AP Literary Terms

Ambiguity

the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness.

Anachronism

a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned

Archetype

a very typical example of a certain person or thing

Connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning

Denotation

the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests

Details

small bits of factual information

Epigraph

a phrase, quotation, or poem at the beginning of a book or chapter; may serve as a preface to the work; as a summary; as a counter-example; or as a link from the work to a wider literary canon

Flashback

a scene in a piece of literature that is set in a time earlier than the main story

Foreshadowing

an indication of something that will happen in the future

Tactile Imagery

description that stimulates sense of touch

Gustatory Imagery

description that stimulates sense of taste

Visual Imagery

description that stimulates sense of sight

Olfactory Imagery

description that stimulates sense of smell

Auditory Imagery

description that stimulates sense of auditory

In medias res

“in the midst of things.”; opening a narrative work in the midst of the plot

Mood

the emotion and atmosphere that the author is trying to evoke from the reader.

Moral

the lesson learned from a story or experience of a character

Motif

any distinctive feature or idea that recurs across a story

Parable

a short story that illustrates a universal truth/moral lesson

Syntax

the way words are arranged in a sentence

Theme

a central unifying idea within an entire narrative, could be the subject matter of the work

Tone

the author’s attitude, how the author feels toward the subject of their text

Allegory

an extended metaphor/story that conveys a deeper message outside of the main narrative

Allusion

when an author references an unrelated idea, figure, other literature, place, or event indirectly

Apostrophe

when a character addresses/talks to someone who is not present or something inhuman

Euphemism

a less offensive word or phrase that substitutes for something uncomfortable

Hyperbole

exaggeration, overstatement

Dramatic Irony

when the reader or audience knows more than the characters in the story

Verbal Irony

when a statement has a different literal meaning than the speaker’s actual meaning

Situational Irony

when the real outcome does not match the expected outcome of a situation

Romantic Irony

the procedure by which apparently significant gestures or assertions or decisions are made only immediately to collapse.

Direct Metaphor

when a comparison is made between two things explicitly and is easy to detect

Indirect Metaphor

when a comparison is made in a subtle way, does not directly say one thing is another. Ex: “She barked at the children”

Extended Metaphor

a single comparison used throughout the course of multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas

Metonymy

the substitution of the name of something with something closely related to it. Ex: “the suits” for “businessmen”

Oxymoron

a self contradicting word or group of words, where opposite meanings exist within

Paradox

a statement that seems to go against common sense or seems self contradictory but may have truth

Personification

representing a thing or idea as a person/human

Pun

a joke exploiting multiple meanings of a word or similar sounding words

Simile

comparison using “like” or “as”

Epic Simile

a comparison using “like” or “as” that spans across several lines, usually used in epic poetry such as Homer’s epics

Symbol

objects, people, situations, or actions that have a literal meaning but convey a deeper, more complex/abstract idea

Synaesthesia

when an author describes one sense in terms of another, usually with a simile. Ex: “The stars sounded like piles of diamonds” “loud dress” “chilly gaze”

Synecdoche

when a part is made to represent a whole or vice versa. Ex: “all hands on deck”

Understatement

an expression that makes something seem smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is

Alliteration

the repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of nearby words

Antecedent

when a pronoun or noun refers to an earlier phrase or word. Ex: “Please consider allowing my friends to attend the concert, they deserve to see it too.” 

(Petrarchan) Conceit

a comparison that is convoluted, unconventional, and/or improbable used to praise a love interest, often using extended metaphors. Ex: “her eyes are like the sun”

Metaphysical Conceit

an elaborate comparison between two things that do not naturally belong to each other, unexpected.

