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AP English Literature Terms Flashcards

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6725921609foreshadowingto hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand0
6725921610enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to the next1
6725921611pastorala work that describes the simple life of country folk who live in a timeless, painless life in a world full of beauty, music and love; bucolic, idyll2
6725921612odea lyric poem that is somewhat serious in subject and treatment, elevated in style and sometimes uses elaborate stanza structure, which is often patterned in sets of three3
6725921613antithesisthe juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas4
6725921614apostrophean address or invocation to something that is inanimate5
6725921615denotationa direct and specific meaning, often reffered to as the dictionary definition of a word6
6725921616blank versethe verse form consisting of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter7
6725921617caesurapause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns8
6725921618antagonistany force that is in opposition to the main character9
6725921619colloquialordinary language, the vernacular10
6725921620themea generalized, abstract paraphrase of the dominant idea or concern of a work11
6725921621couplettwo rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection12
6725921622dialectthe language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people13
6725921623synechdochewhen a part is used to signify a whole, as in "All hands on deck!" (hands = sailors)14
6725921624dictionthe specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect15
6725921625syntaxthe way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences16
6725921626flashbackretrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative17
6725921627elegya poetic lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation18
6725921628epica poem that celebrates, in a continuou narrative, the achievements of mighty heroes and heroines, often concerned with the founding of a nation or developing of a culture19
6725921629allusiona reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place20
6725921630extended metaphora detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work; also called a conceit21
6725921631farcea play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor22
6725921632in-media-resrefers to opening a story in the middle of the action, necessitating filing in past details by exposition or flashback; literally, "in the midst of things"23
6725921633formal dictionlanguage that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal24
6725921634expositionthat part of the structure of a plot that sets the scene, introduces and identifies characters, and establishes the situation at the beginning of a story or play25
6725921635satirea literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule26
6725921636alliterationthe sequential repetition of similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually heard in closely proximate stressed syllables27
6725921637stylea distinctive manner of expression expressed through an author's diction, rhythm, imagery, and more28
6725921638free versepoetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines29
6725921639genrea type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry30
6725921640hyperboleoverstatement characterized by exaggerated language31
6725921641iambica metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable32
6725921642conceita comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem33
6725921643motifa recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event34
6725921644dramatic monologuealso, a soliloquy; a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience35
6725921645imagerybroadly defined, any sensory detail or evocation in a work; more narrowly, the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, to call to mind an idea, or to describe an object36
6725921646informal dictionlanguage that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech37
6725921647ironya situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant38
6725921648lyricany short poem in which the speaker expresses intense personal emotion rather than desciribing a narrative or dramatic situation; a sonnet and ode are two examples39
6725921649consonancethe repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels40
6725921650mooda feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view41
6725921651metaphorone thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; an implicit comparison of two unlike things42
6725921652villanellea verse form consisting of nineteen lines divided into six stanzas- five tercets and one quatrain; the first and third line of the first tercet rhyme, and this rhyme is repeated through each of the next four tercets and in the last two lines of the concluding quatrain43
6725921653allegorya prose or poetic narrative in which the characters, behavior, and even the setting demonstrates multiple levels of meaning and significance; often is a universal symbol or personified abstraction44
6725921654tonethe attitude a literary work takes toward its subject and theme45
6725921655narrative structurea textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework46
6725921656narratorthe character who tells the story47
6725921657connotationwhat is suggested by a word, apart from what it explictly describes48
6725921658omniscientalso called unlimited focus; a perspective that can be seen from multiple characters49
6725921659oxymorona figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement50
6725921660parablea short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy51
6725921661realismthe practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail52
6725921662juxtapositionthe location of one thing as being adjacent with another; this placement of two items side by side creates a certain effect, reveals an attitude, or accomplishes some purpose of the writer53
6725921663anecdotea brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature54
6725921664structurethe organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work55
6725921665parallel structurethe use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts; maintains balance and symmetry56
6725921666archetyperecurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature57
6725921667refraina repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song58
6725921668quatraina poetic stanza of four lines59
6725921669rhymethe repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines60
6725921670similea direct, explicit comparison of two things, usually using like or as to draw the connection61
6725921671solioquya monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself62
6725921672protagonistthe main character in a work who may or may not be heroic63
6725921673assonancerepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity64
6725921674personificationtreating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualitites65
6725921675Shakespearean sonneta sonnet form divided into three quatrains and one couplet; also called an English sonnet66
6725921676onomatopoeiaa work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes67
6725921677speakerthe person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem68
6725921678symbolisma person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that designates itself and at the same time figuratively represents something else69
6725921679Petrarchan sonneta sonnet form divided into an octave and a sestet; also called an Italian sonnet70
6725921680settingthe time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play71
6725921681tragedya drama in which a character, usually of noble or high rank, is brought to a disastrous end in confrontation with a superior force72
6725921682sestinaa highly structured poem consisting of six six-line stanzas followed by a tercet; the same set of six words ends the lines of each of the six-line stanzas, but in a different order each time73
6725921683paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true74
6725921684rhythmthe modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech75
6725921685terza rimaa verse form consisting of three-line stanzas in which the second line of each rhymes with the first and third of the next76

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