AP Literature Terms

AP Literature Terms Flashcards

Allegory

A narrative with a literal meaning and a secondary, symbolic meaning.

Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'.

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.

Personification

Assigning human traits to non-human entities.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a phrase.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction.

Foreshadowing

A literary device used to give hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.

Motif

A recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story.

Anaphora

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

Juxtaposition

The placement of two or more ideas, characters, or settings side by side for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.

Paradox

A statement that appears contradictory but may reveal an underlying truth.

Epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight experienced by a character.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order.

Punditry

A form of figurative expression where expertise and opinion are offered in a particular area, often using hyperbole or metaphor.

Satire

A genre of literature that uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize or mock individuals or society.

Ambiguity

The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness.

Diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing, which can convey tone and meaning.

Connotation

The implied or associated meaning of a word beyond its literal definition.

Allusion

A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.

Romanticism

An artistic and intellectual movement emphasizing nature, individualism, emotion, and the glorification of the past.

Pastiche

A literary piece that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists.

Palimpsest

A manuscript or piece of writing that has been written on and erased; the act of reusing a surface for new writing but retaining traces of the old.

Courtly Love

A literary tradition that idealizes romantic love and chivalric values, often involving unattainable love.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words to create rhythm and musicality.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity within a sentence or phrase.

Realism

A literary technique that attempts to represent everyday activities and experiences as they are in real life, focusing on the mundane and ordinary.

Naturalism

A literary movement that suggests that environment and heredity determine human behavior, focusing on the darker aspects of life.

Existentialism

A philosophical movement emphasizing individual existence, freedom, and choice, often addressing the absurdity of life.

Alienation

A concept where individuals feel isolated or detached from their surroundings or society, often explored in existential literature.

Parallelism

The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning, or meter.

Cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which the speaker addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or a thing.

Aphorism

A pithy observation that contains a general truth.