AP Lit Vocab #16

Bildungsroman

a story in which the protagonist undergoes growth throughout the entire narrative, generally starting off by being removed or chased from their home. Their growth is often impeded by opposition of their desires by other characters.

pedantic

An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as “show-offy”; using big words for the sake of using big words).

litotes

a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite; the opposite of hyperbole.

conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made.

Doppelganger

a ghostly double of another character, especially if it haunts its counterpart - means "double walker" - it's like a carbon copy of a character with a different soul. However, one of the criteria for it is NOT that it looks like its counterpart.

periphrasis

Adding in superfluous words to extend the message you are trying to give - "beating around the bush", so to speak.

portmanteau

combination of two or more words to create a new word

spoonerism

the shuffling of the first letters of words to make different words and therefore change the actual meaning of the sentence, or else produce a humorous, nonsensical sound.

synecdoche

when one uses a part to represent the whole

synesthesia

when one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another. In literature, it refers to the practice of associating two or more different senses in the same image.