AP Lit Literary Terms - General

Allegory

a narrative or description having a second or symbolic meaning beneath the surface one

Allusion

a reference, explicit or implicit, to something in previous literature or history

Ambiguity

purposeful multiple meanings as in pun and double entendre

Analogy

a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar. Metaphors and similes are tools

used to draw an _______

Anecdote

a short account of an interesting or humorous incident

Antithesis

the use of contrasting concepts, words, or sentences within parallel grammatical structures

Apostrophe

calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea

Archetype

a universal symbol, character type, or plot pattern that recurs across various cultures and time periods

Colloquialism

the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing

Comparison

a broad term used to describe relationships between different things, people, or concepts by examining their similarities ( common, more specific forms of __________ include allusion, analogy, metaphor, and simile )

Contrast

a broad term where an author deliberately places opposing elements side-by-side to illustrate their differences ( common, more specific forms of ________ include include antithesis, foil, irony, juxtaposition,

oxymoron, and paradox )

Detail

a specific, individual piece of information — such as a fact, description, or action — that an author includes to support an idea, build a setting, or develop a character

Dialect

a regional variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary

Diction

an author's intentional choice of words

Dramatic Irony

an incongruity or discrepancy between what a character says or thinks and what the reader knows to be true ( or between what a character perceives and what the author intends the reader to perceive )

Euphemism

substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for a harsh, blunt, or offensive one

Figure of Speech

broadly, any way of saying something other that the ordinary way; more narrowly ( and for the purposes of this class ) a way of saying one thing and meaning another

Figurative Language

language employing figures of speech; language that cannot be taken literally or only literally

Genre

a type or class, poetry, drama, etc.

Hyperbole

a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis

Imagery

the representation through language of sensory experience

Invective

denunciatory or abusive language

Irony

a situation, or a use of language, involving some kind of incongruity or discrepancy

Juxtaposition

a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts

Metaphor

comparison of two seemingly unlike things by saying one is the other

Mood

the emotional atmosphere or feeling that a text creates for the reader

Motif

a repeating pattern of related symbols, actions, or ideas

Narrative Pace

the speed at which events in a story are told. It is controlled through several elements, including the length of scenes, the delivery and depth of description, and the rate and intensity of the action

Onomatopoeia

the use of words that supposedly mimic their meaning in their sound ( for example, boom, click, plop )

Oxymoron

a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. The common ________ phrase is a combination of an adjective preceded by a noun with contrasting meanings

Paradox

a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth

Parellelism

repetition of similar syntactical structure

Personification

characteristics of humans given to non-humans

Prose

non-metrical language; the opposite of verse

Proverb

a short, pithy saying that expresses a basic truth or practical precept

Pun

a play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words

Sarcasm

bitter or cutting speech; speech intended by its speaker to give pain to the person addressed

Setting

the context in time and place in which the action of a story occurs

Simile

a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a ______ draws resemblance with the help of the words "like" or "as"

Situational Irony

( Irony of Situation ) a situation in which there is an incongruity between appearance and reality, or between expectation and fulfillment, or between the actual situation and what would seem appropriate

Symbol

something that means more than what it is; an object, person, situation, or action that in addition to its literal meaning suggests other meanings as well, a figure of speech which may be read both literally and figuratively

Syntax

the intentional arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses to create well-formed sentences

Theme

the main idea, or message, of a literary work. ______ often explore timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly

Tone

the author's or narrator's attitude toward the subject matter, characters, or audience. It is the emotional "voice" behind the words and dictates how a story should be interpreted

Topic

the subject matter or area of a literary work; not to be confused with theme

Tragic Flaw

a literary device that can be defined as a trait in a character leading to his downfall and the character is often the hero of the literary piece. This trait could be the lack of self-knowledge, lack of judgment and often it is hubris ( overbearing and excessive pride )

Tragic Hero

a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction

Understatement

a figure of speech that consists of saying less than one means, or of saying what one means with less force than the occasion warrants

Verbal Irony

a figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant

Verse

metrical language; the opposite of prose

Voice

the distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or a character in a book