AP Lit Analysis Terms

allegory

A story, poem, or picture that uses symbolic figures, actions, or events to convey a moral or political meaning.

alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in closely positioned words.

allusion

An indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work.

anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.

archetype

A typical example of a character, theme, or symbol in literature that represents universal patterns of human nature.

assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words to create internal rhyming.

blank verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter, commonly used in English dramatic and narrative poetry.

catharsis

The emotional release experienced by the audience after a dramatic or literary work.

chiasmus

A rhetorical device where two or more clauses are balanced against each other by reversing their structures.

comedy

A genre of literature or drama that aims to entertain and amuse, often with a happy ending.

coming of age (bildungsroman)

A novel or story that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its protagonist from youth to adulthood.

conceit

An extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs a poetic passage or entire poem.

contemporary relevance

The significance or application of a literary work to modern times and issues.

diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

dynamic character

A character who undergoes significant internal change throughout a story.

elegy

A poem of serious reflection, typically lamenting the dead.

epic

A long narrative poem detailing heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation.

exposition

The part of a story that provides background information about characters, setting, and plot.

figurative language

Language that uses figures of speech, such as metaphors, similes, and personification, to convey meaning beyond the literal.

foil

A character who contrasts with another character to highlight particular qualities.

foreshadow

A literary device used to give hints or clues about future events in the story.

iambic

A metrical foot in poetry consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating a vivid mental picture.

irony

A contrast between expectation and reality, often highlighting a deeper meaning.

juxtaposition

The placement of two contrasting ideas or elements side by side to emphasize differences or similarities.

literary criticism

The analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of literary works.

litotes

A figure of speech that uses understatement by negating the opposite of what is meant.

local color

The use of specific regional details in literature to create authenticity and mood.

melodrama

A dramatic work emphasizing exaggerated emotions, sensational events, and simplistic characters.

metaphysical

Pertaining to abstract ideas or themes that go beyond physical reality.

metonymy

A figure of speech where one thing is represented by another that is closely associated with it.

moral

The lesson or principle conveyed by a story or piece of literature.

motif

A recurring element, theme, or symbol in a literary work.

myth

A traditional story explaining natural or social phenomena, often involving gods or supernatural beings.

ode

A formal, often ceremonious lyric poem that addresses and celebrates a person, place, thing, or idea.

oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms for effect.

paradox

A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth.

parody

A humorous imitation of a serious work or style.

pathos

An appeal to emotion, often used to evoke sympathy or pity in literature.

pentameter

A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet.

poetic justice

A literary device in which virtue is ultimately rewarded and vice punished in a fitting way.

point of view

The perspective from which a story is told (first person, third person, etc.).

prose

Ordinary written or spoken language, without metrical structure.

prosody

The study of meter, rhythm, and intonation in poetry.

realism

A literary movement that focuses on representing everyday life and society as they are.

rhyme scheme

The pattern of rhyming words at the end of lines in a poem.

Romanticism

A literary movement emphasizing emotion, imagination, and nature, often as a reaction to industrialization.

satire

The use of humor, irony, or ridicule to criticize or expose societal flaws.

soliloquy

A speech in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, usually alone on stage.

static character

A character who does not undergo significant change throughout a story.

stream of consciousness

A narrative technique that presents a character's thoughts and feelings as they occur.

style

The distinctive way an author uses language, including word choice, sentence structure, and tone.

symbol

An object, character, or event that represents a deeper meaning.

synesthesia

A literary device that describes one sensory experience in terms of another (e.g., "a loud color").

syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences.

theme

The central idea or underlying message of a literary work.

tone

The author's attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through diction and style.

tragedy

A dramatic work in which the protagonist suffers a downfall due to a tragic flaw or fate.

universal truth

A timeless and universally applicable insight or principle.

verisimilitude

The appearance of being true or real in a literary work.