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AP Literature Fiction Terms Flashcards

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10841584570allusionAn 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
10841584571anaphoraRepetition 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
10841584572antagonistThe character, force, or collection of forces in fiction or drama that opposes the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story.2
10841584573characterizationThe process by which a writer makes a character seem real to the reader.3
10841584574colloquialismSpoken or written communication that seeks to imitate everyday speech.4
10841584575denouementA French term meaning "unraveling" or "unknotting," used to describe the resolution of the plot following the climax.5
10841584576dialogueThe verbal exchanges between characters.6
10841584577dictionAn 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
10841584578epiphanyIn fiction, when a character suddenly experiences a deep realization about himself/herself.8
10841584579flashbackA 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
10841584580foilA 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
10841584581foreshadowingThe introduction early in a story of verbal and dramatic hints that suggest what is to come later.11
10841584582frame StoryThe result of inserting one more more stories within the body of a narrative that encompasses the smaller ones12
10841584583hyperboleA figure of speech in which an overstatement or exaggeration is used for deliberate effect.13
10841584584verbal ironyA figure of speech that occurs when a person says one thing, but means the opposite.14
10841584585situational ironyAn event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience.15
10841584586litotesA 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
10841584587motifA 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
10841584588parodyA literary form in which the style of an author or particular work is mocked in its style for the sake of comic effect.18
10841584589personificationA metaphor in which human qualities are attributed to non-humans or animals.19
10841584590plotAn author's selection and arrangement of incidents in a story to shape the action and give the story a particular focus.20
10841584591point of viewThe perspective from which the writer tells the story (first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, third person objective).21
10841584592proseOrdinary writing as distinguished from verse.22
10841584593protagonistThe central character of a literary work.23
10841584594punA play on words that relies on a word's having more than one meaning or sounding like another word.24
10841584595round characterA fully developed character25
10841584596satireA 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
10841584597settingThe physical and social context in which the action of a story occurs.27
10841584598stock 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
10841584599suspenseThe anxious anticipation of a reader or an audience as to the outcome of a story.29
10841584600symbolA 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
10841584601syntaxThe way in which linguistic elements (words and phrases) are arranged to form grammatical structure.31
10841584602themeThe abstract concept explored in a literary work.32
10841584603toneThe 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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