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AP English Literature Vocabulary Flashcards

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52540272foreshadowingto hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand0
52540273enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to the next1
52540274pastorala 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
52540275odea 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
52540276antithesisthe juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas4
52540277apostrophean address or invocation to something that is inanimate5
52540278denotationa direct and specific meaning, often reffered to as the dictionary definition of a word6
52540279blank versethe verse form consisting of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter7
52540280caesurapause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns8
52540281antagonistany force that is in opposition to the main character9
52540282colloquialordinary language, the vernacular10
52540283themea generalized, abstract paraphrase of the dominant idea or concern of a work11
52540284couplettwo rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection12
52540285dialectthe language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people13
52540286synechdochewhen a part is used to signify a whole, as in "All hands on deck!"-hands= sailors14
52540287dictionthe specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect15
52540288syntaxthe way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences16
52540289flashbackretrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative17
52540290elegya poetic lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation18
52540291epica 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
52540292allusiona reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place20
52540293extended metaphora detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work; also called a conceit21
52540294farcea play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor22
52540295in-medis-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
52540296formal dictionlanguage that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal24
52540297expositionthat 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
52540298satirea literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule26
52540299alliterationthe sequential repetition of similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually heard in closely proximate stressed syllables27
52540300stylea distinctive manner of expression expressed through an author's diction, rhythm, imagery, and more28
52540301free versepoetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines29
52540302genrea type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry30
52540303hyperboleoverstatement characterized by exaggerated language31
52540304iambica metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable32
52540305conceita comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem33
52540306motifa recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event34
52540307dramatic monologuealso, a soliloquy; a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience35
52540308imagerybroadly 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
52540309informal dictionlanguage that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech37
52540310ironya situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant38
52540311lyricany 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
52540312consonancethe repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels40
52540313mooda feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view41
52540314metaphorone thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; an implicit comparison of two unlike things42
52540315villanellea 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
52540316allegorya 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
52540317tonethe attitude a literary work takes toward its subject and theme45
52540318narrative structurea textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework46
52540319narratorthe character who tells the story47
52540320connotationwhat is suggested by a word, apart from what it explictly describes48
52540321omniscientalso called unlimited focus; a perspective that can be seen from multiple characters49
52540322oxymorona figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement50
52540323parablea short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy51
52540324realismthe practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail52
52540325juxtapositionthe 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
52540326ancedotea brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature54
52540327structurethe organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work55
52540328parallel structurethe use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts; maintains balance and symmetry56
52540329personathe voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story and who may or may not share the values of the actual author57
52540330archetyperecurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature58
52540331refraina repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song59
52540332quatraina poetic stanza of four lines60
52540333rhymethe repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines61
52540334similea direct, explicit comparison of two things, usually using like or as to draw the connection62
52540335solioquya monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself63
52540336protagonistthe main character in a work who may or may not be heroic64
52540337assonancerepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity65
52540338personificationtreating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualitites66
52540339Shakespearean sonneta sonnet form divided into three quatrains and one couplet; also called an English sonnet67
52540340onomatopoeiaa work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes68
52540341speakerthe person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem69
52540342symbolisma person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that designates itself and at the same time figuratively represents something else70
52540343Petrachan sonneta sonnet form divided into an octave and a sestet; also called an Italian sonnet71
52540344settingthe time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play72
52540345tragedya drama in which a character, usually of noble or high rank, is brought to a disastrous end in confrontation with a superior force73
52540346sestinaa 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 time74
52540347paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true75
52540348rhythmthe modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech76
52540349terza rimaa verse form consisting of three-line stanzas in which the second line of each rhymes with the first and third of the next77

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