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AP English Literature Vocabulary Flashcards

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7286273649foreshadowingto hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand0
7286273650enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to the next1
7286273651pastorala 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
7286273652odea 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
7286273653antithesisthe juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas4
7286273654apostrophean address or invocation to something that is inanimate5
7286273655denotationa direct and specific meaning, often reffered to as the dictionary definition of a word6
7286273656blank versethe verse form consisting of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter7
7286273657caesurapause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns8
7286273658antagonistany force that is in opposition to the main character9
7286273659colloquialordinary language, the vernacular10
7286273660themea generalized, abstract paraphrase of the dominant idea or concern of a work11
7286273661couplettwo rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection12
7286273662dialectthe language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people13
7286273663synechdochewhen a part is used to signify a whole, as in "All hands on deck!"-hands= sailors14
7286273664dictionthe specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect15
7286273665syntaxthe way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences16
7286273666flashbackretrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative17
7286273667elegya poetic lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation18
7286273668epica 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
7286273669allusiona reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place20
7286273670extended metaphora detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work; also called a conceit21
7286273671farcea play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor22
7286273672in-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
7286273673formal dictionlanguage that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal24
7286273674expositionthat 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
7286273675satirea literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule26
7286273676alliterationthe sequential repetition of similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually heard in closely proximate stressed syllables27
7286273677stylea distinctive manner of expression expressed through an author's diction, rhythm, imagery, and more28
7286273678free versepoetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines29
7286273679genrea type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry30
7286273680hyperboleoverstatement characterized by exaggerated language31
7286273681iambica metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable32
7286273682conceita comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem33
7286273683motifa recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event34
7286273684dramatic monologuealso, a soliloquy; a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience35
7286273685imagerybroadly 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
7286273686informal dictionlanguage that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech37
7286273687ironya situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant38
7286273688lyricany 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
7286273689consonancethe repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels40
7286273690mooda feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view41
7286273691metaphorone thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; an implicit comparison of two unlike things42
7286273692villanellea 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
7286273693allegorya 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
7286273694tonethe attitude a literary work takes toward its subject and theme45
7286273695narrative structurea textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework46
7286273696narratorthe character who tells the story47
7286273697connotationwhat is suggested by a word, apart from what it explictly describes48
7286273698omniscientalso called unlimited focus; a perspective that can be seen from multiple characters49
7286273699oxymorona figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement50
7286273700parablea short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy51
7286273701realismthe practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail52
7286273702juxtapositionthe 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
7286273703ancedotea brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature54
7286273704structurethe organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work55
7286273705parallel structurethe use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts; maintains balance and symmetry56
7286273706personathe 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
7286273707archetyperecurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature58
7286273708refraina repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song59
7286273709quatraina poetic stanza of four lines60
7286273710rhymethe repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines61
7286273711similea direct, explicit comparison of two things, usually using like or as to draw the connection62
7286273712solioquya monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself63
7286273713protagonistthe main character in a work who may or may not be heroic64
7286273714assonancerepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity65
7286273715personificationtreating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualitites66
7286273716Shakespearean sonneta sonnet form divided into three quatrains and one couplet; also called an English sonnet67
7286273717onomatopoeiaa work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes68
7286273718speakerthe person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem69
7286273719symbolisma person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that designates itself and at the same time figuratively represents something else70
7286273720Petrachan sonneta sonnet form divided into an octave and a sestet; also called an Italian sonnet71
7286273721settingthe time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play72
7286273722tragedya drama in which a character, usually of noble or high rank, is brought to a disastrous end in confrontation with a superior force73
7286273723sestinaa 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
7286273724paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true75
7286273725rhythmthe modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech76
7286273726terza 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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