AP Literature Literary Terms

A long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stage.

A comparison between two unlike things.

A reference to someone or something from is from another work

An adjective or phrase applied to a noun to accentuate a certain characteristic.

poetic expression that spans more than one line; is not complete without the following lines.

Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted

A play on words

Accentuates or emphasizes ideas or images by using grammatically similar constructions.

the author reveals details about the character through the characters thoughts and actions

Seems self-contradictory or nonsensical on the surface, but contains an underlying truth.

A form of understatement in which the positive form is emphasized through negation of negatives

has only one or two personality traits. They are one dimensional, like a piece of cardboard.

A work that makes fun of another work

One who does not change in the course of a text

The main character

An elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are completely different

Using hints and clues as to what will happen later in the plot

When a work makes fun of an aspect of society

Calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, place or thing.

The repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures.

The associations and emotional overtones that are attached to a word or phrase

A discrepancy between appearances and reality.

A lesson being taught through the use of a story.

one who changes in some important way as a result of the story's action

the author reveals details about the character be telling the audience what the character.

An exaggeration or overstatement for effect

the insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work.

A figure of speech that gives inanimate objects human qualities

A rhetorical figure in which two ideas are directly opposed.

A comparison made between two things to show how they are alike

has more dimensions to their personalities, they are complex.

A long narrative poem written in heightened language about a heroic character

Repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together

A mixture of harsh, unpleasant, or discordant sounds

Conflict that exist between two people, a person and nature or machine, or person and society

The dictionary definition of a word

A conflict involving opposing forces within a person's mind

The use of language to evoke a picture or concrete sensation

A part is used to represent the whole, or when the whole is used to represent a part.

Word Choice

Ability to create a variety of sentence structures that are, complex or simple; varied length

unassociated ideas, words, phrases placed next to one another to emphasize a point.

the repetition of similar vowel sounds in words that are close together

One thing is represented by another that is commonly and often physically associated with it.

The character opposing the main character

A poem of mourning , usually about someone or something who has died.

The attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience

When characters, settings, and events stand for other people, events, or ideas.

A character who acts as a contrast to another character.

A two syllable pattern where the 1st syllable is unstressed and the 2nd syllable is stressed.