AP Lit. Critical 50
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Created by:
chernandez94_ahs on August 24, 2010
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50 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Allusion | a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize |
| Audience | the intended reader of a piece |
| Author's Purpose | The reason the author wrote a literary work, or shared information, events, motivations, etc. inside a literary work. |
| Character | people or animals who take part in the action of a literary work |
| Character - Protagonist | is the central character of a drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem |
| Character - Antagonist | the character that the main character (protagonist) struggles against |
| Character - Round | The literary character's traits express the emotions and concerns of real people. The audience can usually identify with the feelings of this character. |
| Character - Flat | A character who has one dominant trait that is more noticeable than anything or anyone else and usually have only one job to perform in the text of a story. a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story |
| Character - Dynamic | Change in response to actions through which he/she passes |
| Character - Static | Change little or none over the course of a literary work despite being given opportunities to do so |
| Conflict | the problem or problems characters face in a literary work |
| Conflict - Internal | An internal conflict is a struggle that takes place within a character's mind or heart. In an internal conflict, a character might struggle with paralyzing fear or a need for revenge |
| Conflict - External | a struggle between two forces. An external conflict can take place between two characters; between a character and a group; between a character and society as a whole; or between a character and an animal or a force of nature |
| Figurative Language | language that is used in writing to produce images in a reader's mind and to express ideas in fresh, vivid, and imaginative ways |
| Figurative Language - Simile | a comparison using the words "like" or "as" |
| Figurative Language - Metaphor | a comparison that does not use the words "like" or "as" |
| Figurative Language - Hyperbole | intentional exaggeration to create an effect |
| Figurative Language - Onomatopoeia | a word formed from the imitation of natural sounds |
| Figurative Language - Personification | endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics |
| Inference | a conclusion one draws (infers) based on premises or evidence |
| Setting | the time, place, and environment in which action takes place |
| Plot | the events that take place in a story |
| Plot - Exposition | the opening of a story, when the characters and their conflicts are introduced |
| Plot - Rising Action | following the exposition; the events that build up to the climax |
| Plot - Climax | This is the turning point of the story and the point of highest interest. Plot turning point: the point in a work in which a very significant change occurs |
| Plot - Falling Action | following the climax; when the story begins to resolve conflicts and outstanding issues |
| Plot - Resolution | All the loose ends are tied up, and the story comes to a reasonable ending |
| Historical Context | the historical period that shapes a work of literature and allows the reader to understand important issues in a given time period |
| Compare | comparing similarities between two or more ideas, stories, characters, things, etc. |
| Contrast | showing the differences between two or more ideas, stories, characters, things, etc. |
| Flashback | the insertion or flashing to an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative (story) |
| Imagery | when a something is written to appeal to the five senses. |
| Imagery - TASTE | when description helps the reader understand how something tastes. |
| Imagery - TOUCH | when description helps the reader understand how something feels to the touch. |
| Imagery - SIGHT | when description helps the reader understand how something looks when viewed. |
| Imagery - SOUND | when description helps the reader understand how something would sound. |
| Imagery - SMELL | when description helps the reader understand how something would smell |
| Main Idea | What the passage is mostly about (like the topic) |
| Narrator | the person telling the story. A narrator can be in 1st , 2nd, or 3rd Person |
| Point of View | the vantage point from which a story is told |
| Point of View - FIRST PERSON | a story told by an "I" narrator. An "I" narrator is a character in the story |
| Point of View - SECOND PERSON | a story directed to the reader using "you"; used most commonly when giving directions |
| Point of View - THIRD PERSON | a story told by a non-participating narrator, either omniscient or limited |
| Mood | the emotional atmosphere of a work |
| Convey | how the author gets the point across |
| Dialogue | conversation between two or more people |
| Irony | the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually happens |
| Symbol | an object that is used to represent something else (usually a larger, philosophical and more important idea) |
| Theme | a central lesson of a work |
| Tone | the writer's or speaker's attitude toward the subject of a story, toward a character, or toward the audience (the readers). |
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