Learn: AP Lit Vocab

Absurdism

The idea of life not having meaning

Allegory

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

Aliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event (anything outside literature)

Ambiguity

unclearness; uncertainty

Antithesis

a contrast or opposition between two things

Augustan Age

The 1700s/ Age of Reason / Enlightenment

Ballad

Poem that has a romance narrative

Baroque

Fancy literature in the 1700s

Bathos

Something serious that gets interrupted by something silly

Beat Writers/Poets

American poets who rejected traditional writing and societal norms

Bombast

Over the top confidence

Burlesque

Exaggerated characterization to make something absurd

Conceit

Abstract metaphor

Canon of Literature

The famous works of literature that builds onto each other

Concrete poem

Poem that's formatted into a shape

Carpe Diem

Motif of early literature

Characterization

Building up of a character

Chivalry

Medieval manners and loyalty/code to do the right thing

Chorus

A recap of what's happened in Greek plays

Cliché

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

Commedia del arte

Improvised comedy featuring stock characters