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AP Literature - Literary Terms Flashcards

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5889413602allegoryA story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.0
5889413603alliterationIt is a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.1
5889413604allusionA brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.2
5889413605anagrama word or phrase spelled by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase3
5889413606antecedentThe word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.4
5889413607antagonistA character or force in conflict with the main character5
5889413608anaphoraA rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences.6
5889413611aphorismA brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life.7
5889413612apostropheA figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.8
5889413613assonanceRepetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity9
5889413615blank versePoetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter10
5889413616caesuraA natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.11
5889413619conceitA fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.12
5889413620connotationAll the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests13
5889413621consonanceRepetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.14
5889413622coupletA pair of rhymed lines that may or may not constitute a separate stanza in a poem.15
5889413624denotationDictionary definition of a word16
5889413625denouementan outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot17
5889413626dictionThe choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing18
5889413627didacticIntended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson19
5889413629euphemismAn indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant20
5889413630end-stopped lineA line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation21
5889413631enjambmentA run-on line of poetry in which logical and grammatical sense carries over from one line into the next.22
5889413632epitaphA brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone23
5889413633epicA long narrative poem, written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society24
5889413634epistolaryA piece of literature contained in or carried on by letters25
5889413635flashbackA method of narration in which present action is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events26
5889413636foreshadowingA narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.27
5889413637footA metrical unit composed of stressed and unstressed syllables.28
5889413638frame storyA secondary story or stories embedded in the main story29
5889413639free versePoetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme30
5889413641hamartiatragic flaw which causes a character's downfall31
5889413642heroic coupletA pair of rhymed, iambic pentameter lines.32
5889413644hubrisExcessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy33
5889413645hyperboleA figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor34
5889413646iambA common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable.35
5889413647imageryDescriptive or figurative language in a literary work; the use of language to create sensory impressions.36
5889413648ironyA contrast or discrepancy between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen.37
5889413649verbal ironyIn this type of irony, the words literally state the opposite of the writer's true meaning38
5889413650situational ironyOccurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected39
5889413651dramatic ironyIrony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play.40
5889413652jargonSpecial words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand41
5889413653juxtapositionPlacement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts42
5889413654kenningA device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities.43
5889413655metaphorA comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared.44
5889413656meterA regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry45
5889413658moodFeeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader46
5889413659motif(n.) a principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design47
5889413665octavea verse form consisting of eight lines of iambic pentameter48
5889413667onomatopoeiaA figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.49
5889413668oxymoronA figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.50
5889413670parableA simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson51
5889413671paradoxA statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.52
5889413672parallelismPhrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other53
5889413673parodyA work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.54
5889413675pentametera rhythm in poetry that has five stressed syllables in each line (five metrical feet)55
5889413677personificationA figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes56
5889413678plotSequence of events in a story57
5889413679point of viewThe perspective from which a story is told58
5889413682protagonistChief character in a dramatic or narrative work, usually trying to accomplish some objective or working toward some goal.59
5889413683punA joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.60
5889413684quatrain4 line stanza61
5889413685refrainA line or set of lines repeated several times over the course of a poem.62
5889413686rhetorical questionA question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer63
5889413687end rhymeA word at the end of one line rhymes with a word at the end of another line64
5889413688eye rhymerhyme that appears correct from spelling but does not rhyme because of pronunciation65
5889413690internal rhymeA word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line66
5889413691slant 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 rhyme67
5889413693satireA literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies.68
5889413694sesteta rhythmic group of six lines of verse69
5889413696sonnet14-line lyric poem focused on a single theme; usually written in iambic pentameter70
5889413697symbolA thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.71
5889413698synecdochea figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa72
5889413699syntaxArrangement of words in phrases and sentences73
5889413700themeA topic of discussion or writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work.74
5889413701toneA writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels.75
5889413702understatementthe presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.76

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