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AP Literature: Elements of Literature Test Flashcards

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4917299412AllegoryA literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions (STANDS FOR MORE THAN ONE THING)0
4917299413AllusionA direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers1
4917299414AntagonistA character or force in conflict with the main character2
4917299415ArchetypeA recurring symbol, character, landscape, or event found in myth and literature across different cultures and eras3
4917299416ClimaxThat point in a plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest; usually the point at which the conflict is resolved (Turning Point)4
4917299417ComedyA literary work which ends happily because the hero or heroine is able to overcome obstacles and get what he or she wants5
4917299418Confidanta person who is trusted with secrets or private matters6
4917299419ConflictA struggle between opposing forces; A struggle between opposing forces; Man vs. Man, Man vs. society, Man vs. himself and Man vs. nature.7
4917299420Cosmic IronyType of irony where it seems that God or fate is manipulating events so as to inspire false hopes, which are inevitably dashed8
4917299421CrisisThe point of uncertainty and tension—the turning point—that results from the conflicts and difficulties brought about through the complications of the plot9
4917299422Denouementconclusion; resolution; the falling action of a story after its climax (Unraveling of the plot)10
4917299423DialogueConversation between two or more characters11
4917299424DictionA writer's or speaker's choice of words12
4917299425Direct Characterizationthe process by which the personality of a character is revealed by the use of descriptive adjectives, phrases, or epithets13
4917299426Dramatic IronyIrony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play14
4917299427Dynamic CharacterA character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story's action15
4917299428EpiphanyA moment of sudden revelation or insight16
4917299429ExpositionA narrative device; The introductory material which gives the setting, creates the tone, presents the characters, and presents other facts necessary to understanding the story17
4917299430FictionLiterature in the form of prose, especially short stories and novels, that describes imaginary events and people18
4917299431First PersonThe narrator is a character in the story who can reveal only personal thoughts and feelings and what he or she sees and is told by other characters; can't tell readers the thoughts of other characters19
4917299432Flashback (Analepsis)A scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time20
4917299433Flat CharacterA character who is not very well developed; has few identifiable characteristics21
4917299434ForeshadowingA narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader22
4917299435GenreA category or type of literature characterized by a particular form, style, or content23
4917299436ImageryDescription that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)24
4917299437Indirect Characterizationthe process by which the personality of a character is revealed through the character's speech, actions, appearance, etc.25
4917299438In Medias ResA Latin term for a narrative that starts not at the beginning of events but at some other critical point26
4917299439IronyA contrast or discrepancy between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen; contrast between expectation and reality27
4917299440HoratianSatire in which the voice is indulgent, tolerant, amused, and witty; the speaker holds up to gentle ridicule the absurdities and follies of human beings28
4917299441JuvenilianFormal satire in which the speaker abrasively attacks vice and error with contempt and indignation with the goal of provoking change because the opponent is seen as evil or harmful29
4917299442Limited Omniscient Point of ViewThe author tells the story, using the third person, but is limited to a complete knowledge of one character in the story and tells us only what that one character thinks, feels, sees, or hears30
4917299443MinimalistAn attitude of only doing the least that is required by law in our moral life; characterized by the use of only the simplest or most essential elements, as in the arts, literature, or design31
4917299444MotifA recurring theme, subject or idea32
4917299445MotivationA character's incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act33
4917299446NarratorA person, animal, or thing telling the story or giving an account of something34
4917299447Objective Point of Viewa narrator who is totally impersonal and objectively tells the story; does not enter the mind of any character, but describes events from the outside35
4917299448Omniscient Point of ViewThe point of view where the narrator knows everything about the characters and their problems - told in the 3rd person36
4917299449PlotSequence of events in a literary work37
4917299450Point of ViewThe perspective from which a story is told38
4917299451ProtagonistChief character in a dramatic or narrative work, usually trying to accomplish some objective or working toward some goal39
4917299452Round CharacterA character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work40
4917299453SettingIs the time and place of the action of a literary work; it can include the mood or atmosphere that the author wants to portray41
4917299454Short Storya story with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel42
4917299455Situational IronyIrony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected43
4917299456Static Charactera literary or dramatic character who undergoes little or no inner change; a character who does not grow or develop44
4917299457Stock Charactera fictional character that relies heavily on cultural types or stereotypes for its personality manner of speech and other characteristics; stock characters are instantly recognizable to members of a given culture45
4917299458Story of InitiationComing-of-age story in which the main character, usually a child or adolescent, undergoes an important experience or rite of passage, that prepares him or her for adulthood (higher state of awareness)46
4917299459Stream of ConsciousnessA literary style in which a character's thoughts, feelings, and reactions are depicted in a continuous flow uninterrupted by objective description or conventional dialogue47
4917299460StyleThe author's choices regarding language, sentence structure, voice, and tone in order to communicate with the reader48
4917299461SymbolA thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract (One meaning)49
4917299462SymbolismThe use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities50
4917299463SyntaxThe arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language51
4917299464ThemeA unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work52
4917299465Third PersonNarrator is not a character, but sees the world through one or more of the character's eyes and thoughts53
4917299466TragedyA dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction54
4917299467ToneA writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels55
4917299468Unreliable Narratora narrator whose account of events appears to be faulty, misleadingly biased, or otherwise distorted56
4917299469Verbal IronyIrony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning57

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