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Literary Terms
a list of terms to know for AP Literature
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| act | a major division of a play |
| allegory | a story that can be read on multiple levels |
| alliteration | the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (three or more times) |
| allusion | a reference to something else in literature, pop culture, history, etc. |
| anaphora | the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of phrases or sentences |
| antagonist | the person or force opposing the main character |
| aporia | when the narrator speaks directly to the reader |
| apostrophe | when one speaks directly to an inanimate object |
| aside | in a play, when a character speaks to another character or to the audience in a way that is not meant to be heard by other characters on stage |
| biography | the story of a person's life |
| blank verse | unrhymed iambic pentameter |
| characterization | methods used to develop a character |
| climax (literature) | the emotional turning point or high point in a story |
| conflict | a struggle between two opposing forces |
| connotation | the feelings and connections associated with a word |
| coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) | for, and, not, but, or, yet, so |
| couplet | two back-to-back rhyming lines of poetry |
| denotation | dictionary definition |
| dialect | language associated with a specific geographic region |
| dialogue | a conversation between two or more people |
| diction | word choice |
| direct characterization | the author tells you information about a character |
| drama | literature meant to be performed for an audience |
| dramatic irony | when the audience knows something that the characters do not |
| dynamic character | a character who changes over the course of a work |
| eight forms of the verb to be | am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being |
| end rhyme | rhyme at the end of a line of poetry |
| enjambment | when a line of poetry carries over into the next line without any punctuation |
| epic | a long, narrative poem |
| ethos | an appeal to trust and credibility |
| etymology | the history of a word |
| exposition | introduces setting, character, and conflict |
| external conflict | a conflict with an outside person or force |
| fiction | literature that is not true |
| foil character | a character who is similar to another character is several ways but differs in one major way |
| foreshadowing | the use of hints or clues of what will happen next |
| genre | a type of literature |
| hyperbole | an exaggeration for effect |
| iambic pentameter | ten syllables/line in poetry |
| imagery | language that appeals to the senses |
| indirect characterization | the audience must make inferences about a character based on his or her thoughts, actions, feelings, etc. |
| inference | an educated guess |
| internal conflict | conflict that takes place within the mind of a character |
| internal rhyme | rhyme within a line of poetry |
| juxtaposition | placing two items side by side in order to highlight the difference |
| logos | an appeal to logic |
| metaphor | a direct comparison between two unlike things |
| meter | the rhythm of a line of poetry |
| monologue | a long speech delivered by a character to another character on stage |
| mood | the overall feeling or atmosphere of a story |
| motivation | the reason for a character's actions |
| myth | a short story written to explain why something is or how something came to be |
| narrator | the voice telling the story |
| nonfiction | writing about actual people and/or events (true) |
| onomatopoeia | words that imitate their meaning (i.e. bang!) |
| paraphrase | putting text in your own words |
| pathos | an appeal to emotions |
| personification | giving human-like qualities to an inhuman object |
| playwright | the person who writes a play |
| plot | the order of events in a literary work |
| point-of-view | the perspective from which a story is told |
| polysyndeton | the repetition of conjunctions (see FANBOYS) |
| prologue | an introduction to a play |
| prose | writing in sentences (opposite of verse) |
| protagonist | the main character in a literary work |
| pun | a play on words |
| rhetoric | the art of persuasion |
| rhyme scheme | the pattern of end rhyme in a poem |
| satire | addresses a serious issue in a lighthearted way |
| setting | the time and place a story takes place |
| shift | a transition in a story or a poem from ___ to ____ (could be time, tone, mood, perspective, etc.) |
| simile | a comparison using like or as |
| soliloquy | a long speech delivered by a character who is alone on stage |
| sonnet | a 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter with a set rhyme scheme |
| speaker | the narrator of a poem |
| stage directions | directions for actors and actresses that are not read aloud (i.e. sits down on couch) |
| stanza | a major section of a poem |
| static character | a character who remains the same throughout a literary work |
| suspense | a technique used to make the reader or viewer want to know what will happen next |
| symbol | an object that represents something else |
| synecdoche | when part of something represents all of something (i.e. it's been four winters instead of saying four years) |
| syntax | sentence structure |
| TAG | title, author, genre |
| textual evidence | evidence taken from within the text itself to support a greater claim |
| the part of plot in order | exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution |
| theme | the overall lesson of a literary work or the element of human existence dealt with within the work |
| thesis | a statement that concisely states the overarching claim or argument in a paper or essay |
| tone | the attitude behind the words (think emojis) |
| tragedy | a type of play where the protagonist is flawed, has an opportunity to correct behavior, but does not so that his or her behaviors result in downfall |
| analogy | a comparison |
| cliche | an overused expression |
| conceit | an extended metaphor in metaphysical poetry |
| epithet | a short description of a character |
| euphemism | a gentler or kinder way of saying something that others may find offensive or shocking |
| oxymoron | two words with contrasting meanings placed side by side |
| paradox | a statement that on the surface seems to be contradictory but actually makes sense |
| synesthesia | the mixing up of the senses "i.e. it tastes like orange" |
| ambiguity | uncertainty or vagueness |
| aphorism | a witty or memorable statement |
| amplification | repetition with an addition (i.e. the truth, the whole truth) |
Created by:
granger
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