AP Lit - Literary Terms

allegory

a narrative or description having a second or symbolic meaning beneath the surface one

allusion

a reference, explicit or implicit, to something in previous literature or history

ambiguity

purposeful multiple meanings as in pun and double entendre

analogy

comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar. Metaphors and similes are tools used to draw an analogy

anecdote

a short account of an interesting or humorous incident

antithesis

the use of contrasting concepts, words, or sentences within parallel grammatical structures

apostrophe

calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea

archetype

a universal symbol, character type, or plot pattern that recurs across various cultures and time periods

colloquialism

the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing

comparison

a broad term used to describe relationships between different things, people, or concepts by examining their similarities (common, more specific forms of comparison include allusion, analogy, metaphor, and simile)