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AP Literature Devices Flashcards

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1626598919Allegorya story or poem in which characters, setting, and events stand for other people, other events, abstract ideas or qualities0
1626598920Allusiona reference in a literary work to a person, place or thing in history or another work of literature1
1626598921Alliterationthe repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words2
1626598922Ambiguitydeliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting meanings in a work3
1626598923Analogya comparison of two things to show that they are alike4
1626598924Antagonista character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character, or protagonist, in some way5
1626598925Apostrophecalling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or to a personified idea6
1626598926Anecdotea brief account of an interesting incident or event that usually is intended to entertain or to make a point7
1626598927Asidean actor's speech, directed to the audience, that is not supposed to be heard by other actor's on the stage, used to let the audience know what a character is about to do or what he or she is thinking8
1626598928Assonancea repetition of vowel sounds within a line9
1626598929Atmospherea pervading emotional quality developed by the handling of the setting, helps to establish tone10
1626598930Bildungsromana coming of age story11
1626598931Cacophonyharsh, clashing, or dissonant sounds12
1626598932Caesuraa pause or a sudden break in meter or rhythm in a line of poetry; sometimes punctuated, sometimes not13
1626598933Characterizationthe process by which the author reveals the personality of a character14
1626598934Climaxthe point in the plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest-- sometimes referred to as "turning point"15
1626598935Colloquialisma word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing, but is inappropriate for formal situation16
1626598936Conceitan elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different, often an extended metaphor17
1626598937Connotationthe idea and feeling associated with a word as opposed to its dictionary definition18
1626598938Denotationthe exact or dictionary meaning of a word19
1626598939Detailfacts that support the thesis or assertion in a piece of writing20
1626598940Dictionauthor's word choice21
1626598941Figurative Languagewords which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, but are used to describe22
1626598942Imagerythe use of words and phrases that appeal to the five senses23
1626598943Pacingspeed in which the plot moves along24
1626598944Point of Viewperspective from which the story is told25
1626598945Shifta change or movement in a piece from one point, idea, concept, etc, to another; usually signaled by words such as but, then, however, etc.26
1626598946Syntaxthe actual way in which words and sentences are placed together in the writing27
1626598947Themethe insight about human nature revealed in a work28
1626598948Tonethe writer's attitude or feeling about his or her subject29
1626663464Conflictthe struggle between opposing forces in literature; internal and external30
1626663465Consonancea special type of alliteration in which the repeated pattern of consonants is marked by changes in intervening sounds31
1626663466Enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence or clause over a line-break32
1626663467Epiphanymoment in the story where a character achieves realization, awareness or feeling of knowledge after which events are through a different light within the story33
1626663468Euphonyattempting to group words together harmoniously, so that the consonants permit an easy and pleasing flow of sound when spoken34
1626663469Flashbacka narrative technique that allows a writer to present past events during current events, in order to provide background for the current narration35
1626663470Foila character that serves by contrast to highlight or emphasize opposing traits in another character36
1626663471Foreshadowinguse of hints and clues to suggest a future happening in the plot37
1626663472Genrea type or category of literature marked by shared features38
1626663473Hyperbolean extravagant exaggeration39
1626663474Ironya discrepancy between appearances and reality40
1626663475Juxtapositionthe arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side by side or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical effect, suspense or character development41
1626663476Litotesan understatement in which the affirmative is expressed by the negation of the opposite42
1626663477Metaphorthe comparison of two unlike things without using the words like or as43
1626663478Metonymythe substitution of a word which relates to the object or person to be named, in place of the name itself Ex. The pen is mightier than the sword44
1626663479Moodan atmosphere created by the writer's diction and the details45
1626663480Motifa recurring object, concept, or structure in a piece of work46
1626663481Onomatopoeiathe use of words whose sounds echo their sense47
1626663482OmniscientAll knowing as in its narration, the narrator knows everything about all characters48
1626663483Oxymoronthe use of combining opposites or contradictory phrases or terms in a phrase49
1626663484Parallelismwhen the writer establishes similar patterns of grammatical structure and length50
1626663485Parodya work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer's style51
1626706637paradoxa statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a truth52
1626706638Personificationwhen an object or animal is given human thoughts, feelings, or attitudes53
1626706639Protagonistthe central character of a story, the one who initiates the action54
1626706640Sarcasmthe use of verbal irony meant to say one thing, but mean another55
1626706641Satirea type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in attempt to bring about a change56
1626706642Scansionreading a poem in such a way to determine its meter (stresses and unstresses in a line)57
1626706643Settingthe general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which the action of a fictional or dramatic work occurs58
1626706644Similethe comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as59
1626706645Stereotypea character who is so ordinary or unoriginal that the character seems like an oversimplified representation of a type, gender, class, religious group, or occupation60
1626706646Subjectivebased on influence by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions61
1626706647Symbolwhen an object, person, place, thing that has meaning in itself stands for something else, usually more complex62
1626706648Synaesthesiait involves taking one type of sensory input (light, sound, smell, touch, taste) and coupling it with another separate sense in an impossible way. In the resulting figure of speech, we end up discussing how color tastes or looks smell.63
1626706649Synecdochea part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part64
1626706650Stylethe distinctive way in which a writer uses language which includes diction, tone, and syntax65
1626706651Turning pointThat crucial moment in story where the fate of the hero or heroine is sealed, when the events of the plot must move forward toward a happy or unhappy ending66

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