AP Spanish Literature Literary Terms

vocales

vowels

redondilla

quatrain, four verses octosílabo ABBA

posmodernismo

siglo XX, opposes modernist rationalism

polípote

repetition of a noun or adjective in different forms

perífrasis

periphrasis, use more words than necessary to allude (eludir) to the name of something → a quality substituted for a name

narratorio

naratee, person that the narrator directs the narrative to

monólogo, soliloquio

monologue, soliloquy

licencia poética

poetic license, the resources that the poet has to adjust their metrics and lines

marco escénico

setting, place where a work takes place

jitanjáfora

jitanjafora, word or phrase without meaning but iwth great aesthetic value through its sound

hipálage

hypallage, attributing a complement to a word other than the one it would logically refer to

gradación

gradation, series of words or concepts that ascends or descends

fluir de conciencia/monólogo interior

stream of consciousness, presents the thinking and sensations of a person, without structure or intervention of the conciousness

flashback

insert fact that occurred before (prolepsis = flashforward)

fantástico

rupture in the every realism plot

eufemismo

substitute a word or term for another to avoid naming the word or poor sounding concept

epíteto, pleonasmo

epithet, adjective after a noun and underlines an inherent/natural quality

epífora, epanadiplosis

epiphora, epanadiplosis repetition of one or various words at the end of a line

diéresis

diaeresis, pronunciation of distnict syllables in two vowels that usually form a diptongo

dialefa

disunion of a sinalefa (two syllables in place of one) → las dos sílaba quedan en hiato, se produce una dialefa

desenlace

resolution, after the climax that ties up loose ends

cuarteta

quatrain, verse with four lines in arte menor (octosílabo)

cuarteto

quartet, verse with four lines in arte mayor (endecasílabo, rima consonante ABBA)

Costumbrismo

attention to the typical regional customs

circunlocución

circumlocution, indirect manner of saying something without naming it precisely

calambur

pun, 2+ words that sound the same but with different meanings, play on words

aféresis

aphaereis, cut off the first syllable of a word to help with the

apócope

apocope, similar to aféresis but cut the last syllable

diptongo

diphthong, the combination of a strong vowel (a, o, e) with a weak vowel (i, u)

sinéresis

two strong vowels in the same syllable

sinalefa

blending two successive vowels into one syllable

llana

describes words in which the stressed syllable is the second to last

aguda

describes words in which the stressed syllable is the last

esdrújulas

describes words in which the stressed syllable is the third to last

tetrasílabo

four syllables per line

hexasílabo

six syllables per line

heptasílabo

seven syllables per line

octosílabo

eight syllables per line

eneasílabo

nine syllables per line

decasílabo

ten syllables per line

endecasílabo

eleven syllables per line

dodecasílabo

twelve syllables per line

alejandrino

fourteen syllables per line

hipérbole

hyperbole, exaggeration

prosopopeya

personification, giving human characteristics to non-human objects

aliteración

alliteration, repetition of the same sound or group of sounds

anáfora

anaphora, repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of two or more verses or sentences

antítesis

antithesis, expression of contradictory ideas in similar phrases

aparte

aside, technical theater term to communicate to the audience certain things that the other characters should not know

apóstrofe

apostrophe, a passage addressing a person or thing as if it could respond

arquetipo

archetype, a typical example or symbol of something, a model of behavior

arte mayor

verses with more than eight syllables

arte menor

verses with eight syllables or less

asíndeton

asyndeton, omission of a conjunction between parts of a sentence

carpe diem

life is short and should be appreciated

cesura

caesura, a pause in the middle of a line

clímax, nudo

climax, most intense point of action in the plot

elipsis

ellipsis, omission of elements of a sentence

encabalgamiento

enjambment, continuation of a thought from one verse to the next

epopeya

epic poetry, poetry in an elevated style describing a historic or legendary hero

epíteto

epithet, addition of adjectives that are not necessary, but emphasize a certain characteristic of a thing

estribillo

refrain, line or lines that are repeated throughout a poem

estrofa

stanza

estructura

structure, the framework of a literary work

exposición

exposition, the beginning of a work in which the characters and premise are introduced

hamartia

tragic flaw, weakness of a tragic hero that leads him to catastrophe

hipérbaton

hyperbaton, alteration to the typical order of words in a sentence

imagen

image, literal or figurative representation of an object or sensory experience, mental image

in media res

beginning in the middle of the action rather than before

metáfora

metaphor, a comparison between objects in which one object is typically symbolic of another

metonimia

metonymy, substitution of a word for the idea meant

onomatopeya

onomatopoeia, use of words to imitate a sound

paradoja

paradox, union of apparently irreconcilable ideas

pareado

couplet, stanza of two lines

parodia

parody, exaggerated imitation of something for comic effect

prefiguración

foreshadowing, indication of events to come

realismo mágico

magical realism, magical elements in a realistic setting

rima asonante

assonance, type of rhyme in which only the vowels rhyme

rima consonante

consonance, rhyme in which the last sounds rhyme

simbolo

symbol, use of a concrete object to represent an abstract idea

símil

simile, comparison between two objects using like or as

sinécdoque

synecdoche, substituting the name of an object for another related object, typically used to give an object a more general name

soneto

sonnet, poetic composition of fourteen lines

tema

theme

tono

tone, attitude of the author towards the material

alegoría

allegory, story interpreted to reveal a deeper meaning

copla

couplet, two lines of verse joined into one unit

figuras retóricas

rhetorical figure, language device used by a writer to prompt the reader to consider the meaning from a different perspective

hemistiquio

hemistich, half a line of verse preceded or followed by a caesura, sometimes used to indicate tension or suspense

justicia poética

poetic justice, device in which a character is punished or rewarded based on their actions, often by fate

metro

meter, rhythmic structure of verse

retruécano

pun, play on words involving words that sound similar or a word with multiple meanings

octava

octave, verse consisting of eight lines

polifonía

polyphony, aspect of narrative involving multiple perspectives

oda

ode, lyric poem addressing a particular subject, often elevated in style

polisíndeton

polysyndeton, repetition of conjunctions

pregunta retórica

rhetorical question, question posed for effect and not intended to be answered

ritmo

rhythm, pattern of language

serventesio

stanza of four verses of more than eight syllables with consonance, usually with a rhyme scheme ABAB

apología

eulogy, speech in defense or praise of a person or ideology