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AP English Literature Terms Flashcards

Definitions of the terms used in the AP Literature Exam

Terms : Hide Images
4382000864asyndetoncommas used w/o conjunction to separate a series of words (i.e. X,Y,Z, not X,Y, & Z)0
4382000865apostrophecalling out to an object or an abstract idea (i.e. the wind)1
4382000866assonancerepetition of vowel sounds2
4382000867appositionwhen elements that are an explanation of the something stated are listed (i.e. my loves: Theo, bunnies, and chocolate)3
4382000868juxtapositionplacing two unassociated elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast4
4382000869enjambmentthe continuation of meaning, without pause or break, from one line of poetry to the next5
4382000870restrainedconstricted writing6
4382000871elegya lament over someone's death7
4382000872sonneta poem w/ a 14-line structure8
4382000873colloquialisma word or phrase used in informal/everyday conversation9
4382000874petrarchan/italian rhymerhyme scheme of ABBA - ABBA - CDE - CDE10
4382000875deferencerespectful or courteous regard11
4382000876iambic pentametera poetic meter that is made up of 5 stressed syllables each followed by an unstressed syllable12
4382000877verisimilitudeprobability; likelihood13
4382000878simple sentencesa sentence having only one clause14
4382000879conceitan elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different15
4382000880synecdochea figure of speech in which a part is used for a whole (i.e. wheels = the whole car)16
4382000881couplettwo consecutive rhyming lines of poetry17
4382000882quatrainsgroups of four lines in a poem18
4382000883antithesisthe juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance19
4382000884syntactic fluencyability to create a variety of sentence structures20
4382000885pragmaticguided by practical experience and observation rather than theory21
4382000886laudablepraiseworthy; commendable22
4382000887rationalizationthe process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason23
4382000888onomatopoeiaa word that imitates the sound it's referencing24
4382000889idiomspeech or phrase specific to a particular language or group of people25
4382000890in medias resoccurring in the middle of an event/action26
4382000891anaphorarepetition of the same word at the beginning of successive phrases27
4382000892invocationcalling out to a god or goddess28
4382000893allegorya story or poem in which the characters represent abstract ideas (i.e. Animal Farm)29
4382000894allusionreference to someone or something known from history or literature30
4382000895anastrophethe reversal of the normal order of words for the purpose of rhythm31
4382000896anecdoteshort story of an amusing or interesting event32
4382000897antagonistvillain; opponent against the hero33
4382000898antimetabolerepetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order (i.e. "One should eat to live, not live to eat.")34
4382000899antiherocentral character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes35
4382000900anthropomorphismattributing human characteristics to an animal36
4382000901aphorisma brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life37
4382000902static characterone who does not change throughout the story38
4382000903chiasmusa statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (i.e. Flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike)39
4382000904connotationthe associations and emotional overtones that are attached to a word or phrase40
4382000905dialecta way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain group41
4382000906dictiona writer's choice of words42
4382000907didactica story that teaches a specific lesson or moral43
4382000908epanalepsisdevice of repetition in which the same word is repeated at the beginning in end of a line (i.e. common sense is not so common)44
4382000909epicpoem which recounts the deeds of a hero45
4382000910epigraphquotation at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme46
4382000911expositionwriting that is intended to make clear explanation about something47
4382000912farcea type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in far-fetched situations48
4382000913hypotactica sentence using connecting words btw clauses or sentences to show the relationship btw them (i.e. I am tired b/c it is hot)49
4382000914inversionthe reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase50
4382000915ironydiscrepancy btw appearances & reality51
4382000916metonymysubstitution of the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (i.e. they counted heads; heads = people)52
4382000917motifa recurring image, word, or idea throughout a work53
4382000918parablea short story that teaches a moral lesson about how to lead a good life54
4382000919paradoxa self-contradictory statement that actually contains some truth55
4382000920parallel structure/parallelismthe repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures (i.e. I like running, swimming, and jumping.)56
4382000921parodya work that makes fun of another by imitating some aspect of the writer's style57
4382000922polysyndetonsentence that uses a conjunction w/ no commas to separate the items of the series (i.e. X and Y and Z)58
4382000923protagonistcentral character of a story59
4382000924punplay on words based on the multiple meanings on words that sound alike but mean different things60
4382000925refraina word or phrase that is repeated several times in a poem for effect61
4382000926rhetoricart of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse62
4382000927satirethe use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions63
4382000928soliloquya long speech made by a character who is alone on stage64
4382000929syntactic permutationsentence structures that are extremely complex, often difficult for a reader to follow65
4382000930telegraphic sentencea sentence shorter than five words in length66
4382000931vernacularthe language spoken by the people who live in a particular place67
4382000932impressionisma 19th century movement; recorded the artist's personal impressions of the world68
4382000933rationalismmovement that began in the 17th century; truth can be obtained through reason, not the church/religion69
4382000934transcendentalisma 19th century movement; every individual can reach ultimate truths through spiritual intuition70
4382000935denotationthe dictionary meaning of a word, as opposed to connotation71
4382000936digressionuse of material unrelated to the subject of work72
4382000937reliabilitythe quality of some fictional narrators that the reader can trust73
4382000938syllogisma form or reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them (i.e. micro, macro, thus: all tragedies end unhappily; Hamlet is a tragedy; Hamlet ends unhappily"74
4382000939blank verseunrhymed iambic pentameter75
4382000940dactyla metrical foot of three syllables: an accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables76
4382000941free versepoetry not written in traditional meter but is still rhythmical77
4382000942iamba two-syllable foot with an unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable78
4382000943English/Shakespearean Rhymerhyme scheme of ABAB - CDCD - EFEF - GG79
4382000944imperativethe mood of a verb that gives an order (i.e. "Eat your spinach!")80

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