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AP English Literature Terms Flashcards

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8260132695foreshadowingto hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand0
8260132696enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to the next1
8260132697pastorala 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
8260132698odea 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
8260132699antithesisthe juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas4
8260132700apostrophean address or invocation to something that is inanimate5
8260132701denotationa direct and specific meaning, often reffered to as the dictionary definition of a word6
8260132702blank versethe verse form consisting of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter7
8260132703caesurapause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns8
8260132704antagonistany force that is in opposition to the main character9
8260132705colloquialordinary language, the vernacular10
8260132706themea generalized, abstract paraphrase of the dominant idea or concern of a work11
8260132707couplettwo rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection12
8260132708dialectthe language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people13
8260132709synechdochewhen a part is used to signify a whole, as in "All hands on deck!" (hands = sailors)14
8260132710dictionthe specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect15
8260132711syntaxthe way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences16
8260132712flashbackretrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative17
8260132713elegya poetic lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation18
8260132714epica 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
8260132715allusiona reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place20
8260132716extended metaphora detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work; also called a conceit21
8260132717farcea play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor22
8260132718in-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
8260132719formal dictionlanguage that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal24
8260132720expositionthat 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
8260132721satirea literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule26
8260132722alliterationthe sequential repetition of similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually heard in closely proximate stressed syllables27
8260132723stylea distinctive manner of expression expressed through an author's diction, rhythm, imagery, and more28
8260132724free versepoetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines29
8260132725genrea type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry30
8260132726hyperboleoverstatement characterized by exaggerated language31
8260132727iambica metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable32
8260132728conceita comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem33
8260132729motifa recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event34
8260132730dramatic monologuealso, a soliloquy; a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience35
8260132731imagerybroadly 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
8260132732informal dictionlanguage that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech37
8260132733ironya situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant38
8260132734lyricany 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
8260132735consonancethe repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels40
8260132736mooda feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view41
8260132737metaphorone thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; an implicit comparison of two unlike things42
8260132738villanellea 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
8260132739allegorya 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
8260132740tonethe attitude a literary work takes toward its subject and theme45
8260132741narrative structurea textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework46
8260132742narratorthe character who tells the story47
8260132743connotationwhat is suggested by a word, apart from what it explictly describes48
8260132744omniscientalso called unlimited focus; a perspective that can be seen from multiple characters49
8260132745oxymorona figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement50
8260132746parablea short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy51
8260132747realismthe practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail52
8260132748juxtapositionthe 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
8260132749anecdotea brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature54
8260132750structurethe organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work55
8260132751parallel structurethe use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts; maintains balance and symmetry56
8260132752archetyperecurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature57
8260132753refraina repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song58
8260132754quatraina poetic stanza of four lines59
8260132755rhymethe repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines60
8260132756similea direct, explicit comparison of two things, usually using like or as to draw the connection61
8260132757solioquya monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself62
8260132758protagonistthe main character in a work who may or may not be heroic63
8260132759assonancerepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity64
8260132760personificationtreating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualitites65
8260132761Shakespearean sonneta sonnet form divided into three quatrains and one couplet; also called an English sonnet66
8260132762onomatopoeiaa work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes67
8260132763speakerthe person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem68
8260132764symbolisma person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that designates itself and at the same time figuratively represents something else69
8260132765Petrarchan sonneta sonnet form divided into an octave and a sestet; also called an Italian sonnet70
8260132766settingthe time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play71
8260132767tragedya drama in which a character, usually of noble or high rank, is brought to a disastrous end in confrontation with a superior force72
8260132768sestinaa 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
8260132769paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true74
8260132770rhythmthe modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech75
8260132771terza rimaa verse form consisting of three-line stanzas in which the second line of each rhymes with the first and third of the next76
8260132772bildungsromana novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education.77
8260132773gothic novela genre or mode of literature and film that combines fiction and horror, death, and at times romance78
8260132774expositiona literary term that refers to the part of a story that sets the stage for the drama to follow: it introduces the theme, setting, characters, and circumstances at the story's beginnings.79
8260132775denouementthe end of a play, book, etc., in which everything is explained or settled; the end result of a situation80
8260132776flashbacka part of a film/movie, play, etc. that shows a scene that happened earlier in time than the main story81
8260132777protagonistthe main character in a major work, experiencing most of the action82
8260132778antagonistthe adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary work83
8260132779flat charactera character who reveals only one, maybe two, personality traits in a story or novel, and the trait(s) do not change84
8260132780round charactera well developed character who demonstrates varied and sometimes contradictory traits. Round characters are usually dynamic85
8260132781foila character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character86
8260132782asidea remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play.87

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