféresis

Shortening of the first syllable of a word to facilitate the metric computation of the verse.

alegoría

A narrative that illustrates an idea or moral where its objects hold symbolic meanings.

alejandrino

A fourteen-syllable verse divided into two hemistichs of seven syllables.

aliteración

Repetition of the same sound in nearby words or within words, creating auditory effects.

alusión

Reference to another literary work, historical event, myth, legend, cultural or biblical references.

ambiente

Atmosphere or the setting where literary events occur and characters act.

ambigüedad

What can admit more than one interpretation, generating doubt in the reader.

anáfora

A rhetorical device consisting of the repetition of words at the beginning of a series of verses or statements.

analepsis

A technique used in literature and cinema that alters the chronological sequence of the story, connecting different moments.

analogía

A comparison between two or more similar objects that suggests if they are alike in some ways, they may be alike in others.

antagonista

The character or element that frustrates or opposes the protagonist.

antihéroe

A character in a work, generally the protagonist, who exhibits characteristics contrary to those of a hero.

antítesis

Juxtaposition of two opposing ideas or words, usually a noun and an adjective, indicating a contradiction.

aparte

A theatrical convention in which characters pretend not to hear another character who speaks to themselves or a few people.

apócope

Similar to aféresis but refers to shortening the last syllable of a word.

apología

A speech in defense or praise of a person or ideology.

apóstrofe

A rhetorical method in which the speaker addresses directly present or absent persons, animated beings, or sometimes inanimate objects.

anagnórisis

Moment when a character discovers an important fact or understands something about themselves or their situation.

argumento

A summary of the main events in a work.

arquetipo

An original model or universal symbol that exemplifies an entire category.

arte mayor

Verses that have more than eight syllables.

arte menor

Verses that contain, at most, eight syllables.

asindeton

A rhetorical device that consists of omitting conjunctions.

asonancia

Refers to the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.

atmósfera

The emotional condition created by a work; refers to the general feeling the reader is meant to perceive.

autor

The person who writes a literary work.

Barroco

Spanish cultural movement (1580-1700) characterized by complexity and extravagant ornamentation.

Boom

A moment of great growth in the production of narrative works in Latin American literature that begins in 1940.

cacofonía

Combination of sounds that results in harsh and unpleasant sounds.

caricatura

A work that ridicules its subject.

carpe diem

“Seize the day.” An invitation to enjoy the present without worrying about the future.

catarsis

The purifying effect felt by the spectator at the end of a tragic work.

cesura

Pause, especially in verses of major art, occurring within the verse and dividing it into two hemistichs.

circunlocución

An indirect way of saying something without naming it precisely.

clímax

The peak moment in a work, generally the moment of greatest emotion or tension.

Colonial

Refers to literature produced during the Spanish colonization of American lands, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries.

comedia

Originally a work written for the theater that has either a happy ending or at least is not tragic.

composición

Analysis of the structure of stanzas and verses.

Conceptismo

A literary movement linked to the Spanish Baroque characterized by elaborate associations, puns, paradoxes, and conciseness.

consonancia

Refers to the repetition of consonant sounds at the end of words.

costumbrismo

Attention to the portrayal of typical regional or national customs in literary and pictorial works.

cromatismo

The use of colors to express ideas and feelings.

crónica

A historical work in prose that is studied as a narrative genre.

cuarteta

A four-line stanza, usually octosyllabic, with a consonant rhyme scheme: abcb.

cuarteto

A major stanza with four endecasílabos and consonant rhyme.

cuento

A short fiction narrative that tells both fictitious and fantastical events.

Culteranismo

A Spanish literary style characterized by rich and extravagant metaphors, complex syntax.

desdoblamiento

Formation of two or more things by separating components that are usually together.

desenlace

The part of a narrative or theatrical work after the climax where the plot threads are resolved.

diálogo

Spoken exchange between two or more characters.

didáctico

A work whose purpose is to teach; often has a moral.

diéresis

Pronunciation in distinct syllables of two vowels that normally form a diphthong.

drama

A theatrical work in which passions and situations are not as violent and strong as in tragedy.

dramaturgo

Author of dramatic works.

eco

Consists of the repetition of words or parts of words, producing a sound effect.

Edad Media

A period from the 5th to the 15th centuries in which the Middle Ages ends with Columbus's arrival in the Americas.

elipsis

Omission of an element of the sentence or idea that the reader has to infer.

encabalgamiento

In a poem, the continuation of an idea or phrase into the next verse when the grammatical pause does not coincide with the meaning.

ensayo

A literary genre that presents one or more theses on a subject.

enumeración

A figure that names different parts of a general concept or thought.

épica

A long poem that narrates historical or legendary events.

epífora

Repetition of one or several words at the end of a phrase or verse.

epíteto

An adjective that precedes a noun and emphasizes an inherent or natural quality.

escena

A part of a play in which the same characters are present.

escenario

Where a play is performed, can be natural or constructed.

estribillo

Verse or verses that periodically repeat in a poem.

estrofa

Group of verses structured in a specified order.

eufemismo

The substitution of a word or term for another to avoid naming something unpleasant or distasteful.

Existencialismo

Philosophical movement that bases the knowledge of all reality on the experience of one's own existence.

exposición

Presentation of the elements of the plot that then develop in the narrative.

fábula

A brief narrative, fictional, intended to teach a moral lesson.

falla trágica

Fatal error of the protagonist in a work leading to irreparable damage.

fantástico

A rupture in the thread of everyday reality.

ficción

Literary works that present imaginary events and characters.

figura retórica

Use of language to embellish or give a different meaning.

flashback

Manipulation of the action in a work where past events are inserted.

fluir de conciencia

Narrative technique presenting a character's thoughts and feelings without structure.

Generación del '98

Group of Spanish novelists, poets, essayists, and philosophers active during and after the Cuban War.

género

Term used to distinguish different classes of literary works according to their content, form, and purpose.

guión

What a playwright writes (list of characters, dialogue, stage directions).

gradación

Series of words or concepts that ascends or descends in significance.

hemistiquio

Each of the two parts of a verse that are separated by a cesura.

héroe

In ancient mythology, the hero was the son of a god.

hiato

Pronunciation in different syllables of two different vowels that should usually be pronounced in one.

hipálage

Figure that consists of attributing a complement to a word other than the one it logically refers to.

hipérbaton

Alteration of the normal order of syntax.

hipérbole

Exaggeration by increasing or decreasing a concept, fact, or feeling.

imagen

Literal or mental representation of something real or imagined.

in medias res

A literary and artistic technique in which the narration starts in the middle of the story.

intertextualidad

The relationship that a text maintains with other texts.

ironía

The use of a meaning to express an idea in such a way that it is understood to mean the opposite.

ironía dramática

Situation in which the audience or reader has knowledge that the character lacks.

jitanjáfora

Word or text without meaning but with great aesthetic value.

lector

Person who reads.

leit motiv

The repetition of an idea, word, phrase, or sentence throughout a work.

libro de caballerías

A literary genre very popular in Spain that celebrates the deeds of chivalrous knights.

licencia poética

Resources that the poet has to adjust verses to a specific measure and rhyme.