AP literature terms

Allegory
Definition: A narrative with a literal meaning and a secondary, symbolic meaning.
Example: George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is an allegory for the Russian Revolution, where farm animals represent different social classes and political figures.
Metaphor
Definition: A comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as".
Example: "Time is a thief that steals our moments."
Simile
Definition: A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as".
Example: "Her smile was as bright as the sun."
Personification
Definition: Assigning human traits to non-human entities.
Example: "The wind whispered through the trees."
Imagery
Definition: Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.
Example: "The golden sun dripped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the quiet valley."
Symbolism
Definition: The use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities.
Example: In literature, a rose often symbolizes love and beauty.
Irony
Definition: A contrast between expectation and reality.
Example: A fire station burns down, which is ironic because one would expect a fire station to be fireproof.
Alliteration
Definition: The repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a phrase.
Example: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
Hyperbole
Definition: Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.
Example: "I have told you a million times."
Oxymoron
Definition: A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction.
Example: "Bittersweet" or "deafening silence."
Foreshadowing
Definition: A literary device used to give hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.
Example: In "Romeo and Juliet", Romeo's lines foreshadow his tragic fate.
Motif
Definition: A recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story.
Example: The motif of light and darkness in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" reflects the themes of love and hate.
Anaphora
Definition: The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.
Example: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up… I have a dream that one day…" - Martin Luther King Jr.
Juxtaposition
Definition: The placement of two or more ideas, characters, or settings side by side for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.
Example: In Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities," the stark contrast between the cities of London and Paris highlights themes of revolution and redemption.
Paradox
Definition: A statement that appears contradictory but may reveal an underlying truth.
Example: "Less is more."
Epiphany
Definition: A moment of sudden revelation or insight experienced by a character.
Example: In James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," Stephen Dedalus experiences an epiphany about his identity and art while watching a girl at the beach.
Chiasmus
Definition: A rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order.
Example: "Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You."
Punditry
Definition: A form of figurative expression where expertise and opinion are offered in a particular area, often using hyperbole or metaphor.
Example: Critics often engage in punditry when discussing the implications of a controversial movie or book.
Satire
Definition: A genre of literature that uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize or mock individuals or society.
Example: Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" satirizes British policy toward the Irish by suggesting that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food.
Ambiguity
Definition: The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness.
Example: The ending of "The Giver" by Lois Lowry is ambiguous, allowing for multiple interpretations of Jonas's fate.
Diction
Definition: The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing, which can convey tone and meaning.
Example: The different diction used by the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" showcases their social standings and personalities.
Connotation
Definition: The implied or associated meaning of a word beyond its literal definition.
Example: The word "home" connotes feelings of warmth, comfort, and security, beyond its definition as a physical dwelling.
Allusion
Definition: A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.
Example: In T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," there are allusions to Dante's "The Divine Comedy," which deepen the poem's themes of despair and redemption.
Romanticism
Definition: An artistic and intellectual movement emphasizing nature, individualism, emotion, and the glorification of the past.
Example: Works by poets such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge highlight the beauty of nature and the importance of personal experience.
Pastiche
Definition: A literary piece that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists.
Example: The novel "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles is a pastiche of various literary styles.
Palimpsest
Definition: 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.
Example: James Joyce's "Ulysses" can be seen as a palimpsest, as it layers new meaning over existing literary and cultural influences.
Courtly Love
Definition: A literary tradition that idealizes romantic love and chivalric values, often involving unattainable love.
Example: The poetry of Petrarch exemplifies courtly love through eloquent praise of an idealized woman.
Assonance
Definition: The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words to create rhythm and musicality.
Example: In the phrase "the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain," the repetition of the 'ai' sound is an example of assonance.
Consonance
Definition: The repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity within a sentence or phrase.
Example: The phrase "pitter-patter" illustrates consonance through the repeated 't' sound.
Realism
Definition: A literary technique that attempts to represent everyday activities and experiences as they are in real life, focusing on the mundane and ordinary.
Example: Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" presents realistic portrayals of its characters and their circumstances.
Naturalism
Definition: A literary movement that suggests that environment and heredity determine human behavior, focusing on the darker aspects of life.
Example: Émile Zola's "Germinal" illustrates naturalism through its depiction of harsh working conditions and societal struggles.
Existentialism
Definition: A philosophical movement emphasizing individual existence, freedom, and choice, often addressing the absurdity of life.
Example: The works of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus examine the struggles of individuals in an indifferent universe.
Alienation
Definition: A concept where individuals feel isolated or detached from their surroundings or society, often explored in existential literature.
Example: Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" portrays alienation through the character of Gregor Samsa, who transforms into.
Parallelism
Definition: The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning, or meter.
Example: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
Cacophony
Definition: A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
Example: The clang of the instruments created a cacophony that filled the hall.
Synecdoche
Definition: A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.
Example: "All hands on deck" uses 'hands' to refer to sailors.
Euphemism
Definition: A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt.
Example: Using "passed away" instead of "died."
Apostrophe
Definition: A figure of speech in which the speaker addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or a thing.
Example: "O Death, where is thy sting?"
Aphorism
Definition: A pithy observation that contains a general truth.
Example: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."