Ap Lit Vocabulary 1

Front 1

Abstract

Back 1

A short summary at the beginning of a scholarly article that states the thesis, the major points of
evidence, and the conclusion of the article.

Front 2

Act

Back 2

A subdivision of the action of a play, similar to a chapter in a book. generally occur during a change in
scenery, cast of characters, or mood, and the end of this usually suggests the advancement of time in the play.
often divided into subunits called scenes.

Front 3

Allegory

Back 3

A story in which major elements such as characters and settings represent universal truths or moral
lessons in a one-to-one correspondence.

Front 4

Allusion

Back 4

A reference to another work of art or literature, or to a person, place, or event outside the text.

Front 5

Anecdote

Back 5

A personal remembrance or brief story.

Front 6

Antihero

Back 6

A main character who acts outside the usual lines of heroic behavior (brave, honest, true).

Front 7

Apostrophe

Back 7

A figure of speech in which a writer directly addresses an unseen person, force, or personified idea.
The term derives from the Greek term meaning turning away and often marks a digression.

Front 8

Archetype

Back 8

An image or symbol with a universal meaning that evokes a common emotional reaction in readers.

Front 9

Aside

Back 9

In drama, a remark made by an actor to the audience, which the other characters do not hear. This
convention is sometimes discernable in fiction writing, when a self-conscious narrator breaks the flow of the
narrative to make a remark directly to the reader.

Front 10

Augustan Age

Back 10

A distinct period in early-eighteenth-century neoclassical English literature characterized by
formal structure and diction. named after the great period of Roman literature when Ovid, Horace, and Virgil were writing. Famous writers of the English were Alexander Pope, Thomas Gray, and Jonathan Swift.