AP Lit

Tone

The poet's attitude toward the poem's speaker, reader, and subject matter, as interpreted by the reader

Alliteration

the repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words

Allusion

a reference in a work of literature to a historical or literary event, person, place or passage outside of the work

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

Ambiguity

the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage

Antithesis

a figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas, as in "Man proposes; God disposes." Antithesis is a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness

Aside

when a character in a work of fiction addresses the audience directly for a moment to either express a truth, reveal a feeling, or comment on the events of the story.

Assonance

the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds

Analogy

a literary device that is used by the author to create connections between parallel concepts

Audience

who the author writes their piece for

Anecdote

a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

Antagonist

A character or force in conflict with the main character

Antihero

Central character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes. may lack courage, grace, intelligence, or moral scruples.

Apostrophe

a character addresses something (an inanimate object or abstract idea) or someone who is not present or is literally unable to answer ("heart! we will forget him!)

Ballad

a four-line stanza rhymed abcd with four feet in lines one and three and three feet in lines two and four

Blank Verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

Consonance

Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.

Caesura

a pause, usually near the middle of a line of verse, usually indicated by the sense of the line, and often greater than the normal pause

cliche

a worn-out idea or overused expression

Conceit

an ingenious and fanciful notion or conception, usually expressed through an elaborate analogy, and pointing to a striking parallel between two seemingly dissimilar things

Connotation

word that evokes feeling beyond literal sense

Consonance

the repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words

Couplet

a two-line stanza, usually with end-rhymes the same

characterization

the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character

indirect characterization

Author subtly reveals the character through actions and interactions.

direct characterization

Author directly describes character

static character

A character that does not change from the beginning of the story to the end

dynamic character

A character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story's action

flat character

A character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story

round character

A character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work

Conflict

A struggle between opposing forces

external conflict

A struggle between a character and an outside force

internal conflict

A struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character

Diction

choice of words especially with regard to correctness, formality, clearness, or effectiveness

Dramatic Monologue

a poem in which an imaginary character speaks to a silent listener

Elegy

a sustained and formal poem setting forth the poet's meditations upon death or another solemn theme

Enjambment

the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next

Epic

A long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds

Epistrophe

the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences

Extended metaphor

an implied analogy, or comparison, which is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem

Free Verse

poetry which is not written in a traditional meter but is still rhythmical

figurative language

Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.

flashback

a scene in a movie, novel, etc., set in a time earlier than the main story.

Foil

A character who acts as a contrast to another character

Foreshadowing

A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.

Hyperbole

a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration

heroic couplet

two end-stopped iambic pentameter lines rhymed aa, bb, cc with the thought usually completed in the two-line unit

Iambic Pentameter

a poetic meter that is made up of 5 stressed syllables each followed by an unstressed syllable

Imagery

the images of a literary work; the sensory details of a work; the figurative language of a work

Irony

A situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant

verbal irony

A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant

dramatic irony

when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't

situational irony

An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Litotes

is a form of the figure of speech that negates a positive in order to convey understated irony

lyric poem

a poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of a speaker

Metaphor

a figure of speech that states that one thing is another thing

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a related term is substituted for the word itself.

mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

motif

A recurring theme, subject or idea

Motivation

A character's incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act

Narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

Ode

A lyric poem that is somewhat serious in subject and treatment, elevated in style, and sometimes uses elaborate stanza structure, which is often patterned in sets of three

Onomatopoeia

A work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes. Animated sounds.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true

Parallelism

A term used in literature that refers to two or more words or phrases in sentences that are the same grammatically, as well as in meaning.

Personification

Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualities

Parody

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.

Exposition

A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances.

Rhetorical question

A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.

rising action

Events leading up to the climax

climax

Most exciting moment of the story; turning point

Resolution

End of the story where loose ends are tied up

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told

first person point of view

a character in the story is actually telling the story himself/herself

third person limited

Narrator sees the world through only one characters eyes and thoughts.

third person omniscient

the narrator knows all of the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in a work

prose

written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.

protagonist

main character

Pun

A play on words

Quatrain

A four line stanza

refrain

A line or set of lines repeated several times over the course of a poem.

Repetition

Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using like or as

Sonnet

A poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes

Speaker

The person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem

Stanza

A series of lines grouped together in order to divide a poem

Synecdoche

When a part is used to signify a whole

Sarcasm

the use of irony to mock or convey contempt

satire

A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies.

Soliloquy

A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage

style

the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work

suspense

a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.

symbol

A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.

Italian sonnet

a sonnet consisting of an octave with the rhyme pattern abbaabba, followed by a sestet with the rhyme pattern cdecde or cdcdcd

English Sonnet (Shakespearean)

fourteen line poem consisting of three quatrains and a couplet

Theme

The main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work that is conveyed by an author and interpreted by a reader

tragedy

a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.

understatement

the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.