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AP English Literature Vocabulary Flashcards

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6560890336foreshadowingto hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand0
6560890337enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to the next1
6560890338pastorala 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
6560890339odea 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
6560890340antithesisthe juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas4
6560890341apostrophean address or invocation to something that is inanimate5
6560890342denotationa direct and specific meaning, often reffered to as the dictionary definition of a word6
6560890343blank versethe verse form consisting of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter7
6560890344caesurapause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns8
6560890345antagonistany force that is in opposition to the main character9
6560890346colloquialordinary language, the vernacular10
6560890347themea generalized, abstract paraphrase of the dominant idea or concern of a work11
6560890348couplettwo rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection12
6560890349dialectthe language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people13
6560890350synechdochewhen a part is used to signify a whole, as in "All hands on deck!"-hands= sailors14
6560890351dictionthe specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect15
6560890352syntaxthe way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences16
6560890353flashbackretrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative17
6560890354elegya poetic lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation18
6560890355epica 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
6560890356allusiona reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place20
6560890357extended metaphora detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work; also called a conceit21
6560890358farcea play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor22
6560890359in-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
6560890360formal dictionlanguage that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal24
6560890361expositionthat 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
6560890362satirea literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule26
6560890363alliterationthe sequential repetition of similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually heard in closely proximate stressed syllables27
6560890364stylea distinctive manner of expression expressed through an author's diction, rhythm, imagery, and more28
6560890365free versepoetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines29
6560890366genrea type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry30
6560890367hyperboleoverstatement characterized by exaggerated language31
6560890368iambica metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable32
6560890369conceita comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem33
6560890370motifa recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event34
6560890371dramatic monologuealso, a soliloquy; a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience35
6560890372imagerybroadly 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
6560890373informal dictionlanguage that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech37
6560890374ironya situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant38
6560890375lyricany 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
6560890376consonancethe repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels40
6560890377mooda feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view41
6560890378metaphorone thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; an implicit comparison of two unlike things42
6560890379villanellea 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
6560890380allegorya 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
6560890381tonethe attitude a literary work takes toward its subject and theme45
6560890382narrative structurea textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework46
6560890383narratorthe character who tells the story47
6560890384connotationwhat is suggested by a word, apart from what it explictly describes48
6560890385omniscientalso called unlimited focus; a perspective that can be seen from multiple characters49
6560890386oxymorona figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement50
6560890387parablea short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy51
6560890388realismthe practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail52
6560890389juxtapositionthe 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
6560890390ancedotea brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature54
6560890391structurethe organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work55
6560890392parallel structurethe use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts; maintains balance and symmetry56
6560890393personathe 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
6560890394archetyperecurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature58
6560890395refraina repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song59
6560890396quatraina poetic stanza of four lines60
6560890397rhymethe repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines61
6560890398similea direct, explicit comparison of two things, usually using like or as to draw the connection62
6560890399solioquya monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself63
6560890400protagonistthe main character in a work who may or may not be heroic64
6560890401assonancerepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity65
6560890402personificationtreating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualitites66
6560890403Shakespearean sonneta sonnet form divided into three quatrains and one couplet; also called an English sonnet67
6560890404onomatopoeiaa work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes68
6560890405speakerthe person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem69
6560890406symbolisma person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that designates itself and at the same time figuratively represents something else70
6560890407Petrachan sonneta sonnet form divided into an octave and a sestet; also called an Italian sonnet71
6560890408settingthe time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play72
6560890409tragedya drama in which a character, usually of noble or high rank, is brought to a disastrous end in confrontation with a superior force73
6560890410sestinaa 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
6560890411paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true75
6560890412rhythmthe modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech76
6560890413terza 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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