AP Lit Terms 1

Allegory

A narrative, either in verse or prose, in which characters, action, and sometimes setting represent abstract concepts apart from the literal meaning of the story

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

Allusion

A brief reference to a person, event, or place in history or to a work of art/literature

Analogy

A comparison made between two items, situations, or ideas that are somewhat alike but unlike in most respects

Anaphora

A figure of repetition that occurs when the first word or set of words in one sentence, clause, or phrase is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases

Antagonist

A character in a story or play who opposes the chief character or protagonist

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person or a personified quality, object, or idea

Archetype

A character, an action, or situation that seems to represent common patterns of human life. Often include a symbol, a theme, a setting, or a character that have a common meaning in an entire culture, or even the entire human race.

Aside

In drama, a few words or a short passage spoken by one character to the audience while the other actors on stage pretend their characters cannot hear the speaker's words.

Assonance

The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in stressed syllables or words

Asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions from constructions in which they would normally be used

Atmosphere

The mood/feeling of the literary work created for the reader by the writer

Ballad

A narrative poem that usually includes a repeated refrain

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter, a line of five feet

Cacophony

The use of words in poetry that combine sharp, harsh, hissing, or unmelodious sounds