AP Lit Vocab for Test

Protagonist

Protagonist

main character in a piece of literature

Antagonist

opposing character to the protagonist in a piece of literature

Nemesis

the inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall

Anti-Hero

a main character in a narrative who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, etc.

Villain

a character whose evil actions are important to the story and plot

Quest

investigation or pursuit; can be attributed to coming of age

Dynamic character

one who changes as the story progresses

Static character

one who does not change at all (can be positive or negative)

Round

character who develops as the story progresses

Flat

character who remains undeveloped throughout the story

Foil

Contrasting or complementing character to a main character

Catharsis

emotional release for or with the character as the story progresses

Anecdote

Story or quote about an incident to explain relevance or connection

Archetype

a very typical example of someone or something that shows up in multiple places

Flashback

when a story moves from present to past in narration and tense to bring light to an event in the past

Frame Story

story within a story. Begins in one place, and another narrator or story evolves

Exposition

beginning of the story. Introduces the characters, setting, details, etc. 

Rising action

the story’s conflict initiates and begins to show where the plot is going

Climax

most suspenseful part of the story

Falling action

plot events that bring us to the resolution or denouement

Denouement/resolution

Ending of the story, which either brings a solution to the problem (resolution) or a tragic ending, but peace restored (denouement)

Linear

a plot that moves forward in a chronological fashion

Non-linear

a plot that bounces back and forth between time periods. Begins at the end, and moves backward, or flashes back

Epiphany

a moment of clarty for a character that helps lead to a theme or character development

Dialogue

speech from a character that helps us understand voice, character details, and connections between characters

in medias res

“in the middle” -- the story begins in the middle of a conflict or situation, instead of the beginning

Allegory

a simple story with deeper meaning, trying to teach a lesson or moral to the reader or character

External conflict

Person vs. person, person vs. society, person vs. nature, etc. 

Internal

within the character; usually leads to more depth and complexity

First person point-of-view

“I” and story gives us personal insight into one character’s POV

Second person point-of-view

“you” references the reader, or authorial intrusion, third wall broken

Third person point of view

Omniscient vs. Limited: he/she/they pronouns

Omniscient

all-knowing; we see insight into every character’s thoughts

Limited

Zooms in on one character, but not the rest

Reliable

narrator you can trust

Unreliable

narrator you question their motives and honesty

Metaphor

direct comparison

Simile

direct comparison using like or as

Personification

giving human characteristics to nonhuman things

Connotation

slang, emotional connection, deeper meaning of a word

Denotation

dictionary meaning of a word

Alliteration

similar sounds at the beginning of a word (all start with the same letter)

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements

Symbol

deeper meaning to an object in a story

Setting

who, what, where, when in a story

Motif

recurring symbol in a story

Theme

symbol can lead the reader to a greater understanding of a life lesson or truth the reader can apply in life

Sensory language

language that uses the five senses to help the reader understand or picture the scene

Image

literal, figurative, or both