AP Literature and Composition Terms 1/2

Allegory

The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form (ex: Lord of the Flies)

Allusion

A reference to a canonical work of literature, usually the Bible, Shakespeare, or mythology

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words (ex: Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers)

Ambiguity

When an author leaves out details/ information or is unclear about an event so the reader has to use their imagination to fill in the blanks

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or phrases (ex: IT was the best of times, IT was the worst of times)

Anecdote

A short story or joke told at the beginning of a speech to gain the audience’s attention and illustrate an intended moral (ex: Back in my day)

Antagonist

The protagonist’s adversary (doesn’t have to always be evil)

Apostrophe

When a character speaks to a character or object that is not present or is unable to respond such as inanimate objects or the natural world

Assonance

The repetition of the same vowel sound in a phrase or line of poetry (ex: dO nOt gO gentle intO that gOOd night)

Asyndeton

The omission of conjoining conjunctions (like “and” “or” “but”) when not grammatically necessary for emphasis or to maintain meter (ex: Express Yo’self)

Bildungsroman

A novel or coming-of-age, formation, growth, change. The story follows a young protagonist as they grow and develop (ex: Harry Potter)

Blank Verse

Poetic lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter

Caesura

A brief pause in a line of poetry. This can be caused by encampment at the end of a line (terminal caesura) or punctuation anywhere in the line. It is a natural pause (like breathing)

Catharsis

The emotional release of the audience by experiencing vicariously the suffering of the characters

Climax

The turning point in the plot or the high point of action

Colloquialism

Informal, conversational language. They can also be phrases or sayings that are indicative of a specific region (ex: Yo, what up dawg?)

Connotation

An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing, but not necessarily in the objective dictionary definition (ex: snake = evil)

Convention

An understanding between a reader and a writer about certain details of a story that does not need to be explained (ex: damsel in distress means that the hero will save her)

Consonance

The repetition of CONSONANT sounds in a phrase or line of poetry. The sound may be at the beginning, middle or end of the word (ex: undercOVER lOVER)

Couplet

Two rhyming lines in poetry

Deus Ex Machina

Term that refers to a character or force that appears at the end of a story or play to help resolve conflict (ex: the sword of Godric Gryffindor magically appearing to save Harry Potter)

Diction

Specific word choice or the use of words in speech or writing. Words chosen to reflect and change the tone of the text, thus changing the intended response from the audience (ex: I hate Billy with every fiber of my being vs. Billy is not easy to get along with)

Denouement

The final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot. This is not always the same as the climax (ex: Nick Carraway decides to leave the rich people to go home at the end of the Great Gatsby)

Doppleganger

The alter ego of a character or the suppressed side of one’s personality that is usually unaccepted by society

Double Entendre

A word or phrase open to two interpretations, one of them is usually risque, offensive, or sexual in nature (ex: Marriage is a fine institution, but I’m not ready for an institution)

Elegy

A poem or song composed especially as a lament for a deceased person

Elision / Elided

The omission of certain letters to maintain rhythm, creates colloquialisms or dialogue, or simply the effect (ex: o’erlaps)

Emotive Language

Deliberate use of language by a writer to instill a feeling or visual

Enjambment

The continuation of reading one line of a poem to the to the next with no pause, a run-on line. Used for great effect in poetry to emphasize a word at the end of the line without ending the thought there, also used to find the appropriate rhyme scheme

Epic

An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero (ex: The Odyssey)

Epigraph

The introductory quote at the beginning of a novel or play. Often serves to introduce or supplement important themes in the work

Epilogue

A short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion of a song or play. In a novel, it is a short explanation at the end of the book which indicates what happens after the plot ends

Epiphany

Sudden enlightenment or realization, a profound new outlook or understanding about the world usually attained while doing everyday mundane activities

Epistolary

Used to describe a novel that tells its story through letter written from one character to another (ex: the first four “chapters” of Frankenstein)

Epistrophe

The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of sentence or clause to emphasize or create rhetorical rhythm (contrast with anaphora) (ex: Where now? Who now? When now?)

Euphemism

The act of substituting a harsh, blunt, or offensive comment for a more politically accepted or positive one (short = vertically challenged and far = big boned)

Euphony

A succession of words which are pleasing to the ear. These words may be alliterative, utilize consonance, or assonance and are often used in poetry but also seen in prose

Expansion

Adds an unstressed syllable and/or a contraction or elision removes an unstressed syllable in order to maintain the rhythmic meter of a line (ex: th’, o’er, ‘tis, and ‘twas)

Fable

A usually short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point that often employing animals or imaginary objects as characters that speak and act like humans

Feminine Ending

Unstressed extra syllable at the end of a line of poetry. If most lines have five beats, its ending has six

Figurative Language

Speech or writing that departs from literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect or meaning using “figures of speech.” This is an extremely broad term, encompassing almost all literary terms, such as imagery, metaphor, etc

Flashback

When a character remembers a past event that is relevant to the current action of the story

Flat (also “Static”) Character

A literary character whose personality can be defined by one or two traits and does not change over the course of the story. They are usually minor or insignificant characters

Foil

A character that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another (ex: Victor Frankenstein and the Monster)

Folklore

The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally (ex: most religious texts)

Foot

A way of describing the stressed syllables within a lines of poetry. The metrical length of a lines is determined by the number of it contains

Foreshadowing

Clues in the text about incidents that will occur later in the plot, it creates anticipation in the novel

Free Verse

Type of verse that contains a variety of line lengths, is unrhymed, and lacks traditional meter