AP Lit Vocab 2

plot

The particular arrangement of actions, events, and situations that unfold in a narrative. A ___ is not merely the general story of a narrative but the author’s artistic pattern made from the parts of the narrative, including the exposition, complications, climax, and resolution. How an author chooses to construct the ____ determines the way the reader experiences the story.

exposition

The opening portion of a narrative. In the ____, the scene is set, the protagonist is introduced, and the author discloses any other background information necessary to allow the reader to understand and relate to the events that are to follow.

conflict

The central struggle between two or more forces in a story. Opposition can arise from another character, external events, preexisting situations, fate, or even some aspect of the protagonist’s own personality. External ____ occurs between a character and outside forces; internal ____ is mental or emotional conflict that occurs within a character.

complications

An intensification of the conflict in a narrative. ____ can initiate, develop, exacerbate, and intensify the central conflict.

rising action

The part of the narrative in which events complicate the situation that existed in the exposition. Conflicts, complications, and crises move the story toward a climax.

climax

The moment of greatest intensity in a story. In a conventional plot, the ____ is followed by falling action and a resolution.

falling action

The events in a narrative that follow the climax and bring the story to its resolution.

resolution / dénouement

The final stage of a plot, in which complications are sorted out or unraveled after the climax. In French, ____ means “unknotting” or “untying”.

subplot

A subordinate plot that coexists with the main plot.

anticlimax

An unsatisfying or trivial turn of events in a plot that occurs in place of a genuine climax and resolution. The term is often used negatively to denote a feeble moment in a plot in which an author fails to create an intended effect.

structure

A story’s ____ can be examined in relation to its plot. If plot is the sequence of unfolding action, ____ is the design or form of the completed action. In examining plot, we are concerned with causality, with how one action leads into or ties in with another. In examining ____, we look for patterns, for the shape that the story as a whole possesses. Plot and structure together reveal aspects of the story’s artistic design.

character types

major and minor, static and dynamic, flat and round, externally motivated and internally motivated

characterization

the techniques a writer uses to create, reveal, or develop the characters in a narrative

protagonist

the central character in a literary work

antagonist

the most significant character or force that opposes the protagonist

hero / heroine

Often similar to the protagonist, the ____ is the central character in a literary work. The term is derived from the Greek epic tradition, in which heroes were the leading warriors or princes. By extension, ____ and ____ have come to mean the principle male and female figures in a narrative. However, the term differs from a protagonist in that ____ implies a positive assessment of the character and his or her goals.

antihero

A protagonist who is lacking in one or more of the conventional qualities attributed to the hero. Instead of being brave, wise, idealistic, or purposeful, the ____ might be self-interested, unkind, or cowardly.

stock character

A common or stereotypical character that occurs frequently in literature. Examples of ____ are the mad scientist, the damsel in distress, the strong-but-silent hero, or the cynical, battle-scarred veteran.

archetypal character

A recurring character found in literature across cultures and eras. The idea of the ____ came into literary criticism from the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung who believed that all individuals share a “collective unconscious,” a set of primal memories common to the human race that exists in our subconscious. Examples would include the questing hero, the devil or trickster, the savior, the teacher / mentor, the temptress, etc.

foil

a character who serves as a contrast to another character, so as to point out specific traits of the primary character.

setting

The time and place of a literary work. Additionally, the ____ includes the larger “climate” of a place. What is its social, legal, psychological, spiritual atmosphere? For example, before one can understand the meanings in The Scarlet Letter, one must have some understanding of American Puritanism; that belief system is part of the larger ____.

theme

one or more ideas central to a literary work

narrator

The voice and implied speaker of a fictional work, to be distinguished from the actual author.

first person point of view

The story is told from within the story by a participant or observer. The first person narrator’s knowledge and vision is often limited, and readers must always consider the possibility of the “unreliable narrator.” Can be a protagonist, major or minor character, or an observer.

third person objective point of view

A point of view in which the narrator merely reports dialogue and action with no (or minimal) interpretation or access to the characters’ minds. The narrator is a detached observer who merely reports actions and dialogue. He tells nothing about what the characters think and feel; the reader must infer meaning based on the actions and dialogue.

third person limited omniscient point of view

A point of view in which the narrator’s knowledge is limited to one character. The narrator may describe this character’s interior life: thoughts, feelings, motivations, etc.

third person omniscient point of view

A point of view in which the narrator is all-knowing. The omniscient narrator can reveal the minds of all characters.

style

All the distinctive ways in which an author, genre, movement, or historical period uses language to create literature. An author’s ____ depends on his or her characteristic use of diction, imagery, tone, syntax, and figurative language. Even sentence structure and punctuation can play a role in an author’s ____.

tone

The attitude toward a subject conveyed in a literary work. No single stylistic device creates ____; it is the net result of many stylistic devices. A writer’s tone plays an important role in establishing the reader’s relationship to the characters and ideas presented in a literary work.

voice

A writer’s distinctive style or manner of expression. More than the issues that relate to the term “style,” ____ is what makes a writer’s work unique; it conveys his or her character, personality, attitudes, etc.

diction

Refers to a writer’s word choice. ____ involves the kinds of words that a writer decides are appropriate for a particular work.

syntax

The grammatical order of words in a sentence. The way a writer arranges words and other elements (phrases, clauses, figurative language, etc.) can be a key aspect of style.