AP LIT KNOWN TERMS

antagonist

person, group, or force that goes up against the main character

protagonist

main character in book, movie, play, or story

characterization

the way an author describes the personality, traits, and motives of a person, animal, or fiction being in a story

climax

the highest, most intense, or most exciting point of something, usually the turning point in a story

exposition

literary device used to introduce background information about events, settings, and characters to the audience

point of view

an opinion or specific attitude from which a story is told or an event is seen

setting

the time, place, and general environment where something happens or exists

allusion

makes a brief, indirect reference to a famous person, place, event, work of art, or story

figurative language

the use of words in a non-literal way to give extra meaning, feeling, or a vivid picture

flashback

sudden jump backward into time to an earlier event

froeshadowing

a story tool where an author gives a hint or a clue about something that will happen later in the plot

hyperbole

uses extreme, intentional exaggeration to make a point, add humor, or show strong emotions

litotes

uses an understatement to express a positive idea by denying its opposite

irony

a contrast between expectation and reality

imagery

the use of descriptive and figurative language to appeal to the readers senses

symbol

an object, person, situation, or action that means more than its literal sense

motif

a reoccurring image, element, object, phrase, or idea that appears throughout the work

diction

the authors choice of arrangement and words (adjective)

jargon

the specialized, technical vocabulary used by a specific profession, trade, or subculture

parallel structure

the repetition of similar grammatical forms, phrases, or event patterns in a text

onomatopoeia

where words imitate, resemble, or suggest the actual natural sound of the thing they describe

oxymoron

puts two opposite or contradictory words together

theme

the central message, underlying meaning, or big idea that a story communicates about life or human nature

tone

authors attitude toward a subject

dramatic irony

where the reader or the audience knows a vital piece of information that the characters do not

dynamic character

person who goes through a deep internal change like shifting their values, fixing a flaw, or learning a hard lesson because of the story’s events

first person pov

storytelling style where a character in the story narrates the events, (I, me, my, we)

flat charcater

a figure with a single dominant trait or idea

limited pov

style where the story is told through an outside voice using pronouns like he, she, or they; but it is strictly restricted to the thoughts, feelings, and experiences

metaphor

compares two different things by stating that one thing is another

omniscient pov

and outside voice that knows everything about all of the characters, events, feelings, and places

personification

writer gives human traits, emotions, or actions to non-human things like objects, animals, or big ideas

round character

figure with multi-faced personality, deep motivations, and internal conflicts

second person pov

storyteller addresses the audience or a character using the pronouns “you”

simile

comparing two different things using the workers “Like” and “As”

situational irony

happens when the actual rest of an event is the exact opposite of what people think will happen

static character

a person in a story who does not go through any deep inner change, growth, or personal development from start to finish

third person pov

a story telling style where an outside narrator tells the story (he, she, it, they)

verbal irony

happens when a person says one thing but means the exact opposite