AP Lit terms

Foreshadowing

A plot device in which future events are hinted at

Stream of consciousness

A technique in which prose follows the logic and flow of a character’s thought processes—associations, tangents, seemingly strange transitions—rather than a more ordered narrative

Flashback

A scene in a narrative that is set in an earlier time than the main action

Frame story

A narrative that frames or surrounds another story/set of stories (usually start + end of story, provides key context + info)

Flash forward

A short scene in which the action jumps ahead to the future of the narrative

Point of view

The perspective from which a work is told

First person

Told by a narrator who is a character in the story and refers to themself as “I” (can be unreliable)

Second person

Though rare, some stories are told using second-person pronouns; casts the reader as a character in the story

Third person limited omniscient

Told by a narrator who relates the action using third person pronouns, usually privy t the thoughts + actions of only ONE character

Third person omniscient

Third person pronouns, narrator is privy to ALL character’s thoughts + actions

Dialogue

The written description of conversation between characters

Interior monologue

Exhibits the thoughts, feelings, and associations passing through a character’s mind

Parallel scenes

Scenes where characters engage in conversation or activity that “parallel” each other

Denouement

In this phase of the story’s plot, the conflict has been resolved and balance is restored to the world of the story

Gaps

Omission of material to create a chronological gap

Subplots

Another sequence of events (typically 1 major plot, multiple minor subplots)

Characterization

The method by which the author builds/reveals a character

Direct characterization

Occurs when a narrator tells the reader who a character is by background, motivation, temperament, or appearance

Indirect characterization

Shows character through what they say, do, think, and what other characters say about them

Flat character

embodies only 1-2 traits and lacks character development, exists to provide background and motivation to the protagonist’s actions

Static character

a character that does not undergo major changes throughout the story; generally remain a constant

Round character

A character exhibiting a range of emotions and evolves over the course of the story

Stock character

A type of flat character based on a stereotype; one that falls into an immediately recognizable category/type—can be used for humor or satire

Foil

A contrasting character who allows the protagonist to stand out more distinctly

Contrast

Comparing two things in order to show the differences between them

Repetition

Using the same word/phrase over and over again

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but actually is not

Understatement

A particular quality of a person, object, emotion, or situation is downplayed or presented as being less than

Sarcasm

Involves verbal irony used derisively

Rhetorical question

A question asked not for an answer but an effect—used to persuade or subtly influence the audience

Dramatic irony

Tension created by the contrast between what a character says or thinks and what the audience/readers know to be true

Situational irony

A pointed discrepancy between what seems fitting or expected in a story and what actually happens

Verbal irony

A figure of speech that occurs when a speaker/character says one thing but means something else, or when what is said is the opposite of what is expected, using a noticeable incongruity.

Parallel structure

Using the same pattern of words to show those ideas have the same level of importance

Symbolism

The use of an object, person, situation, or word to represent something else

Didactic attitude/language

Teaches a specific lesson or moral, or provides a model of correct behavior and thinking

Empathy

The ability to share someone else’s feelings/experiences by imagining oneself in their situation

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, or to art, history, or current events

Tragic hero

A character who possesses a flaw or commits an error in judgement that leads to their downfall and reversal of fortune

Caricature

A character with features or traits that are exaggerated so that the character seems ridiculous

Ephiphany

A character’s transformative moment of realization

Diction

Author’s choice of words

Connotation

Meanings/associations beyond a word’s dictionary definition

Denotation

The word’s dictionary definitions

Syntax

The arrangement of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences

Similie

An explicit comparison using “like” or “as”

Metaphor

An implied comparison

Personification

An object or animal is given human characterization (traits)

Apostrophe

A direct address to an abstraction, a thing, an animal, or an imaginary or absent person (time, the wind, etc)

Antithesis

Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a comic or ironic effect; an overstatement to make a point

Oxymoron

Paradoxes made up of two seemingly contradictory words

Imagery

A description of how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, or sounds. The verbal expression of sensory experience: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, kinesthetic

Sound effects

The musical quality of poetry, as created through rhyme, enjambment, caesura, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, rhythm, and cadence

Rhythm/meter

The general pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Rhyme

The repetition of same/similar vowels/consonant sounds or construction

Onomatopoeia

The use of a word that refers to a noise and whose pronunciation mimics that noise

Cliche

Lazy statements (general) that ignore the complexity of a literary text

Parody

A comic or satiric imitation of a literary work or style, from lighthearted to exaggerations that criticize by making original work look ridiculous

Romance

A story in which an idealized hero undertakes a quest and Is successful

Satire

A literary work that uses irony to critique society or an individual

Pathos

A direct appeal to the emotions of an audience to provoke specific feelings

Malapropism

A misuse or mispronunciation of a word or phrase, often in the form of a word being replaced by a similar-sounding word

Realism

Describing a literary technique, the goal of which is to render work that feels true, immediate, natural, and realistic

Pastoral

Literature that employs a romanticized description of leisurely farm/rural life

Allegory

A literary work that portrays abstract ideas concretely. Characters are frequently personifications of abstract ideas and are given names that refers to those ideas

Genre

Broad: the general category that a literary work falls into

Specific: a certain subset of literary works grouped together on the basis of similar characteristics

Analogy

In literature, a comparison between two things that helps explain or illustrate one or both of them