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AP Literature Literary Devices Flashcards

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6585089385consonanceRepetition of consonant sounds0
6585089386personificationA figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes1
6585089387masculine rhymeA rhyme ending on the final stressed syllable (regular old rhyme)2
6585089388simileA comparison using "like" or "as"3
6585089389enjambmentA run-on line of poetry in which logical and grammatical sense carries over from one line into the next.4
6585089390contextWords, events, or circumstances that help determine meaning.5
6585089391rhyme schemeA regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem6
6585089392alliterationRepetition of consonant sounds7
6585089393themeCentral idea of a work of literature8
6585089394anachronismSomething out of place in time- historical time; a mistake in chronology, such as by assigning a person or event to the wrong time period9
6585089395allusionA 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 layers of allusion.10
6585089396sensory imageryLanguage that evokes images and triggers memories in the reader of the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.11
6585089397apostropheA figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. ex. goodmorning sunshine12
6585089398symbolA thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.13
6585089399internal rhymeA word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line14
6585089400feminine rhymelines rhymed by their final two syllables15
6585089401assonanceRepetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity16
6585089402odeA lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful, and exalted feelings toward the subject.17
6585089403balladA narrative poem written in four-line stanzas, characterized by swift action and narrated in a direct style.18
6585089404Shakespearean sonneta sonnet consisting three quatrains and a concluding couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef gg19
6585089405admonitionwarning20
6585089406lyricA type of poetry that explores the poet's personal interpretation of and feelings about the world.21
6585089407Petrarchan sonneta sonnet consisting of an octave with the rhyme pattern abbaabba, followed by a sestet with the rhyme pattern cdecde or cdcdcd22
6585089408toneA writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels.23
6585089409asyndetonA construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions24
6585089410anaphorarepetition in first part of a sentence , to have an artistic meaning25
6585089411metaphorAn implied comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared.26
6585089412sound deviceUsing the sound of words to create musical effects that appeal to the ear.27
6585207343asidewhen a character's dialogue is spoken but not heard by other actors on the stage can't hear it.28
6585089413repetitionRepeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis29
6585089414pastoralA work of literature dealing with rural life30
6585089415elegya sorrowful poem or speech31
6585089416meterA regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry32
6585089417end rhymeA word at the end of one line rhymes with a word at the end of another line33
6585089418hyperboleA figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor34
6585109296Oblique rhymeimperfect rhyme scheme35
6585089419synesthesiadescribing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound")36
6585097257Slangchiefly casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect.37
6585089420slant rhymerhyme in which the vowel sounds are nearly, but not exactly the same (i.e. the words "stress" and "kiss"); sometimes called half-rhyme, near rhyme, or partial rhyme38
6585089421iambic pentameterA common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable.39
6585123578pathetic fallacyfaulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects40
6585218739ironyWhen one thing should occur, is apparent, or in logical sequence but the opposite actually occurs. Example: A man in the ocean might say, "Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink."41
6585218740verbal ironyWhen one thing is said, but something else, usually the opposite, is meant42
6585219995dramatic ironyWhen the audience or reader knows something characters do not know43
6585229585cosmic ironyType of irony where it seems that God or fate is manipulating events so as to inspire false hopes, which are inevitably dashed.44
6585089422figure of speechA device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apotrophe hyperbole irony metaphor oxymoron paradox personification simile syneddoche understatement45
6585135963bathosthe use of insincere or overdone sentimentality46
6585089423punA play on words47
6585089424panegyricelaborate praise; formal hymn of praise, tribute48
6585089425limerickA five line poem in which lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme and lines 3 and 4 rhyme.49
6585089426coupletA pair of rhymed lines that may or may not constitute a separate stanza in a poem.50
6585089427oxymoronA figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.51
6585089428inferA conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning52
6585089429lampoonto ridicule with satire53
6585089430Spenserian sonneta sonnet consisting of three quatrains and a concluding couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab bcbd cdcd ee54
6585089431trochaic pentameterPoetry in which each foot consists primarily of trochees (poetic feet consisting of a heavy stress followed by a light stress).55
6585089432iambic trimetera line of poetry with 3 iambic feet, each containing one syllable followed by one stressed syllable.56
6585089433trochaic tetrameterA meter in poetry. It refers to a line of four trochaic feet. The word "tetrameter" simply means that the poem has four trochees.57
6585089434iambic tetrametercontains eight syllables and four iambic feet58
6585089435exact rhymeRepetition of accented vowel sounds and all sounds following them in words that are close together in a poem59
6585089436polysyndetonDeliberate use of many conjunctions60
6585089437chiasmusA statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed61
6585089438caesuraA natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle62
6585089439epistrophethe repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences63
6585089440run-on sentencemade up of two or more sentences that are incorrectly run together as a single sentence64
6585089441anapestica foot consisting of two unstressed and one stressed syllable65
6585089442dactylica foot consisting of one stressed and two unstressed syllables66
6585089443iambicA common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable.67
6585089444trochaica foot consisting of a stressed and unstressed syllable68
6585089445spondaic2 stressed syllables69
6585089446parallelismPhrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other70
6585089447conceitA fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A _______ displays intellectual cleverness as a result of an unusual comparison being made.71
6585089448explicit metaphorDirectly equates the comparison in the metaphor (The trees were spears piercing the night sky)72
6585089449terza rimaA three-line stanza rhymed aba, bcb, cdc.73
6585089450heroic coupleta couplet consisting of two rhymed lines of iambic pentamenter and written in an elevated style74
6585089451aphorismA brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life.75
6585089452homilyThis term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.76
6585089453epigramA brief witty saying, often satirical. and often paradoxical saying77
6585089454axiomSelf-evident truth requiring no proof; universally or generally accepted principle78
6585089455double entendrea statement that has two meanings, one of which is dirty or vulgar79
6585089456antithesisA balancing of two opposite or contrasting ideas. A rhetorical opposition or contrast ny means of grammatical arrangement of words, clauses or sentences. ex. "They promised freedom but provided slavery"80
6585089457dictionA writer's or speaker's choice of words81
6585089458syntaxSentence structure82
6585299657figurative languageLanguage that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.83
6585089459refrainA line or set of lines repeated several times over the course of a poem.84
6585089460extended metaphorA metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.85
6585089461sestina6 six-line stanzas ending with tercet; last words of each line in 1st stanza are repeated as last words in next stanza86
6585089462villanelleA 19 line form using only two rhymes and repeating two of the lines according to a set pattern87
6585089463free versePoetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme88
6585089464closed formA type of form or structure in poetry characterized by regularity and consistency in such elements as rhyme, line length, and metrical pattern.89
6585089465neoclassicismA style of art and architecture that emerged in the later 18th century. Part of a general revival of interest in classical cultures, Neoclassicism was characterized by the utilization of themes and styles from ancient Greece and Rome.90
6585089466postmodernismPost-World War II intellectual movement and cultural attitude focusing on cultural pluralism and release from the confines and ideology of Western high culture.91
6585089467realismA 19th century artistic movement in which writers and painters sought to show life as it is rather than life as it should be92
6585089468imagismImagism was a literary movement that flourished between 1912 and 1927. Led by Ezra Pound and Amy Lowell, the Imagist poets rejected nineteenth-century poetic forms and language. Instead, they wrote short poems that used ordinary language and free verse to create sharp, exact, concentrated pictures.93
6585089469naturalismA nineteenth-century literary movement that was an extension of realism and that claimed to portray life exactly as it was.94

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