AP LIT literary terms

  1. Allegory-The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form. e.g. “The Allegory of the Cave” by Plato, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

  2. Allusion-a reference to a canonical work of literature, usually the Bible, Shakespeare, or mythology (not a magic trick, “illusion”). e.g. “I’m the Hermes of verses, I write my curses in cursive” (Kanye West, “Otis”). 

  3. Alliteration-The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words. e.g. Marilyn Monroe, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, “...my mind on my money and my money on my mind…”(Snoop Dogg). See also consonance. 

  4. Ambiguity-When an author leaves out details/information or is unclear about an event so the reader will use his/her imagination to fill in the blanks. e.g. Snape’s intentions/character in Harry Potter, Hamlet's true thoughts / feelings.

  5. Anaphora-Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or phrases. e.g. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." C. Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, or Dr. Dre in the chorus of “Still D-R-E”: “...still hitting those corners in the lo-lo’s girls / still taking my time to perfect my beats / And I still got love for the streets…”

  6. Anecdote-A short story or joke told at the beginning of a speech to gain the audience’s attention and illustrate an intended moral. e.g. “Back in my day…” 

  7. Antagonist-The protagonist’s adversary, not always "the bad guy or the villain," but typically so. e.g. Darth Vader, “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” 

  8. Apostrophe- When a character speaks to a character or object that is not present or is unable to respond. This can mean addressing inanimate objects or the natural world. Often involves use of exclamation “O!” Found in a majority of Romantic poetry and lyric poetry. e.g. “Oh, to be young again!” or “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, How I wonder what you are!” 

  9. Assonance-The repetition of the same vowel sound in a phrase or line of poetry. e.g. "Do not go gentle into that good night" (Dylan Thomas) or "Whose woods these are I think I know" (Robert Frost) or “Got my mojo working…”(Muddy Waters) 

  10. Asyndeton: the omission of conjoining conjunctions (such as “and,”, “or,” “but”) when not grammatically necessary for emphasis or to maintain meter. i.e. “the words, the records, the style, the records I spin” (Dr. Dre, “Express Yo’self”)