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AP English Literature Vocabulary Flashcards

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9832391502foreshadowingto hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand0
9832391503enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to the next1
9832391504pastorala 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
9832391505odea 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
9832391506antithesisthe juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas; each words opposite is used to convey a deeper meaning:"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind4
9832391507apostrophean address or invocation to something that is inanimate5
9832391508denotationa direct and specific meaning, often reffered to as the dictionary definition of a word6
9832391509blank versethe verse form consisting of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter7
9832391510caesurapause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns - for dramatic effect8
9832391511antagonistany force that is in opposition to the main character9
9832391512colloquialordinary language, the vernacular10
9832391513themea generalized, abstract paraphrase of the dominant idea or concern of a work11
9832391514couplettwo rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection12
9832391515dialectthe language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people13
9832391516synechdochewhen a part is used to signify a whole, as in "All hands on deck!"-hands= sailors14
9832391517dictionthe specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect15
9832391518syntaxthe way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences16
9832391519flashbackretrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative17
9832391520elegya poetic (eulogy is a speech) lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation18
9832391521epica 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
9832391522allusiona reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place20
9832391523extended metaphora detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work; also called a conceit21
9832391524farcea play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor22
9832391525in-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
9832391526formal dictionlanguage that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal24
9832391527expositionthat 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
9832391528satirea literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule26
9832391529alliterationthe sequential repetition of similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually heard in closely proximate stressed syllables - always at the stressed syllables type of consonance27
9832391530stylea distinctive manner of expression expressed through an author's diction, rhythm, imagery, and more28
9832391531free versepoetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines29
9832391532genrea type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry30
9832391533hyperboleoverstatement characterized by exaggerated language31
9832391534iambica metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable32
9832391535conceita comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem33
9832391536motifa recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event34
9832391537dramatic monologuealso, a soliloquy; a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience35
9832391538imagerybroadly 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
9832391539informal dictionlanguage that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech37
9832391540ironya situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant38
9832391541lyricany 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
9832391542consonancethe repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels40
9832391543mooda feeling or ambiance of story - influenced by author's tone41
9832391544metaphorone thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; an implicit comparison of two unlike things42
9832391545villanellea 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 quatrain - started as ballad like song, so use may be allusion43
9832391546allegorya 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
9832391547tonethe attitude a literary work takes toward its subject and theme45
9832391548narrative structurea textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework46
9832391549narratorthe character who tells the story47
9832391550connotationwhat is suggested by a word, apart from what it explictly describes48
9832391551omniscient narratoralso called unlimited focus; a perspective that can be seen from multiple characters49
9832391552oxymorona figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement - only two words50
9832391553parablea short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy51
9832391554realismthe practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail52
9832391555juxtapositionthe 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
9832391556ancedotea brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature54
9832391557structurethe organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work55
9832391558parallel structurethe use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts; maintains balance and symmetry56
9832391559personathe 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
9832391560archetyperecurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature58
9832391561refraina repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song59
9832391562quatraina poetic stanza of four lines60
9832391563rhymethe repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines61
9832391564similea direct, explicit comparison of two things, usually using like or as to draw the connection62
9832391565solioquya monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself63
9832391566protagonistthe main character in a work who may or may not be heroic64
9832391567assonancerepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity65
9832391568personificationtreating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualitites - actually doing something human, not anthropomorphizing (seems like doing something human)66
9832391569Shakespearean sonneta sonnet form divided into three quatrains and one couplet; also called an English sonnet67
9832391570onomatopoeiaa work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes68
9832391571speakerthe person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem69
9832391572symbolisma person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that designates itself and at the same time figuratively represents something else70
9832391573Petrachan sonneta sonnet form divided into an octave and a sestet; also called an Italian sonnet - used frequently by wordsworth - so may be allusion to romantic era71
9832391574settingthe time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play72
9832391575tragedya drama in which a character, usually of noble or high rank, is brought to a disastrous end in confrontation with a superior force73
9832391576sestinaa highly structured poem consisting of six six-line stanzas (sestets) 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 time - 39 lines - came from troubadours (poets who wrote about courtly love); each rhyme appears in each of the six stanzas74
9832391577paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true75
9832391578rhythmthe modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech76
9832391579terza rimaa verse form consisting of three-line stanzas in which the second line of each rhymes with the first and third of the next77
9832391580panegyrica public speech or published text in praise of someone or something.78
9832391581jeremiada long, mournful complaint or lamentation; a list of woes.79
9832391582lampoonpublicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm.80
9832396201Dramatic ironyWhen the audience knows something the characters don't - makes audience more involved81
9832398760situational ironyAn outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected82
9832404181verbal ironyA figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant83
9886896295pathetic fallacythe attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature. particularly weather84

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