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AP English Literature Terms Flashcards

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6336201698foreshadowingto hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand0
6336201699enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to the next1
6336201700pastorala 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
6336201701odea 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
6336201702antithesisthe juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas4
6336201703apostrophean address or invocation to something that is inanimate5
6336201704denotationa direct and specific meaning, often reffered to as the dictionary definition of a word6
6336201705blank versethe verse form consisting of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter7
6336201706caesurapause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns8
6336201707antagonistany force that is in opposition to the main character9
6336201708colloquialordinary language, the vernacular10
6336201709themea generalized, abstract paraphrase of the dominant idea or concern of a work11
6336201710couplettwo rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection12
6336201711dialectthe language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people13
6336201712synechdochewhen a part is used to signify a whole, as in "All hands on deck!" (hands = sailors)14
6336201713dictionthe specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect15
6336201714syntaxthe way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences16
6336201715flashbackretrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative17
6336201716elegya poetic lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation18
6336201717epica 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
6336201718allusiona reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place20
6336201719extended metaphora detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work; also called a conceit21
6336201720farcea play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor22
6336201721in-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
6336201722formal dictionlanguage that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal24
6336201723expositionthat 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
6336201724satirea literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule26
6336201725alliterationthe sequential repetition of similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually heard in closely proximate stressed syllables27
6336201726stylea distinctive manner of expression expressed through an author's diction, rhythm, imagery, and more28
6336201727free versepoetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines29
6336201728genrea type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry30
6336201729hyperboleoverstatement characterized by exaggerated language31
6336201730iambica metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable32
6336201731conceita comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem33
6336201732motifa recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event34
6336201733dramatic monologuealso, a soliloquy; a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience35
6336201734imagerybroadly 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
6336201735informal dictionlanguage that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech37
6336201736ironya situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant38
6336201737lyricany 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
6336201738consonancethe repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels40
6336201739mooda feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view41
6336201740metaphorone thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; an implicit comparison of two unlike things42
6336201741villanellea 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
6336201742allegorya 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
6336201743tonethe attitude a literary work takes toward its subject and theme45
6336201744narrative structurea textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework46
6336201745narratorthe character who tells the story47
6336201746connotationwhat is suggested by a word, apart from what it explictly describes48
6336201747omniscientalso called unlimited focus; a perspective that can be seen from multiple characters49
6336201748oxymorona figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement50
6336201749parablea short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy51
6336201750realismthe practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail52
6336201751juxtapositionthe 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
6336201752anecdotea brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature54
6336201753structurethe organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work55
6336201754parallel structurethe use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts; maintains balance and symmetry56
6336201755archetyperecurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature57
6336201756refraina repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song58
6336201757quatraina poetic stanza of four lines59
6336201758rhymethe repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines60
6336201759similea direct, explicit comparison of two things, usually using like or as to draw the connection61
6336201760solioquya monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself62
6336201761protagonistthe main character in a work who may or may not be heroic63
6336201762assonancerepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity64
6336201763personificationtreating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualitites65
6336201764Shakespearean sonneta sonnet form divided into three quatrains and one couplet; also called an English sonnet66
6336201765onomatopoeiaa work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes67
6336201766speakerthe person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem68
6336201767symbolisma person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that designates itself and at the same time figuratively represents something else69
6336201768Petrarchan sonneta sonnet form divided into an octave and a sestet; also called an Italian sonnet70
6336201769settingthe time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play71
6336201770tragedya drama in which a character, usually of noble or high rank, is brought to a disastrous end in confrontation with a superior force72
6336201771sestinaa 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
6336201772paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true74
6336201773rhythmthe modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech75
6336201774terza 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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