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AP Literature Common Literary Terms Flashcards

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7066352011AllegoryA narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these things is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth.0
7066352012AlliterationThe repetition at close intervals of initial identical consonant sounds. Or vowel sounds in successive words or syllables that repeat.1
7066352013AllusionAn indirect reference to something with which the reader is expected to be familiar. Allusions are usually literary, historical, biblical, or mythological.2
7066352014AnaphoraRepetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row.3
7066352015ApostropheAn address to the dead as if living; to the inanimate as if animate; to the absent as if present; to the unborn as if alive.4
7066352016ArchetypeHero or villain or other type of character.5
7066352017AssonanceRepetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity. "Fake" and "lake" denote rhyme. "Lake" and "fate" demonstrate assonance.6
7066352018CacophonyThe use of inharmonious sounds in close conjunction for effect. Opposite of euphony.7
7066352019CharacterizationThe method an author uses to develop characters in a work. Can be direct or indirect.8
7066352020ConceitUnusual or surprising extended comparison between two very different things. A special kind of metaphor or complicated analogy.9
7066352021ConnotationRather than the dictionary definition, the associations associated by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning or denotation.10
7066352022ConsonanceRepetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity11
7066352023DictionWord choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types and arrangements have significant effects on meaning.12
7066352024Dramatic IronyWhen the reader is aware of an inconsistency between a fictional or nonfictional character's perception of a situation and the truth of that situation.13
7066352025ElegyA formal sustained poem lamenting the death of a particular person.14
7066352026EpigraphA quotation of aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of a theme.15
7066352027EpiphanyA major character's moment of realization or awareness.16
7066352028EuphemismThe use of a word or phrase that is less direct, but it is also considered less distasteful or less offensive than another. "He is at rest" instead of "He is dead."17
7066352029EuphonyThe use of compatible, harmonious sounds to produce a pleasing, melodious effect.18
7066352030Figurative LanguageA word or words that are inaccurate literally, but describe by calling to mind sensations or responses that the thing described evokes. Can be metaphors or similes.19
7066352031Figure of SpeechA form of expression in which words are used out of the usual sense in order to make the meaning more specific.20
7066352032Flat CharacterA character constructed around a single idea or quality; a flat character is immediately recognizable.21
7066352033FoilA character whose trains are the opposite of another and who thus points up the strengths and weaknesses of the other character.22
7066352034GrotesqueRefers to strangely unusual representations characterized by distortions or incongruities. The fiction of Edgar Allen Poe is often described as grotesque.23
7066352035HyperboleConscious exaggeration used to heighten effect. Often humorous.24
7066352036ImageA word or group of words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the senses.25
7066352037ImageryThe use of images, especially in a pattern of related images, often figurative, to create a strong unified sensory impression.26
7066352038IronyWhen a ready is aware of a reality that differs from a character's perception of reality. The literal meaning of a writer's words may be verbal irony. It is a discrepancy between expectation and reality.27
7066352039LitotesOpposite of hyperbole; understatement.28
7066352040MetaphorA comparison of two things, often unrelated.29
7066352041Dead MetaphorSo overused that its original impact has been lost.30
7066352042Extended MetaphorOne developed at length and involves several points of comparison.31
7066352043Mixed MetaphorWhen two metaphors are jumbled together, often illogically.32
7066352044MetonymyDesignation of one thing with something closely associated with it. Calling the king the CROWN.33
7066352045MoodAn atmosphere created by a writer's word choice (diction) and the details selected. Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length, and complexity affect pacing.34
7066352046MotifA frequently recurrent character, incident, or concept in literature.35
7066352047OnomatopoeiaThe use of a word whose pronunciation suggests its meaning. "Buzz."36
7066352048OxymoronA rhetorical antithesis. Juxtaposing two contradictory terms like "wise fool" or "deafening silence."37
7066352049ParableA short story from which a lesson may be drawn.38
7066352050ParadoxA seemingly contradictory statement or situation which is actually true. This rhetorical device is often used for emphasis or simply to attract attention.39
7066352051ParodyAn exaggerated imitation of a usually more serious work for humorous purposes. The writer of a parody used the quirks of style or the imitated piece in extreme or ridiculous ways.40
7066352052PersonaA writer often adopts a fictional voice to tell a story. Persona or voice is usually determined by a combination of subject matter and audience.41
7066352053PersonificationFigurative language in which inanimate objects, animals, ideas, or abstractions are endowed with human traits or human form.42
7066352054Point of ViewThe perspective from which a fictional or nonfictional story is told. First-person (reliable or unreliable), second-person, and third-person (omniscient, objective, limited) point of view are commonly used.43
7066363662Aphorismsuccinct observation that contains a general truth44

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