AP Lit literary terms vocab (set 1)

Allegory

Representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form

Alliteration

Repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of several words in a line of poetry

Ambiguity

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

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines in a poem

Anecdote

Short story or joke told at the beginning of a speech to gain the audience’s attention

Antagonist

Protagonist’s adversary

Anti-climatic

When the ending of the plot is unfulfilling or lackluster

Apostrophe

When a character speaks to another character or an object that is not present or is unable to respond

Assonance

Repetition of the same vowel sound in a phrase or line of poetry

Climax

Turning point in the plot or high point of action

Colloquial language

Informal, conversational language

Colloquialism

Phrase or saying indicative of a certain region

Connotation

Idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing

Convention

Understanding between a reader and a writer about certain details of a story that does not need to be explained

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds in a phrase or line of poetry, in any part of the word