AP Lit: Fiction

ALLEGORY

story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities. EXAMPLE: Animal Farm; Dante’s Inferno; Lord of the Flies

ALLITERATION

repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together.

ALLUSION

reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture. An indirect reference to something (usually from literature, etc.).

AMBIGUITY

deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work. An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way- - this is done on purpose by the author, when it is not done on purpose, it is vagueness, and detracts from the work.

ANALOGY

Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike.

ANAPHORA

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point more coherent. (“It rained on his lousy tombstone, and it rained on the grass on his stomach. It rained all over the place.” The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 20)

ANASTROPHE

Inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. Purpose is rhythm or emphasis or euphony. (It is a fancy word for inversion.)

ANECDOTE

Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something, often shows character of an individual.

ANTAGONIST

Opponent who struggles against or blocks the hero, or protagonist, in a story.

ANTIMETABOLE

Repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order. Moliere: “One should eat to live, not live to eat.” In poetry, this is called chiasmus.

ANTHROPOMORPHISM

Attributing human characteristics to an animal or inanimate object (Fancy word for personification.)(Think of Goofy!)

APHORISM

Brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or accepted general truth. Also called maxim, epigram.

APPOSITION

Placing in immediately succeeding order of two or more coordinate elements, the latter of which is an explanation, qualification, or modification of the first (often set off by a colon). Paine: “These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” Easier example: George, a ruffed grouse, haunts the Tilley family every day for snacks and to bother them.

ASSONANCE

The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds especially in words that are together.

BALANCE

Constructing a sentence so that both halves are about the same length and importance. Sentences can be unbalanced to serve a special effect as well.

CHARACTERIZATION

The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character.

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

The author reveals to the reader what the character is like by describing how the character looks and dresses, by letting the reader hear what the character says, by revealing the character’s private thoughts and feelings, by revealing the character’s effect on other people (showing how other characters feel or behave toward the character), or by showing the character in action. Common in modern literature

DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

The author tells us directly what the character is like: sneaky, generous, mean to pets and so on. Romantic style literature relied more heavily on this form.

STATIC CHARACTER

is one who does not change much in the course of a story.

DYNAMIC CHARACTER

is one who changes in some important way as a result of the story’s action.

FLAT CHARACTER

has only one or two personality traits. They are one dimensional, like a piece of cardboard. They can be summed up in one phrase.

ROUND CHARACTER

has more dimensions to their personalities---they are complex, just as real people are.