AP Lit Terms

Allegory

A story with two meanings, surface and deeper meaning - an extended metaphor.

Anaphora

The repetition of phrases at the beginning of clauses.

Aphorism

A short saying that contains a general truth - a life lesson in a sentence

Apostrophe

When a speaker addresses someone or something that is not present - speaking to an inanimate object

Archetype

A set of qualities or traits that are specific and identifiable for readers.

Asyndeton

Excluding or absence of words like “and,” “but,” and “or” from a series of clauses or sentences.

Antagonist

The opponent of the protagonist, sometimes a villain, competitor, or rival.

Aside

Short commentary that reveals private opinions and reactions of the character. - Typically in a play.

Bildungsroman

A type of novel that focuses on the moral and psychological growth of the main character, typically from youth to adulthood - “coming of age story”.

Caesura

A pause or break in a line of poetry that creates a rhythmic or dramatic effect for the reader.

Catharsis

The release of strong emotions through art or expression, bringing emotional relief and purification.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical device where the order of terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second half.

Conceit

A type of figurative language where the writer establishes a comparison between two very different concepts or objects.

Caricature

A distorted representation of a person in a way that exaggerates some characteristics and oversimplifies others.

Comic Relief

When a comedy takes place in a story that’s dramatic, tragic, or serious.

Deus Ex Machina

When some new character, force, or event suddenly shows up to solve a seemingly hopeless situation.

Doppelganger

A look-alike or double of a person, often considered an omen of bad luck or a harbinger of doom.

Denouement

The very end of a story, the part where all the different plotlines are finally tied up and all remaining questions answered - aftermath of the climax.

Dialect

A form of writing that shows the accent and way people talk in a particular region.

Dystopia

An imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, usually a utopia gone wrong.

Elision

The omission of sounds, syllables or words in speech.

Enjambment

Continuing a line after the line breaks. Only in poetry.

Epiphany

A sudden realization or discovery that illuminates a new perception or awareness.

Epistolary

When literature is written in the form of letters.

Epithet

Special nicknames that replace the name of a person and often describe them in some way.

Flashback

A transition in a story to an earlier time, that interrupts the normal chronological order of events.

Flat Character

Two-dimensional characters in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work.

Foil

When a character is contrasted with another character, typically, a character who contrasts with the protagonist.

Foreshadowing

A literary device that indicates or hints to readers something that is to follow or appear later in a story.

Frame Story

A literary device that involves weaving two separate stories together.

Hubris

Excessive pride or overconfidence that can lead to harmful or self-defeating behaviors.