AP LIT TERMS

• theme: the main idea or message of a text, usually expressed in a few words or phrases.
• point of view: the way the story is told from the narrators perspective, the authors attitude towards the characters and the story
• conflict: a disagreement or disagreements between two or more people or groups
• characterization: the description of a character's physical appearance, personality, and actions
• tone: the attitude of the writer towards the subject of the text, expressed through the choice of words and the arrangement of the text
• setting: the time and place of the story, the time period, and the location of the story
• plot: the sequence of events in a story, the storyline, the storyline
• imagery: the use of words to create a mental picture of something, often used to describe something in a way that makes it more interesting
• mood: the emotional state of a person, especially one's feelings about oneself
• protagonist: the main character in a story, novel, or play, who is usually the hero
• antagonist: a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary
• repetition: the action of repeating something that has already been said or written
• parallelisim: when words or phrases are repeated in succession and agree in both grammar and meaning.
• foil: a character who is the opposite of the protagonist, often used to show the protagonist's flaws
• allegory: a story that uses symbols to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
• allusion: a reference to something outside the text, usually a literary or historical reference, that is intended to be understood by the reader
• anthropomorphism: attributing human qualities to non-human things or people
• foreshadowing: a hint or suggestion of something that will happen in the future
• figurative language : simile, metaphor, personification, symbol, hyperbole, understatemnet, pun, oxymoron
• hyperbole: an exaggerated statement, especially one intended to be humorous or to express strong feeling
• oxymoron: a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g. faith unfaithful kept him falsely true)