AP Literature Terms

Setting

Where and when a story takes place

Characterization

Why and how a character acts

STEAL acronym (Speech, thoughts, effects on others, actions and looks)

Character complexities

Similie

A comparison using “like” or “as”

Metaphor

A comparison between two or more objects without using like or as

Imagery

Detailed descriptions used to invoke an image in the reader’s mind (uses 5 senses)

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration

Personification

Giving human attributes to inanimate objects

Foreshadowing

A reference to an end that will happen in the future of the story

Point of view / narration

The perspective of a story

1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person (limited and omniscient)

Epiphany

A moment of realization

Symbolism

An object in a story that has a deeper meaning

Allegory

A scaled-down representation of a real-world issue

Theme

The message the story is trying to convey

Allusion

A reference to a real world event or another piece of work

Juxtaposition

Two ideas placed next to each other that contrast

Parradox

A sentence that contradicts itself

Ambiguity

Leaving details for the reader to interpret; uncertainity

Conflict (internal and external)

A disagreement between a character and their thoughts or an outside force

Motif

Something that repeats itself in a story

Diction

Word choice

Connotation

An emotional or cultural meaning a word carries beyond its literal definition

Tone

The narrator’s, speaker’s, or author’s attitude toward a subject

Mood

The emotional atmosphere created by a story

Syntax

Sentence structure; how a sentence is built

Verbal irony

When someone says the opposite of what they mean; sarcasm

Situational irony

When what happens is the opposite of what you expect

Dramatic irony

When the audience/reader knows something the character doesn’t

Stream of consciousness

A narrative technique that shows the flow of a character’s thoughts and feelings

Archetype

A symbol, pattern, plot, or character template that appears in multiple stories from across cultures