AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP Literature Terms 1 Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
4747492365allegoryA story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. -interaction meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth. EX: "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", by C.S. Lewis, is a religious allegory with Aslan as Christ and Edmund as Judas. EX:"Animal Farm", by George Orwell, is an allegory that describes the overthrow of the last Russian Tsar (Nicholas II).0
4747492366alliterationThe repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words. EX: "Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore" EX: "Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers."1
4747492804allusionIndirect reference to something with which the reader is supposed to be familiar (literary text, plays, songs, historical events) EX:•"Don't act like a Romeo in front of her." - Romeo and Juliet EX: "You are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders." -Atlas, mythology2
4747492805ambiguityA word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning OR the meaning is uncertain EX: I have never tasted a cake quite like that one before! --Was the cake good or bad? EX: The bark was painful. -- dog's bark or tree bark?3
4747492806analogycomparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables. -author argues that the relationship between the first pair of variables is the same as the relationship between the second pair of variables. -Similes and metaphors are sometimes also analogies. EX: "America is to the world as the hippo is to the jungle." EX: Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer.4
4747493101antecedentThe word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. -The given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. EX: Frankenstein was a good novel; I enjoyed it. --it EX: I like reading because it makes me relax. --it5
4747493102antithesisTwo opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure. EX: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" EX: "Speech is silver, but silence is gold."6
4747493103aphorismterse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle. -can be a memorable summation of the author's point. EX: "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones"-William Faulkner EX: "The simplest questions are the hardest to answer." - Northrop Frye7
4747493606apostrophe (not grammar)When a writer or a speaker detaches himself ( or herself)from reality and addresses an imaginary character in his (or her) speech. EX: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" - speaking to a star EX: "Oh! Stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock me" - Frankenstein (Mary Shelly)8
4747493607atmosphereA type of feelings that readers get from a narrative based on details such as settings, background, objects and foreshadowing, etc. EX: The introduction to 1984 (George Orwell) establishes a gloomy rather dreary atmosphere. EX: Charles Dickens, in "A Tale of Two Cities", creates an important atmosphere whenever a major event occurs in a plot, such as we see ghostly mood of messenger's entrance in Dover mail indicates the things of future.9

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!