Ap LIT terms

Allegory

story that has literal meaning on the surface but holds a deeper, secondary meaning underneath

(ex. Animal Farm)

Alliteration

lit device where the same sound repeats at the beginning of two or more neighboring or close words

Allusion

brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, artwork, or story

Analogy

comparison between two completely different things by using a shared relationship to liken them and make abstract ideas easier to understand

Antagonist

character, group, or force that stands in opposition to the main character, contributes to central conflict of story

Antithesis

lit device that puts two contrasting or opposite ideas side-by-side using a similar (parallel) sentence structure.

Aphorism

short, concise statement that expresses a general truth, moral principle, or insight about human life

“knowledge is power”

“Actions speak louder than words”

“time is money”

Apostrophe

when speaker, character, or writer directly addresses an absent person as if it were present and capable of responding

Catharsis

emotional release or relief that a reader or audience feels after experiencing a big event in a story

Characterization

a way the author develops traits of a character

Cliché

phrase, idea, character type, or plot point that has lost its originality because it has been overused

Climax

most intense, exciting, or important point of a story where the MC faces their biggest challenge

Connotation

emotional meaning or feeling that a word conveys beyond its literal meaning

Denouement

final part of a story that happens after the climax and falling action where all loose ends are tied up

Deus Ex Machina

plot device where an apparently unsolvable problem is unexpectedly resolved by a new, out-of-nowhere thing

Dialogue

conversation between two or more characters

Diction

authors word choice, how they pick words to express an idea

Epic

long narrative poem that tells the story of a legendary or historical hero

Epigram

short witty statement that’s memorable and expresses a single thought through satire and a surprising twist at the end. (often contradictory)

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” - J.F.K

Epigraph

Exposition

 Falling Action

 Figurative Language

 Figure of Speech

 Foreshadowing

Hyperbole

Imagery

 Irony (*not to be confused with coincidence)

a mismatch between expectation and reality.

Dramatic Irony

audience or reader knows information that the characters in the story do not

Situational Irony

when the actual outcome of an event us the exact opposite of what you reasonably expect to happen

coincidence

when two or more things happen at the same time, purely by chance. Without any planning or hidden connection

juxtaposition

the act of placing two or more things side by side to compare, contrast, or create an interesting effect in space and time

literary device

special trick or tools where writers use language to make their writing more interesting, emotional, or meaningful

metaphor

figure of speech that compares two different things by saying one thing is another

extended metaphor

direct comparison between two unlike things that stretches across multiple sentences, paragraphs, or an entire piece of writing (poem or song)

mood

emotional atmosphere or feeling that a book, story, etc, creates

motif

a repeating element - like an image, sound, phrase, or object that shows up consistently to help point out a greater message

Muse

a person, animal, or experience that gives a writer or artist creative ideas and inspiration

narrative

either a real or fictional story or account of connected events

onomatopoeia

lit device where a word imitates, resembles, or suggests the actual sound it describes (meow, woof, bang)

oxymoron

fig of speech that puts two opposite words side-by-side to create deeper meaning (Bittersweet, act naturally)

paradox

fig of speech that seems to contradict itself or look impossible but holds deeper truth (“the beginning of the end”)

Parody

creative work that closely exaggerates and mimics the style, tone, or content of another author, book, or genre (Don Quioxte)

Personificiation

Giving inanimate objects personality

plot

the sequencing of events in stories

plot devices

any object, event, or character introduced to a story and used to further advance the plot

Poetic Justice

lit device where good characters are rewarded and bad characters are punished, often in a way that feels fitting, clever, or ironic

point of view

the perspective in which a story is told

Protagonist

the main character in a story

prologue

short introductory section at the very beginning of a story that comes before the main narrative

Pun

fig of speech that plays with words to create a clever or humorous effect

red herring

false clue or piece of misleading information that distracts readers or characters from the real truth or actual culprit

rhetoric

art of using language effectively, creatively, and persuasively to influence an audience, shape how a reader feels, or advance a story’s themes

rhetorical question

a question posed to make a point, create dramatic effect, or persuade an audience that is not necessarily meant to be answered

rising action

the series of events in a story that builds tension, creates suspense, and develops the main conflict leading up to the climax

Satire

use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize human flaws, foolishness, corruption, or societal problems

simile

a comparison of two or more things using like or as

symbolism

lit device where a writer uses a physical object, person, color, or action to represent a larger, abstract idea or emotion beyond its literal meaning

synecdoche

fig of speech where a part is used to represent the whole, or the whole is used to represent a part

ex. “Lend me Your ears” - “Ears” stands for a person’s attention or listening

theme

the central, underlying message, deeper truth, or big idea an author wants to share about life, human nature, or society

tone

authors attitude toward a subject or audience conveyed through his or her’s style of writing

tome

a very larger, heavy, or thick book (Textbooks, the bible)

tragic hero

a main character in a dramatic work who has noble or admirable qualities, but whose own fatal flaw or error in judgement leads to their downfall (romeo from romeo and juliet)

understatement

fig of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation, emotion, or object seem less important, serious, or large than it actually is