AP/IB Lit Useful Literary Terms

Foreshadowing

Hinting at events that will occur later in the story.

Flashback

A scene set in a time earlier than the main story.

Motif

A recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject or audience.

Mood

The atmosphere or emotional setting created by the text.

Juxtaposition

Placing two elements close together to highlight contrasts or similarities.

Paradox

A statement that contradicts itself but still seems true.

Allegory

A story with two levels of meaning – a literal one and a symbolic one.

Epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight.

Narrative Perspective

The point of view from which the story is told (e.g., first-person, third-person).

Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as".

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as".

Personification

Giving human characteristics to non-human things.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within words.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate natural sounds.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Symbolism

Using symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality.

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

Caesura

A pause in a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work.