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AP English Literature Terms Flashcards

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4848786311foreshadowingto hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand0
4848786312enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to the next1
4848786313pastorala 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
4848786314odea 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
4848786315antithesisthe juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas4
4848786316apostrophean address or invocation to something that is inanimate5
4848786317denotationa direct and specific meaning, often reffered to as the dictionary definition of a word6
4848786318blank versethe verse form consisting of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter7
4848786319caesurapause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns8
4848786320antagonistany force that is in opposition to the main character9
4848786321colloquialordinary language, the vernacular10
4848786322themea generalized, abstract paraphrase of the dominant idea or concern of a work11
4848786323couplettwo rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection12
4848786324dialectthe language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people13
4848786325synechdochewhen a part is used to signify a whole, as in "All hands on deck!" (hands = sailors)14
4848786326dictionthe specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect15
4848786327syntaxthe way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences16
4848786328flashbackretrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative17
4848786329elegya poetic lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation18
4848786330epica 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
4848786331allusiona reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place20
4848786332extended metaphora detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work; also called a conceit21
4848786333farcea play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor22
4848786334in-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
4848786335formal dictionlanguage that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal24
4848786336expositionthat 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
4848786337satirea literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule26
4848786338alliterationthe sequential repetition of similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually heard in closely proximate stressed syllables27
4848786339stylea distinctive manner of expression expressed through an author's diction, rhythm, imagery, and more28
4848786340free versepoetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines29
4848786341genrea type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry30
4848786342hyperboleoverstatement characterized by exaggerated language31
4848786343iambica metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable32
4848786344conceita comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem33
4848786345motifa recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event34
4848786346dramatic monologuealso, a soliloquy; a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience35
4848786347imagerybroadly 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
4848786348informal dictionlanguage that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech37
4848786349ironya situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant38
4848786350lyricany 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
4848786351consonancethe repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels40
4848786352mooda feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view41
4848786353metaphorone thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; an implicit comparison of two unlike things42
4848786354villanellea 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
4848786355allegorya 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
4848786356tonethe attitude a literary work takes toward its subject and theme45
4848786357narrative structurea textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework46
4848786358narratorthe character who tells the story47
4848786359connotationwhat is suggested by a word, apart from what it explictly describes48
4848786360omniscientalso called unlimited focus; a perspective that can be seen from multiple characters49
4848786361oxymorona figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement50
4848786362parablea short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy51
4848786363realismthe practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail52
4848786364juxtapositionthe 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
4848786365anecdotea brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature54
4848786366structurethe organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work55
4848786367parallel structurethe use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts; maintains balance and symmetry56
4848786368archetyperecurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature57
4848786369refraina repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song58
4848786370quatraina poetic stanza of four lines59
4848786371rhymethe repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines60
4848786372similea direct, explicit comparison of two things, usually using like or as to draw the connection61
4848786373solioquya monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself62
4848786374protagonistthe main character in a work who may or may not be heroic63
4848786375assonancerepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity64
4848786376personificationtreating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualitites65
4848786377Shakespearean sonneta sonnet form divided into three quatrains and one couplet; also called an English sonnet66
4848786378onomatopoeiaa work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes67
4848786379speakerthe person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem68
4848786380symbolisma person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that designates itself and at the same time figuratively represents something else69
4848786381Petrarchan sonneta sonnet form divided into an octave and a sestet; also called an Italian sonnet70
4848786382settingthe time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play71
4848786383tragedya drama in which a character, usually of noble or high rank, is brought to a disastrous end in confrontation with a superior force72
4848786384sestinaa 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
4848786385paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true74
4848786386rhythmthe modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech75
4848786387terza 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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