AP Lit. Essential Literary Terms

Auditor

Auditor

The listener addressed by a first-person narrator within the fiction whose possible reaction is part of the story.

Trope

A catch-all term for a figure of speech that says one thing while artfully and imaginatively implying another.

Diction

The class of words that an author decides is appropriate to use in a particular work.

Allegory

An extended symbolic association, often sustained in every element (character, plot, setting, etc.) and throughout an entire work, between two levels of meaning, usually literal and abstract.

Second-Person Point of View

A somewhat rare point of view in which the reader is put right into the story and asked to imagine that they are a character.

Third-Person Omniscient Point of View

A point of view in which the narrator is a nonparticipant and has complete knowledge of all the characters and their lives.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech that uses a significant part of a thing to stand for the whole of it.

Tone

The narrator, speaker, or writer's attitude toward the subject conveyed in a literary work.

Round Character

A fully developed character who is presented in depth and detail, showing all aspects of their personality in a complex manner.

Exposition

The portion of a story that provides background on the characters, setting, and the basic situation.

Mood/Atmosphere

Also referred to as atmosphere, it is the feeling created for the reader by a work of literature through various literary techniques.

Inciting Incident

The introduction of the central or main conflict in a plot.

Dues ex Machina

A Latin term that means a person or thing that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty.

Antagonist

The character or force that is causing the central conflict in the story.

Flat Character

A character who is underdeveloped and contains only one or two basic traits.

Denouement

In French it means "untying the knot." This occurs after the conflict of the plot has been resolved and balance has been restored.

Allusion

A reference, usually brief, to another text or some person or entity external to the work. This technique implies a certain set of knowledge is shared between the reader and the writer.

Foreshadow

A technique in which events and information are arranged in such a way as to suggest that things will happen later in the story.

Juxtaposition

Placing two things side by side in order to emphasize their differences, reveal surprising similarities, or explore a unique relationship between the two.

Climax

The point in a story when the emotional tension or suspense has reached its peak; typically marks a fundamental turning point in the story.

Third-Person Limited Point of View

A point of view in which the narrator is a nonparticipant and their realm of knowledge is confined to the perceptions of a single character.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a direct statement is made that one thing is something else which in a literal sense is not.

Protagonist

The main character of a story who is experiencing the central conflict.

Indirect Characterization

A method of revealing character traits through inference based on actions, thoughts, and speech.

Dramatic Irony

When the reader or audience knows something a character or characters do not.

Dynamic Character

A character that experiences a fundamental change as a result of events that occur in the story.

Theme

The meaning of a story; the central or dominating idea; the meaning of the work as a whole.

Connotation

An association or additional meaning a word may carry apart from its literal definition.

Verbal Irony

A technique in which a person says one thing but means the reverse or opposite.

Simile

A comparison between two dissimilar things using the words like or as.

Foil character

A character that helps by way of contrast to reveal the unique qualities of another (especially main) character.

Static Character

A character who does not experience a fundamental change over the course of the story.

Stream of Consciousness

A type of narration that presents the random thoughts going through a character's head within a certain period of time, mingling memory and present experiences, and employing transitional links that are psychological rather than strictly logical.

Denotation

The literal dictionary meaning of a word.

In Medias Res

Latin for "in the middle of the action."

Resolution

In a story, this is the remedy or solution (for good or for bad) to the central conflict.

Archetype

A recurring symbol, character type, setting, object, or event found in mythology and literature across different cultures and eras.

Syntax

The arrangement of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which the name of a thing is substituted for another closely associated with it.

Situational Irony

A literary technique in which a discrepancy exists between what seems fitting or expected and what actually happens, which is usually the opposite.

Personification

Sometimes called anthropomorphism, attributes human qualities to objects or animals.

Direct Characterization

A method of revealing character traits in which the narrator/author explicitly states the personality traits requiring no inference on the reader's part.

Symbolism

Something that stands for or represents something else. Typically, something concrete representing something abstract.

Flashback

A scene in a narrative that is set in an earlier time than the main action. This scene is often relived in a character's memory

Interior Monologue

An extended presentation of a character's thoughts, NOT in chaotic disorder but in a logical arrangement as if the character were speaking out loud to himself, for us to overhear.

Epiphany

A character's transformative moment of realization often involving a discovery or new insight, a sudden revelation of truth inspired by a seemingly trivial event.

Stock Character

A familiar type of character in literary works who is overly stereotyped and lacks any real depth.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which two apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

Internal Conflict

A struggle within a single character to reconcile two competing desires, needs, or duties (dueling drives or impulses).

Point of View

The general term for the perspective from which people, events, and other details in a work of fiction are viewed.

Voice

The verbal quality of narration; the particular qualities insight, attitude, and verbal style.

First-Person Point of View

Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters using the pronouns "I" and We"

Paradox

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

Setting

The time (temporal) and place (spatial) of the action in a work of fiction.

Selection of Detail

The specific facts or items (words, incidents, images, or events) the author chooses to include in a work of fiction.

Falling Action

The events in a plot that occur after the climax, leading to the resolution.

Plot

The way the author sequences and paces the events so as to shape our response and interpretation.

External Conflict

A struggle, tension, or problem between a character and an outside force.

Discriminated Occasion

A specific, discrete moment when an author slows down to home in on a particular moment and scene.

Rising Action

The series of events marked by complications and tensions that stem from the introduction of the central conflict and build the intensity of the story.