AP Spanish Literature and Culture key terms

Dropping a final sound or syllable from a word, often for poetic meter, as when "tanto" becomes "tan" before an adjective.

A rhyme pattern in which only the vowel sounds of the final stressed syllables match, typical of Spanish romances and ballads.

A rhyme pattern in which all sounds, vowels and consonants, match from the final stressed vowel onward.

Blending the final vowel of one word with the initial vowel of the next so they count as one syllable in a poetic line.

The system for counting syllables and organizing stress in verse, used to identify a poem's line lengths and rhythm.

Verse lines of eight syllables or fewer, common in popular and traditional Spanish poetry.

Verse lines of nine syllables or more, often used for elevated or reflective poetry.

A traditional Spanish ballad form of octosyllabic lines with assonant rhyme in the even lines, often narrating heroic or legendary events.

A fourteen-line poem, usually two quatrains followed by two tercets, with a fixed rhyme scheme and a turn of thought near the end.

A four-line stanza whose lines rhyme in an enclosed pattern, often used as the opening of a sonnet.

A three-line stanza, frequently closing a sonnet; its rhyme links to the preceding quatrains.

A group of verse lines set off as a unit, the equivalent of a paragraph in prose.

A single line of poetry, distinguished from prose by its measured rhythm and often by rhyme.

Inverting normal word order for emphasis or meter, common in Golden Age poetry and in modern verse influenced by it.

Describing one thing as if it were another, based on an implied comparison without using words like "como".

An explicit comparison using a connective such as "como" or "cual" between two unlike things.

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect, not meant to be taken literally.

Giving human qualities to an object, animal, or abstract idea, often to make an image vivid.

Repetition of the same consonant sounds, usually at the start of nearby words, to create a sound effect.

A word that imitates the sound it names, such as "susurro" for a whisper or "zumbido" for a buzz.

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or clauses for emphasis.

Repeating a grammatical structure across successive phrases or lines to create balance and rhythm.

A refrain, one or more lines repeated at intervals, especially at the end of stanzas in popular poetry.

The voice that tells a story, whose knowledge and reliability shape how readers understand events.

A narrator who knows the thoughts, feelings, and past of all characters, and can move freely in space and time.

The perspective from which a story is told, including person, knowledge, and attitude of the narrator.

Presenting a character's unedited flow of thoughts, often without punctuation or logical order, to show inner life directly.

How a story orders and paces events, including flashbacks, summaries, and jumps forward or backward.

A scene that interrupts the present action to show earlier events, often to explain a character's motives.

A story that contains another story inside it, with an outer narrator setting up the inner tale.

A gap between what is said or expected and what is meant or actually happens, often creating critical or comic effect.

A Latin phrase meaning "seize the day"; a theme urging enjoyment of youth and beauty before time destroys them.

A Latin phrase meaning "time flies"; a theme stressing the swift passing of time and the need to act.

A Latin phrase meaning "remember you must die"; a theme reminding readers of mortality and the vanity of worldly things.

A seventeenth-century style marked by elaborate imagery, wordplay, contrast, and a sense of disillusionment, prominent in Golden Age Spanish literature.

A Baroque poetic style, associated with Góngora, that uses dense syntax, Latinisms, and brilliant sensory imagery.

A Baroque style, associated with Quevedo, that packs meaning into concise, witty wordplay and paradox.

A late nineteenth-century literary movement, led in Spanish by Rubén Darío, known for musical verse, exotic imagery, and refined sensory language.

A narrative mode in which fantastic events are presented as ordinary within a realistic setting, without surprise or explanation.

The central idea or insight a work explores, such as love, death, or identity, as distinct from its plot.

The sequence of events that make up a story, summarized in order of cause and effect.

The main claim or position an author argues for in an essay or persuasive text, supported by evidence.

The speaker's or narrator's attitude toward the subject, such as ironic, nostalgic, or indignant, conveyed through word choice and rhythm.

A recorded reading of a text; on the exam, listening to such recordings requires tracking main ideas and details by ear.

The skill of understanding spoken Spanish, including main ideas, supporting details, speaker attitude, and implied meaning.

Drawing a conclusion not stated directly, based on clues in the text or speech and on the listener's or reader's background knowledge.

The most important point a text or recording conveys, which the supporting details explain or illustrate.

A free-response essay that states a thesis and defends it with evidence and analysis from a literary text.

Close examination of how a text's form, language, and structure create meaning, supported by quotations and explanation.

A free-response task that analyzes two works together, showing similarities and differences in theme, style, or treatment.

A short, exact quotation from a text used as evidence, integrated into an essay and explained in the writer's own words.