AP Lit. Terms

Allegory

A story where people, things, and actions represent an idea about life; often have a strong lesson

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sound at the beginning of words

Allusion

A reference in literary work to a person, place or thing in history or another work of literature. Often indirect or brief references to well known characters/events

Analogy

A comparison of two or more like objects that suggests if they are alike in certain respects, that will be alike in other ways

Anecdote

A brief account of an interesting incident that is intended to make a point

aside

An actor's speech, directed towards the audience that is not supposed to be heard by other actors. meant to let the audience know what the actor is thinking

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sound within a line of poetry

Ballad

Poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited

Blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

Caesura

A pause or sudden break in a line of poetry

Cliché

Type of figurative language containing an overused expression that is no longer considered original

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry

Couplet

A rhymed pair of lines in a poem

dialect

A from of language that is spoken in a particular place or group of people

Dramatic Monologue

Literary device that is used when a character reveals his innermost thoughts and feelings, that are hidden throughout the story line

elegy

a literary song/poem that expresses sorrow or lamentation, for one who has died

enjambment

in poetry, the running over of a line or thought into the next of verse

Epic

A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or group

Epiphany

A sudden moment of understanding that causes a character to change or act in a certain way

epitaph

A short poem or verse written in memory of someone

extended metaphor

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things in great length

fable

A brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature, often feature animals as characters

Figurative language

Expressions that are nor literally true, such as simile and metaphor

Flashback

An interruption of the chronological sequence of an earlier occurrence

Foil

A character who contrasts with another character

Foot

A unit of meter within a line of poetry

Foreshadowing

When the writer provides clues or hints that suggest or predict a future event in a story

Free verse

Poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm

Genre

Type of literature; Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama

Haiku

Traditional form of Japanese poetry, usually dealing with nature.

Heroic couplet

Consisting of 2 successive rhyming lines that contain a complete thought

Historical Fiction

Fiction that explores a past time period and may contain references to actual people and events

humor

The quality that provokes laughter or amusement

hyperbole

A figure of speech where truth is exaggerated for emphasis

Idiom

a phrase that means something different froM what the words actually say

Imagery

The use of words and phrases that appeal to the 5 senses

Irony

a contrats between what is expected and what actually exists or happens

verbal irony

speaker means something different than what they actually mean

dramatic irony

When the audience knows something the characters do not

Situational irony

the difference between what is expected to happen and the way events actually work out

legend

A story handed down from the past from a specific person, usually someone of heroic accomplishments

limerick

A short humorous poem with 5 lines that have the rhyme scheme aabba

lyric

a song-like poem written mainly to express the feelings or emotions of a single speaker

memoir

an autobiographical writing that covers only a piece of the writer’s life

metaphor

a comparison between two things that are unalike but have one quality in common

Meter

the regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables

Metonymy

The metaphorical substitution of one word for another word

Mood

the feeling that a literary work conveys to readers

Motif

a recurring concept in a work of literature

myth

A traditional story that attempts to explain how the world was created or why the world is the way it is.

Narrative

Any writing that tells a story

Narrative Poetry

Poetry that tells a story

ode

A lyric poem of some length, having elevated style and formal structure

Onomatopoeia

The use of words whose sought suggest their meaning

oxymoron

A form of figurative language combining contradictory words or ideas

Paradox

A statement that seems to contradict itself, but it is true

Parallelism

The use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance

Parody

A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author’s work for comic effect

personification

A figure of speech where animals, ideas, or inanimate objects are given human characteristics

point of view

Perspective from which a story is told

1st person POV

The “I” point of view, the person telling the story is one of the characters in the story

3rd person POV limited

The person telling the story is not one of the characters in the story, an outside observer

3rd person POV omniscient

The person telling the story is an outside observer, but they know the thoughts and feelings of the characters in the story

prose

The ordinary form of spoken and written language, which lacks the special features of poetry

Realistic fiction

Imaginative writing set in the real modern word, characters act like real people who use human abilities to cope with problems

refrain

Repetition in literature of one or more lines at regular intervals

repetition

A technique in which sound, word, phrase is repeated for emphasis

Sarcasm

The use of praise to mock someone

satire

A literary technique in which ideas or customs are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society

soliloquy

A speech deloivered by a character who is alone on the stage

sonnet

distinctive poetic style that uses a system or pattern of metrical structure; Italian and English

speaker

The voice that talks to the reader in a poem, as the narrator does in a work of fiction

stanza

A grouping of 2 or more lines within a poem

style

How a writer says something

suspense

a feeling of growing tension and excitement

symbolism

Using something specific to stand for something else

synecdoche

Literary technique in which the whole is represented by naming one of its parts

tall tale

Humorously exaggerated story about impossible events

tragedy

Dramatic work that presents the downfall of a dignified character who are involved in historically significant events

understatement

A statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said

Voice

An author’s distinctive style or manner of expression