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AP Literature Flashcards

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7988582016bellicose (adj)loud, argumentative, prone to fighting0
7988585396austere (adj)severe, stern, or cold disposition or appearance1
7988597268austerity (n)a stern and serious quality2
7988616530choleric (adj)having or showing a quick/hot temper or a cantankerous nature; easily angered3
7988622430ambivalent (adj)having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone; inconclusive or wavering4
7988640829ambivalence (n)the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone5
7988645159charlatan (n)a person who pretends or claims to have more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses; a fraud6
7988676801accusatory (tone)charging of wrong doing7
7988679262apathetic (tone)indifferent due to lack of energy or concern8
7988683057awe (tone)solemn wonder9
7988685248bitter (tone)exhibiting strong animosity as a result of pain or grief10
7988688505cynical (tone)questions the basic sincerity and goodness of people11
7988703594hamartiaa tragic flaw; an unwitting (unknowing or oblivious) error in judgment12
7988712198tropeany departure from ordinary" language in a literary text. "Trope" means "turn"; the term implies a turning away from conventional uses of words. Tropes include metaphors, similes, repetitions, and other figures of speech"13
7988753325hubrisexcessive pride14
7988775137reversalcoined by Aristotle as the point when the hero's fortunes turn in an unexpected direction-an action performed by a character that has the opposite of its intended effect15
7988802520recognitionthe moment in a story when previously unknown or withheld information is revealed to the protagonist, resulting in the discovery of the truth of his or her situation and, usually, a decisive change in course for that character16
7988853630deus ex machina"god the machine", a term now used to describe any improbably means by which an author provides a too-easy resolution for a story17
7988873255invocationa prayer or statement that calls for help from a god or goddess18
7988879799apostropheaddressing something or someone non-living or incapable of response as if it could hear and respond, such as "O, howling wind..."19
7998084203aphorisma short, instructive statement of truth20
7998086232allusiona casual and brief reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event; the best sources for allusions are literature, history, greek mythology, and the bible21
7998105330catharsisa term coined by Aristotle to describe an emotional release experienced by the audience at the end of a successful tragedy22
7998136682epiphanythe point in a work of literature where a character has a sudden insight or realization that changes his or her understanding23
7998143242litotesa figure of speech which employs an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite expressions24
7998146864dramatic ironywhen the audience knows something that the characters don't25
7998164601verbal ironywhen you say something but mean the opposite26
7998200745foil charactera character who contrasts with another character —usually the protagonist— to highlight particular qualities of the other character. In some cases, a subplot can be used as a foil to the main plot27
7998219321juxtapositiona literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts28

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