AP English Literature and Composition
2024/2025
adage - -A saying that becomes widely accepted as truth over time. Usually
observances of life and behaviour that express a general truth. Ex: "A penny saved is a
penny earned."
allegory - -A story in which the narrative or characters carry an underlying symbolic,
metaphorical or possibly ethical meaning.
alliteration - -The repetition of one or more initial consonant in a group of words or
lines of poetry or prose. Writers use this for ornament or for emphasis.
allusion - -A reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect or
enhance the meaning of an idea.
ambiguity - -A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke
multiple meanings and interpretation.
anachronism - -A person, scene, event, or other element in literature that fails to
correspond with the time/era in which the work is set.
analogy - -A comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to something else
that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to
something that is familiar.
,antagonist - -A character or force in a work of literature that, by opposing the
protagonist produces tension or conflict.
antithesis - -A rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a
sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.
aphorism - -A statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner.
The term is often applied to philosophical, moral and literary principles.
Apollonian - -In contrast to Dionysian, it refers to the most noble, godlike qualities of
human nature and behaviour.
apostrophe - -A figure of speech where the writer or speaker detaches himself from
his present reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech.
archetype - -A character, action or situation which represents or reflects a
commonly held or universal pattern, such as human nature.
assonance - -The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines
in poetry and prose.
ballad - -A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited; a long
narrative poem, usually in very regular meter and rhyme, typically has a folksy quality
bard - -A poet or a performer in olden times who told heroic stories to musical
accompaniment.
, Bildungsroman - -A special kind of novel that focuses on the psychological and
moral growth of its main character from his or her youth to adulthood. Generally, such a
novel starts with a loss or a tragedy that disturbs the main character emotionally. He or she
leaves on a journey to fill that vacuum.
blank verse - -Poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used in English
poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton; its lines generally do not rhyme.
bombast - -Inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects.
cacophony - -The use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing and unmelodious sounds,
primarily those of consonants, to achieve the desired results. Ex: "I detest war because
cause of war is always trivial."
caesura - -It involves creating a fracture within a sentence, where the two separate
parts are distinguishable from one another yet intrinsically linked; the purpose is to create
a dramatic pause. Ex: "Mozart- oh, how your music makes me soar!"
canon - -The works most widely read, studied, and considered most important in
national literature or in a specific literary period.
caricature - -A grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things; a
portrait that exaggerates a facet of personality.
catharsis - -A cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic
tragedy.
2024/2025
adage - -A saying that becomes widely accepted as truth over time. Usually
observances of life and behaviour that express a general truth. Ex: "A penny saved is a
penny earned."
allegory - -A story in which the narrative or characters carry an underlying symbolic,
metaphorical or possibly ethical meaning.
alliteration - -The repetition of one or more initial consonant in a group of words or
lines of poetry or prose. Writers use this for ornament or for emphasis.
allusion - -A reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect or
enhance the meaning of an idea.
ambiguity - -A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke
multiple meanings and interpretation.
anachronism - -A person, scene, event, or other element in literature that fails to
correspond with the time/era in which the work is set.
analogy - -A comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to something else
that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to
something that is familiar.
,antagonist - -A character or force in a work of literature that, by opposing the
protagonist produces tension or conflict.
antithesis - -A rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a
sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.
aphorism - -A statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner.
The term is often applied to philosophical, moral and literary principles.
Apollonian - -In contrast to Dionysian, it refers to the most noble, godlike qualities of
human nature and behaviour.
apostrophe - -A figure of speech where the writer or speaker detaches himself from
his present reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech.
archetype - -A character, action or situation which represents or reflects a
commonly held or universal pattern, such as human nature.
assonance - -The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines
in poetry and prose.
ballad - -A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited; a long
narrative poem, usually in very regular meter and rhyme, typically has a folksy quality
bard - -A poet or a performer in olden times who told heroic stories to musical
accompaniment.
, Bildungsroman - -A special kind of novel that focuses on the psychological and
moral growth of its main character from his or her youth to adulthood. Generally, such a
novel starts with a loss or a tragedy that disturbs the main character emotionally. He or she
leaves on a journey to fill that vacuum.
blank verse - -Poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used in English
poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton; its lines generally do not rhyme.
bombast - -Inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects.
cacophony - -The use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing and unmelodious sounds,
primarily those of consonants, to achieve the desired results. Ex: "I detest war because
cause of war is always trivial."
caesura - -It involves creating a fracture within a sentence, where the two separate
parts are distinguishable from one another yet intrinsically linked; the purpose is to create
a dramatic pause. Ex: "Mozart- oh, how your music makes me soar!"
canon - -The works most widely read, studied, and considered most important in
national literature or in a specific literary period.
caricature - -A grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things; a
portrait that exaggerates a facet of personality.
catharsis - -A cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic
tragedy.
