AP Litty Vocab

personification

giving non-human things human characteristics/emotions

alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

apostrophe

when you speak to something/someone that cannot respond back

metonymy

substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it (ex. saying the white house when you really mean the president)

hyperbole

over exaggeration

allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

juxtaposition

placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast

foreshadow

early reference/hint of what will occur later

diction

fancy way of saying word choice

syntax

word order

paradox

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

tone

the attitude

connection vs. denotation

denotation - dictionary def

foil characters

characters that contrast each other in order to emphasize traits

symbolism

the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities

Prometheus

Tried to play God, took control, gave ppl fire, led to his downfall

gothic literature

a form of literature used by Romantics to emphasize the bizarre and unusual, especially evident in horror stories.

Often remote settings, dark, eerie, strange, supernatural

epistolary

story is told through letters or documents

POV

perspective

narrator

who tells the story

romanticism

19th century artistic movement that appealed to emotion rather than reason

hamartia

a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine

motif

reoccurring symbol in story

pathetic fallacy

nature mirrors human experience (ex. person crying, sky is raining)