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AP Literature Fiction Terms Flashcards

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4830220608allusionAn indirect or passing reference to some event, person, place, or artistic work; the nature and relevance of which is not explained by the writer, but relies on the reader's familiarity with what is thus mentioned.0
4830221949anaphoraRepetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Ex: "We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France."1
4830222849antagonistThe character, force, or collection of forces in fiction or drama that opposes the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story.2
4830224368characterizationThe process by which a writer makes a character seem real to the reader.3
4830224369colloquialismSpoken or written communication that seeks to imitate everyday speech.4
4830226349denouementA French term meaning "unraveling" or "unknotting," used to describe the resolution of the plot following the climax.5
4830228808dialogueThe verbal exchanges between characters.6
4830232112dictionAn author's choice of words. Since words have specific meanings and since one's choice of words can affect feelings, a writer's choice of words can have great impact in a literary work.7
4830232945epiphanyIn fiction, when a character suddenly experiences a deep realization about himself/herself.8
4830233608flashbackA narrated scene that marks a break in the narrative in order to inform the reader or audience member about events that took place before the opening scene of a work.9
4830234990foilA character in a work whose behavior and values contrast with those of another character in order to highlight the distinctive temperament of that character.10
4830235735foreshadowingThe introduction early in a story of verbal and dramatic hints that suggest what is to come later.11
4830236536frame StoryThe result of inserting one more more stories within the body of a narrative that encompasses the smaller ones12
4830237191hyperboleA figure of speech in which an overstatement or exaggeration is used for deliberate effect.13
4830238484verbal ironyA figure of speech that occurs when a person says one thing, but means the opposite.14
4830239408situational ironyAn event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience.15
4830241363litotesA type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite. Ex. Describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, "It was not a pretty picture."16
4830242364motifA recurrent image, word, phrase, represented object, or action that tends to unify the literary work or may be elaborated into a more general theme.17
4830243433parodyA literary form in which the style of an author or particular work is mocked in its style for the sake of comic effect.18
4830243434personificationA metaphor in which human qualities are attributed to non-humans or animals.19
4830244716plotAn author's selection and arrangement of incidents in a story to shape the action and give the story a particular focus.20
4830246077point of viewThe perspective from which the writer tells the story (first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, third person objective).21
4830247222proseOrdinary writing as distinguished from verse.22
4830247223protagonistThe central character of a literary work.23
4830248265punA play on words that relies on a word's having more than one meaning or sounding like another word.24
4830249824round characterA fully developed character25
4830250602satireA literary work which exposes and ridicules human vices or folly. It is usually intended as a moral criticism directed against the injustice or social wrong.26
4830251562settingThe physical and social context in which the action of a story occurs.27
4830253219stock characterA fictional character that relies heavily on cultural types or stereotypes for its personality, manner or speech, and other characteristics. Stock characters are instantly recognizable to members of given cultures.28
4830254604suspenseThe anxious anticipation of a reader or an audience as to the outcome of a story.29
4830254605symbolA figure of speech in which something (object, person, situation, or action) means more than what it is. A symbol may be read literally and metaphorically.30
4830255891syntaxThe way in which linguistic elements (words and phrases) are arranged to form grammatical structure.31
4830256783themeThe abstract concept explored in a literary work.32
4830257914toneThe author's implicit attitude toward a reader or the people, places, and events in a work as revealed by the elements of the author's style.33

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