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AP Literature Flashcards

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7315148341AllegoryThe device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.0
7315148342AlliterationThe repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words.1
7315148343AllusionA direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.2
7315151003AmbiguityThe multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.3
7315151004AnalogyA comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.4
7315151005AnaphoraThe repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.5
7315153311AnastropheThe order of a noun and adjective are exchanged (switched around).6
7315154012AnecdoteA short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.7
7315154013AntagonistA person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.8
7315156497AntimetaboliteA chemical that inhibits the use of metabolite.9
7315108403AntithesisA rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences.10
7315108404AntiheroA protagonist who is marked unheroic; morally weak, cowardly, dishonest, or any number of other unsavory qualities.11
7315118767AnthropomorphismWhen animals are given human characteristics; often confused with personification.12
7315253386AphorismA short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment.13
7315253387ApostropheCalling at an imaginary dead or nonhuman.14
7315254811AppositionNoun phrases side by side where one element serves to define the other.15
7315254812AssonanceThe repeated use of vowel sounds "Old king Cole was a merry old soul."16
7315257919AsyndetonThe deliberate omission of conjunctions from series of related independent clauses. The effect is to create a tight, concise, and forceful sentence.17
7315261310BalanceA sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast.18
7429590368CharacterizationThe process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character.19
7429599495Indirect CharacterizationThe author reveals to the reader what the character is like by describing how the reader looks, dresses, says, thinks, feels, behaves, or acts.20
7429628548Direct CharacterizationThe author tells us directly what the character is like.21
7429636847Static CharacterOne who does not change much like in the course of the story.22
7429651056Dynamic CharacterOne who changes in some important way as a result of the story's action.23
7429661827Flat CharacterHas only one or two personality traits; they can be summed up in one phrase.24
7429670495Round CharacterHas more dimensions to their personality.25
7429681511ChiasmusA rhetorical balance in poetry in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first, but with the parts reversed. Example: "Flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike."26
7429712432ClicheA word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse.27
7429722196ColloquialismA word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations.28
7731103392Comedyin general, a story that ends with a happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main character or characters.29
7731103393Conceitan elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different. Often an extended metaphor.30
7731106708Confessional Poetrya twentieth century term used to describe poetry that uses intimate material from the poet's life.31
7731106709Conflictthe struggle between opposing forces or characters in the story.32
7731109766External Conflictconflicts can exist between two people, between a person and nature or a machine or between a person and a whole society.33
7731113276Internal Conflicta conflict can be internal, involving opposing forced within a person's.34
7731116096Connotationthe associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition.35
7731116097Couplettwo consecutive rhyming lines of poetry.36
7731119245Dialecta way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of the inhabitants of a certain geographical area.37
7731119246Dictiona speaker or writer's choice of words.38
7906504001Didacticintended to teach; morally instructive39
7906504002Elegya poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died40
7906507948Epanalepsisrepetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning41
7916287770Epica long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds42
7906587694Epistropherepetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses43
7916308924Epitheta descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something44
7916311277Essaya short nonfiction work about a particular subject45
7906620139Persuasionrelies more on emotional appeals than on facts46
7906626788Argumentform of persuasion that appeals to reason instead of emotion to convince an audience to think or act in a certain way47
7906681950Causal Relationshipform of argumentation in which the writer claims that one thing results from another, often used as part of a logical argument48
7906698077Descriptiona form of discourse that uses language to create a mood or emotion49
7906734408Expositionone of the four major forms of discourse in which something is explained or "set forth"50
7916321725Narrativethe form of discourse that tells about a series of events51
8156337740Explication52
8156337741Fablea very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about how to succeed in life53
8156342440Farcea type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved54
8156345081Figurative Language55
8156345082Flashback56
8156349410Foil57
8156349411Foreshadowingthe use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot58
8156354116Free Versepoetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme59
8156354117Hyperboleexaggeration60
8156359360Hypotacticsentence marked by the use of connecting words between clauses or sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them61
8240263986Imagerythe use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience62
8240291625Inversionthe reversal of the normal word63
8240291626Ironythe use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning64
8240299426Verbal ironyoccurs when someone says one thing but really means something else65
8240313341Situational ironytakes place when there is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen, or what would be appropriate to happen, and what really does happen66
8240335341Dramatic ironyis so called because it is often used on stage. A character in the play or story thinks one thing is true, but the audience or reader knows better67
8240367460Juxtapositiona form of contrast by which writers call attention to dissimilar ideas or images or metaphors68
8240383105Litotesa form of understatement in which the positive form is emphasized through the negation of a negative form69
8240404518Local colora term applied to fiction or poetry which tends to place special emphasis on a particular setting, including its customs, clothing, dialect and landscape70
8240432413Loose sentenceone in which the main clause comes first, followed by further dependent grammatical units71

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