AP Lit - Literary Devices

Allusion

reference to another work of literature, time period, or person to deepen meaning of work

Anadiplosis

where the end of the sentence becomes the beginning of the next sentence

Antecedent

the word that the referent stands for

Antithesis

the direct opposite, a sharp contrast

Antitimetabole

Repetition of words in reverse order (Ex. "foul is fair and fair is foul")

Apostrophe

when a speaker addresses someone or something not there or not living

Aside

when a character reveals information on stage for the audience and other characters on stage cannot hear

Asyndenton

conjunctions are omitted, producing a fast-paced and rapid prose

Cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

Chiasmus

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (Ex. "she has all my love; my heart belongs to her")

Chronology

arrangement of events in time

Conflict

man v man, man v nature, etc.

Connotation

the emotional meaning of a word

Denotation

the dictionary definition of a word

Diction

word choice

Dramatic Irony

Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play.

Dynamic Character

A character who changes

Epanalepsis

repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning of the clause (Ex. Buster is only worried about the well-being of Buster.)

Epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight

Euphony

pleasant, harmonious sounds

Flashback

a scene in a novel from an earlier time

Foil Character

A character who mirrors or contrasts with another character for effect

Foreshadow

hint at something to come

Hyperbole

over exaggeration

Imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language

In medias res

beginning in the middle of the action (in the middle of things)

Litote

uses an understatement by employing a double negative (Ex. "It's not useless")

Metaphor

comparison not using "like" or "as"

Narrative Distance

narrator's proximity in relation to the other characters

Paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

Personification

giving inanimate objects human characteristics

Perspective

the expression of literature as the personality, state of mind, or desires of the author

Polysyndeton

the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural

Referent

the word that refers to the antecedent and is often a pronoun

Satire/Parody

Satire - making fun of something to bring about social change

Parody - imitation to make fun of something

Shifts

a change in prose or poetry

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Situational Irony

irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.

Social/Historical/Cultural Context

time period of the literature

Soliloquy

monologue of a character talking to themself

Static Character

A character that does not change

Stream-of-consciousness

thoughts and reactions to events perceived as a continuous flow

Symbol

something that stands for both itself and something else

Synecdoche

the part standing for the whole

Syntax

grammatical structure and punctuation

Understatement

stating or showing something less strongly than the facts merit

Verbal Irony

irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning.