AP LIT literary terms

Allegory

The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.

EX. the conch, piggys glasses, and simon from lord of the flies

Allusion

A reference to a canonical work of literature, usually the Bible, Shakespeare, or mythology.

“Not exactly. The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest.” - to kill a mocking bird

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words.

ex. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” great gasby

Ambiguity

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

ex. “They made me cut it out. Another thing, I grew six and a half inches last year. That’s also how I practically got t.b. and came out here for all these goddam checkups and stuff. I’m pretty healthy though” - catcher in the rye

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or phrases.

ex. "It rained on his lousy tombstone, and it rained on the grass on his stomach. It rained all over the place” - catcher in the rye

Anecdote

A short story or joke told at the beginning of a speech to gain the audience's attention and illustrate an intended moral.

ex.” I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I had never seen before, containing a really rather magnificent collection of chamber pots.” quote from harry potter book, dumbledor speaking

Antagonist

The protagonist’s adversary, not always 'the bad guy or the villain,' but typically so.

ex. joker from batman, tom from great gastby

Apostrophe

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

ex. Juliet calling out to romeo after he left, to show her yearning for him “romeo romeo where art thou romeo”

Assonance

The repetition of the same vowel sound in a phrase or line of poetry.

ex. “A lanky, six-foot, pale boy with an active Adam’s apple …” - lolita

Asyndeton

The omission of conjoining conjunctions when not grammatically necessary for emphasis or to maintain meter.

ex. "These griefs, these woes, these sorrows make me old" from romeo and juliet