AP Literature Terms

AP Literature Terms

Allegory

Definition: A narrative with a literal and a secondary, symbolic meaning.
Example: George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is an allegory for the Russian Revolution, where animals represent 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: A rose often symbolizes love and beauty in literature.

Irony

Definition: A contrast between expectation and reality.
Example: A fire station burning down.

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 with contradictory terms in conjunction.
Example: "Bittersweet" or "deafening silence."

Foreshadowing

Definition: Hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.
Example: Romeo's lines in "Romeo and Juliet" foreshadow his tragic fate.

Motif

Definition: A recurring element with symbolic significance in a story.
Example: Light and darkness in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet".

Anaphora

Definition: Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.
Example: Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream…" speech.

Juxtaposition

Definition: Placement of two or more ideas, characters, or settings side by side for comparison and contrast.
Example: The contrast between London and Paris in Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities."

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: Stephen Dedalus's epiphany in James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man."

Chiasmus

Definition: Repetition of words, grammatical constructions, or concepts in reverse order.
Example: "Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You."

Punditry

Definition: Figurative expression offering expertise and opinion, often using hyperbole or metaphor.
Example: Critics discussing the implications of a film or book.

Satire

Definition: Literature that uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize or mock individuals or society.
Example: Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal."

Ambiguity

Definition: The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness.
Example: The ending of "The Giver" by Lois Lowry.

Diction

Definition: The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.
Example: Different diction used by characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."

Connotation

Definition: The implied or associated meaning of a word beyond its literal definition.
Example: "Home" connotes feelings of warmth and security.

Allusion

Definition: A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.
Example: Allusions to Dante's "The Divine Comedy" in T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land."

Romanticism

Definition: An artistic and intellectual movement emphasizing nature, individualism, emotion, and the glorification of the past.
Example: Works by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Pastiche

Definition: A literary piece that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists.
Example: "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles.

Palimpsest

Definition: Reusing a surface for new writing but retaining traces of the old.
Example: James Joyce's "Ulysses".

Courtly Love

Definition: A literary tradition that idealizes romantic love and chivalric values, often involving unattainable love.
Example: The poetry of Petrarch.

Assonance

Definition: The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words to create rhythm and musicality.
Example: "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain."

Consonance

Definition: The repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity within a sentence or phrase.
Example: "Pitter-patter."

Realism

Definition: Literary technique that attempts to represent everyday activities and experiences as they are in real life.
Example: Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary".

Naturalism

Definition: A literary movement suggesting that environment and heredity determine human behavior.
Example: Émile Zola's "Germinal".

Existentialism

Definition: A philosophical movement emphasizing individual existence, freedom, and choice.
Example: The works of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.

Alienation

Definition: Individuals feeling isolated or detached from their surroundings or society.
Example: Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis".

Parallelism

Definition: The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same or similar.
Example: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Cacophony

Definition: A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
Example: Clang of instruments in a hall.

Synecdoche

Definition: A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole or vice versa.
Example: "All hands on deck."

Euphemism

Definition: A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered too harsh or blunt.
Example: "Passed away" instead of "died."

Apostrophe

Definition: Addressing 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."