AP Lit Key Literary Terms

Allusion

reference to a well-known event, person, place, piece of literature, etc.

Allegory

A story that uses its characters, setting, and plot to symbolically represent a deeper meaning, which is often political or philosophical (Eg: Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian Revolution)

Alliteration

pattern of first letter repeating (Sarah went to the seashore on a Sunday)

Analogy

A comparison of two seemingly unrelated objects through a shared thread between the two

Antagonist

A character, group, or force that creates the main conflict in a story by opposing the protagonist

Apostrophe

A poetic device where the poet speaks directly to something inanimate or abstract, such as love or death

Archetypal/Stock Character

A character who fits a widely recognized role in stories through action and interaction. Examples are the hero or the mentor

Dynamic Character

Characters who evolve, change, or learn over the course of a story, via their personality or morals

Static Character

A character who doesn't change throughout the course of a story.

Round Character

A character who is multifaceted and complex, usually in motivation and morality

Flat Character

An unsophisticated character easily classified by one (or a few) traits.

Foil Character

A character used deliberately by an author to highlight something in the main character, whether it be values, traits, or actions

Conceit

An extended metaphor that compares two very different things

Connotation

The meaning of a word that can be extracted beyond the literal definition, sometimes created or adopted by society

Denotation

The exact dictionary definition of a word, disregarding deeper meaning

Exposition

The beginning part of a story, which often introduces necessary information such as characters, plot, and setting

Rising Action

The part of a story in which plot events are used to build suspense or tension, introduce challenges for the protagonist, and push towards the climax

Climax

The "peak" of a story, which often includes the character facing a central conflict or decision in the narrative, creating a turning point in the story

Falling Action

The events that happen directly after a story's climax, used to gradually reduce the tension and resolve conflicts for the protagonist

Denouement

The "resolution" of a plot, often tying up loose ends in the story and exploring the aftermath of the climax

Enjambment

When there is no pause at the end of the poetic line - poetic 'sentence' continues across the line break

Foreshadowing

A literary device where authors include subtle hints pointing towards a secret that has not yet been revealed or an event that is on the horizon

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for a particular effect

Idiom/Idiomatic Expression

A form of figurative language that is a phrase whose connotation differs greatly from its literal meaning (Eg: It's raining cats and dogs)

Inversion

A technique in which the authors reverse or invert the grammatically correct structure to emphasize a certain word or clause (Eg: The stars shimmered... vs. ...shimmered the stars)

Dramatic Irony

A plot device in which the reader has a greater understanding or knowledge of a situation than the characters do.

Situational Irony

A type of irony in which a situation has the opposite outcome of what was expected

Verbal Irony

A form of irony in which something is said that is meant to have the opposite meaning

Direct Metaphor

A form of figurative language that directly compares two things without using like or as

Indirect/Implied Metaphor

A figure of speech that compares two things without directly stating the comparison, usually relying heavily on implication

Extended/Sustained Metaphor

A metaphor that is unreasonably long or extended, thoroughly developing the comparison

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted with another, yet is implied to refer to the first

Synechdoche

A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent that something as a whole (Eg: referring to a car as a set of wheels)

Meter

In poetry, the rhythmic structure that defines a poem when read aloud

Motif

An element, symbol, or character that occurs multiple times throughout a work, often representing something deeper

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which a statement seemingly contradicts itself

Parable

A short story or narrative designed to teach a religious or moral lesson. Kind of like a fairy tale in a way

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory, yet holds a deeper logical truth. An oxymoron with an answer

Parallelism

A literary device that uses repetition in grammatical structures to create phrases that repeat or are "parallel", often used to emphasize something specific

Personification

Giving human characteristics or features to something not human

1st/2nd/3rd Person Point of View

1st-person = "I" perspective' 2nd-person = "you" perspective; 3rd-person = he/she/they perspective

Limited Point of View

From one (or a limited #) of perspectives

Omniscient Point of View

'All knowing' narrator - knows all characters' actions, thoughts, etc.

Objective Point of View

Neutral or factual perspective

Subjective Point of View

Opinionated or biased perspective

Protagonist

The main or central character of a work

Persona

A façade that an author creates for or of a character to represent deep insight as to a theme of the work, or the character's values

Refrain

A phrase or sentence that is repeated multiple times throughout the entirety of a work. Think chorus of a song. (Eg. "So it goes" - Slaughterhouse Five)

Ethos

Rhetorical appeal to a person, group, or concept of authority

Pathos

Rhetorical appeal to emotion

Logos

Rhetorical appeal to logic or reason

Masculine Rhyme

A rhyme that only rhymes the final stressed syllable of a word

Feminine Rhyme

A rhyme which must rhyme the last two syllables of a word, an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

End Rhyme

Rhymes placed at the end of a poetic phrase or verse. Often used to create rhythm

Internal Rhyme

A rhyme which begins in the middle of a poetic verse or phrase, and ends at the end of that phrase or in the middle of the next

Near/Slant Rhyme

Words that sound similar (as if they rhyme), but are not perfect rhymes (Eg: Orange vs. Porridge)

Satire

A literary technique that uses irony, humor, and exaggeration to expose or criticize something the author believes to be wrong

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Symbol

An object, person, idea, or feeling that represents something deeper than its outward appearance

Syntax

Writing style; the way in which an author arranges words to create a logically coherent narrative

Theme

The central idea or message of a work

Tone

The attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

Tone Intensity

The extent to which the author uses their tone in the work

Tone Shift

A noticeable change in the tone of a work

Turn/Volta

A turning point in a poem when the author introduces a new idea or message.

Characterization

The various literary means by which characters are presented

Direct Presentation/Characterization

A method in which the author reveals information about, or characterizes a character explicitly, often through exposition or analysis

Indirect Presentation/Characterization

A method in which the author characterizes a character through their actions, allowing for reader interpretation

Dramatization

A literary device in which an author writes characters and scenes with heightened impact and intensity, where characters act as if they are in a stage play, in order to use indirect characterization

Motivation

The reasons behind a character's specific action or behavior often making them more lifelike or believable

Stream of Consciousness

A form of writing in which a writer tries to portray the inner thoughts of a character by narrating the conversation inside their head, usually in long, winding sentences that are difficult to understand