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AP English Literature Vocabulary Flashcards

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13678570800foreshadowingto hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand0
13678570801enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to the next1
13678570802pastorala 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
13678570803odea 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
13678570804antithesisthe juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas4
13678570805apostrophean address or invocation to something that is inanimate5
13678570806denotationa direct and specific meaning, often reffered to as the dictionary definition of a word6
13678570807blank versethe verse form consisting of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter7
13678570808caesurapause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns8
13678570809antagonistany force that is in opposition to the main character9
13678570810colloquialordinary language, the vernacular10
13678570811themea generalized, abstract paraphrase of the dominant idea or concern of a work11
13678570812couplettwo rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection12
13678570813dialectthe language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people13
13678570814synechdochewhen a part is used to signify a whole, as in "All hands on deck!"-hands= sailors14
13678570815dictionthe specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect15
13678570816syntaxthe way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences16
13678570817flashbackretrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative17
13678570818elegya poetic lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation18
13678570819epica 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
13678570820allusiona reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place20
13678570821extended metaphora detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work; also called a conceit21
13678570822farcea play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor22
13678570823in-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
13678570824formal dictionlanguage that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal24
13678570825expositionthat 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
13678570826satirea literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule26
13678570827alliterationthe sequential repetition of similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually heard in closely proximate stressed syllables27
13678570828stylea distinctive manner of expression expressed through an author's diction, rhythm, imagery, and more28
13678570829free versepoetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines29
13678570830genrea type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry30
13678570831hyperboleoverstatement characterized by exaggerated language31
13678570832iambica metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable32
13678570833conceita comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem33
13678570834motifa recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event34
13678570835dramatic monologuealso, a soliloquy; a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience35
13678570836imagerybroadly 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
13678570837informal dictionlanguage that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech37
13678570838ironya situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant38
13678570839lyricany 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
13678570840consonancethe repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels40
13678570841mooda feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view41
13678570842metaphorone thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; an implicit comparison of two unlike things42
13678570843villanellea 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
13678570844allegorya 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
13678570845tonethe attitude a literary work takes toward its subject and theme45
13678570846narrative structurea textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework46
13678570847narratorthe character who tells the story47
13678570848connotationwhat is suggested by a word, apart from what it explictly describes48
13678570849omniscientalso called unlimited focus; a perspective that can be seen from multiple characters49
13678570850oxymorona figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement50
13678570851parablea short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy51
13678570852realismthe practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail52
13678570853juxtapositionthe 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
13678570854ancedotea brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature54
13678570855structurethe organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work55
13678570856parallel structurethe use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts; maintains balance and symmetry56
13678570857personathe 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
13678570858archetyperecurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature58
13678570859refraina repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song59
13678570860quatraina poetic stanza of four lines60
13678570861rhymethe repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines61
13678570862similea direct, explicit comparison of two things, usually using like or as to draw the connection62
13678570863solioquya monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself63
13678570864protagonistthe main character in a work who may or may not be heroic64
13678570865assonancerepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity65
13678570866personificationtreating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualitites66
13678570867Shakespearean sonneta sonnet form divided into three quatrains and one couplet; also called an English sonnet67
13678570868onomatopoeiaa work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes68
13678570869speakerthe person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem69
13678570870symbolisma person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that designates itself and at the same time figuratively represents something else70
13678570871Petrachan sonneta sonnet form divided into an octave and a sestet; also called an Italian sonnet71
13678570872settingthe time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play72
13678570873tragedya drama in which a character, usually of noble or high rank, is brought to a disastrous end in confrontation with a superior force73
13678570874sestinaa 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
13678570875paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true75
13678570876rhythmthe modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech76
13678570877terza 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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