Ex: “Mark but this flea, and mark in this, How little that which thou deniest me is; It suck’d me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.” Comparing being bitten by a flea and marriage

Contrast

describing the difference between two things, comparing two things to show the differences

Meter

the basic rhythmic structure of a line of poetry. Number of syllables and emphasis on the syllables Ex: iambic pentameter

Referent

a person or thing that a name or symbol refers to. Ex: “Frankenstein” refers to the monster from Frankenstein

Masculine Rhyme

when there is a rhyme of stressed syllables at line endings. Ex:

“The curtains were half drawn, the floor was swept

And strewn with rushes, rosemary and may

Lay thick upon the bed on which I lay,

Where through the lattice ivy-shadows crept.”

Feminine Rhyme

when there is a rhyme of a stressed followed by an unstressed syllable. Ex: "

“I stood there in the kitchen, crying,

while the sausages were frying

When at work, my dress is formal,

But I never feel normal”

Shift

the point where there is a change in emotion or thought

Stanza

a group of lines within a poem, usually separated from other groups by a blank line

Structure

the way in which the text is laid out. Includes line spacing, line length, rhyme pattern, meter, and stanza size/shape

Bildungsroman

a genre that focuses on the growth of the protagonist morally and psychologically from childhood to adulthood. “coming of age”

Climax

the highest point of tension in a story/plot, the turning point

Internal Conflict

when a character struggles with their own opposing desires or beliefs

External Conflict

when a character struggles against something or someone outside of their control

Denouement

the very end of the story, final resolution, the plot is fully explained

Epiphany

“aha” moment, when a character suddenly realizes something that alters the course of the story

Epistolary

genre where the story is told through the form of letters between fictional characters of the narrative

Exposition

the introduction of a story, where the characters and setting are first described

Falling Action

the part of the plot that occurs immediately after the climax, the story shifts towards a resolution and ending

Gothic Romance

a genre characterized by dark atmospheres, and sometimes grotesque events. Usually with female leads

Inciting Incident

an event that sets the main character on their journey for the story, puts the plot into motion

Metafiction

genre that emphasizes the fact that the work is fictional, the narrator or characters could be self aware that they are fictional

Motivation

the reason behind a character’s actions and behaviors

Narrative Pace

the speed that the story is moving for the reader, how fast or slow the plot elements come together

Plot

the sequence of events that make up a story

Resolution

when a character solves the main problem(usually the climax)

Rising Action

the part of the plot that leads up to the climax, builds tension, suspense, interest

Setting

the time and place in which a story takes place

Stream of consciousness

a narrative technique that attempts to capture the flow of thoughts and emotions that pass through the mind of a character or narrator

Quixotic

foolishly impractical, admirable and hopeful but unrealistic, especially in the pursuit of ideals

Antagonist

the main opponent(s) of the main character

Agency

the ability a character has to affect the events of a story, act freely, and control their lives

Catharsis

when literature releases emotions that results in a sense of purification or cleansing

Direct characterization

describing a character in a straightforward manner and tells the reader directly Ex: physical descriptions, occupation

Indirect characterization

describing a character through that character’s thoughts, speech, actions, appearance, etc.

Dynamic character

a type of character that changes and evolves significantly throughout a story

Foil Character

a character that contrasts with another character, in order to better highlight the qualities of that other character

Hamartia

tragic flaw, inherent defect, shortcoming, weakness in a character that leads to the character’s downfall

Hubris

the excessive pride and arrogance of a character that leads to that character’s own downfall

Perspective

a character or narrator’s attitudes or beliefs about the world around them

Protagonist

the main character that a story usually revolves around

First Person Primary POV

the POV where the story is told by the main character

First Person Secondary POV

the POV where the story is told by a character that is not the main character, usually a normal person/sidekick.

Second Person POV

the POV that uses the pronoun “you”, focuses on and addresses the reader

Third Person Limited POV

the POV where the narrator is restricted to only one character’s perspective. Usually unidentified as anything other than a voice, outside of the action.

Third Person Objective POV

the POV where the narrator tells the story from a completely neutral perspective, not knowing the perspective or motivations of any characters. Just telling the events of the story

Third Person Omniscient POV

the POV where the narrator is everywhere and can see into the minds of every character, knows what the characters think and motivations. This narrator often exists outside of the story.