AP Lit Literary Terms

alliteration

when a consonant sound is continuously repeated at the beginning of words in a sequence/sentence

allusion

When a literary text makes a reference to something else, such as another text, an event, a person, a place, art, or pop culture. A literary allusion is when the reference is specifically to another literary text.

antithesis

a tactic used in speech that adds emphasis by using contrasting words, sentences, or phrases

diction

The writer’s word choices. For example, formal (high-level language use, commonly in serious texts), informal (conversational but remains polite), colloquial (the common dialect of a group of people), or slang (newer terms that cannot be used formally).

figurative language

Writing that means something different from its literal definition. For example, irony, simile, and metaphor.

hyperbole

an obvious exaggeration

metonymy

Referring to something as an object or idea that closely relates to it. For example, calling the royal government “the crown.”

oxymoron

putting two words together that are opposites of each other

personification

describing an inanimate object or idea using human characteristics

synecdoche

referring to something as just a part of it instead of the whole thing (ex. counting heads)

understatement

under-stating the severity or ability of an event, object, etc.

imagery

vividly describing something using words that relate to the five senses

irony

Used to evoke a contrast between reality and something not realistic/the opposite of that reality

verbal irony

when someone says something and they really mean the opposite; sarcasm

situational irony

when an event takes place that is the opposite of what should have realistically happened/what was intended to happen

dramatic irony

When the audience/reader knows something that the character(s) do not, and the characters’ actions/speech reflects that lack of knowledge

cosmic irony

when a higher/divine power acts against the humans

metaphor

a type of figurative language where a comparison is explicitly stated without the use of a comparative term (such as “like,” “as,” or “than”)

mood

the overlying emotional state of a text; the vibe that the reader gets

narrative form

any form of narrative, whether it is a genre (ex. novel, short story, poem, etc.), parts of that narrative (ex. chapters, dialogue, rising action, climax, etc.) or other elements like mood, tone, point of view, imagery, etc.

onomatopoeia

when words are used to describe the sound of something, and the actual word mirrors the sound (ex. pop, hiss, buzz)

paraphrase

articulating the same idea as someone else but saying/writing it in a different way/using different words

poetic form

any form of poetry, including the parts of a poem (stanzas, rhyme scheme, rhythm, etc.), or writing techniques (point of view, figurative language, mood, imagery, etc.)

point of view (POV)

the perspective/character’s perspective that the story is being told from

first person POV

the narrator writes from their own POV about their own actions using “I”

third person POV

The narrator writes from the perspective of an outside POV and is therefore not a character. Uses “he/she did this” and never “I.” Third person omniscient is when this narrator is all-knowing and can write about the thoughts of any character. Third person limited is when the narrator is limited to writing about the thoughts of just one (or maybe just a couple) character(s), but still using “he/she” and not “I.”

second person

Essentially the point of view of the reader, since it uses “you” instead of “I” or “he/she.” It is rarely used, but it puts the reader in the scene: “You walk in a room.”

satire

a writing genre that is entirely ironic/sarcastic, often used to mock an aspect of society/political ideology that the author is against

simile

explicitly stating a comparison using “like,” “as,” or “than”

style

A specific manner of expression that the author is trying to achieve. The building blocks of a story, diction, imagery, tone, figurative language, etc. all contribute to the style.

symbolism

something physical or tangible within a story that has a greater meaning, often representing something else like an idea or struggle

tone

The attitude that the author has towards the subject matter. Tones are expressed as emotional keywords like “angry” or “sad.”