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

AP Literature Terms Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
6606505733AbstractAn abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research.0
6606505734AdageA saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language.1
6606505735AnachronismA person, scene, event, or other element in literature that fails to correspond with the time or era in which the work is set.2
6606506280AntithesisA rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences.3
6606507502AphorismA short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment.4
6606507503ApollonianRefers to the most noble, godlike qualities of human nature and behavior.5
6606508255ApostropheA rhetorical device in which a speaker addresses a person or personified thing not present.6
6606508734ArchetypeAn abstract or ideal conception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model or form.7
6606508735AssonanceThe repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines in poetry and prose.8
6606508736BardA poet.9
6606508740BathosThe use of insincere or overdone sentimentality.10
6606509550BildungsromanA German word referring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as the hero travels in quest of a goal.11
6606509863BombastInflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects.12
6606509864BurlesqueA work of literature meant to ridicule a subject.13
6606510864CaesuraA pause somewhere in the middle of a verse, often (but not always) marked by punctuation.14
6606510865CanonThe works considered most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied.15
6606513051ConsonanceThe repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or a line of poetry.16
6606513762Connotation vs. DenotationSuggested or implied meaning vs. dictionary definition.17
6606514243DenouementThe resolution that occurs at the end of a play or work of fiction.18
6606514244Deus ex machinaThe use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem.19
6606514747DionysianSensual, pleasure-seeking impulses.20
6606516603EpigramA concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement.21
6606516604EuphonyPleasing, harmonious sounds.22
6606520927HarangueA forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade.23
6606521356HubrisThe excessive pride that often leads tragic heroes to their death.24
6606521833In medias resA Latin term for a narrative that starts not at the beginning of events but at some other critical point.25
6606522303KenningA device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities.26
6606522304LampoonA mocking, satirical assault on a person or situation.27
6606523023LitotesA form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity (He is not a bad dancer).28
6606523024MaximA saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth.29
6606523848MelodramaA literary form in which events are exaggerated in order to create an extreme emotional response.30
6606523849Metaphysical poetryThe work of poets, particularly those of the seventeenth century, that uses elaborate conceits, is highly intellectual, and expresses the complexities of love and life.31
6606524297MetonymyA figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated.32
6606524949Non sequiturA statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before.33
6606527047Pathetic fallacyFaulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or non-human objects.34
6606529642Stream of consciousnessA style of writing in which the author tries to reproduce the random flow of thoughts in the human mind (As I Lay Dying)35
6606529643SynecdocheA figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole or the whole signifies the part (mast for ship or days for life).36
6606531063TropeThe generic name for a figure of speech such as image, symbol, simile, and metaphor.37
6606532835VerisimilitudeSimilar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is.38
6606533516VillanelleA French verse form calculated to appear simple and spontaneous but consisting of 19 lines and a prescribed pattern of rhymes.39

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!