AP Literature and Composition Literary Terms (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key literary terms from lecture notes.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared implicitly; a statement that one thing is something else, which, in a literal sense, is not.

Personification

Sometimes called anthropomorphism; it attributes human qualities to objects or animals.

Simile

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

Synecdoche

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

Metonymy

The name of a thing is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.

Overstatement/Hyperbole

An exaggeration of language used to prove a point.

Undertatement

Language that makes its point by self-consciously downplaying its real emphasis.

Trope

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

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.

Dramatic Irony

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

Verbal Irony

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

Paradox

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

Oxymoron

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

Plot

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

Exposition

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

Inciting Incident

The introduction of the central conflict in a plot.

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.

Climax

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

Falling Action

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

Resolution

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

Denouement

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

Deus 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.

Discriminated Occasion

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

In Medias Res

Latin for in the middle of the action.

Foreshadowing

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

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.

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.

Internal Conflict

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

External Conflict

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

Point of View

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

First-Person Point of View

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

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 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.

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.

Voice

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

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.

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.

Auditor

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

Protagonist

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

Antagonist

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

Dynamic Character

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

Static Character

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

Round Character

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

Flat Character

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

Foil Character

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

Archetype

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

Stock Character

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

Indirect Characterization

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

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.

Temporal Setting

The time during which the action of a story unfolds.

Spatial Setting

The place or places in which the action of a story unfolds.

Mood/Atmosphere

The feeling created for the reader by a work of literature through various literary techniques.

Imagery

The verbal expression of sensory experiences (visual, olfactory, auditory, gustatory, and tactile) to create vivid mental pictures and evoke an emotional response.

Tone

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

Syntax

The arrangement of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences; this includes word order, sentence length, sentence variety, sentence type, and punctuation.

Denotation

The literal dictionary meaning of a word.

Connotation

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

Diction

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

Juxtaposition

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

Symbol

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

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.

Allusion

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

Selection of Detail

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

Theme

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

Motif

A recurring topic or idea in a literary work that develops or reinforces a theme; typically stated as a single word or two.