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AP Literature Midterm Vocabulary Flashcards

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3602704999English Sonnet (Shakespearean)sonnet, that although has the 14 lines, is divided into three quatrains and follows a different pattern of 'abab cdcd efef gg' with 'gg' being the closing couplet to the sonnet.0
3602705791Italian Sonnet (Petrarchan)The Petrarchan Sonnet differs from the Shakespearean Sonnet by the rhyme scheme that it follows, 'abba abba' but the sestet rhyming can follow different patterns. (eg. cde cde or cdc dcd)1
3602706959Iambic PentameterA line of the poem consisting of 10 syllables, 5 stressed and 5 unstressed.2
3602706960MeterMeter is the syllabic pattern of words in a line of a poem typically following stressed/unstressed, but can create a different rhythm through different meters (eg. Quantitative and Qualitative)3
3602706961Iamba unit of rhythm in poetry that consists of one syllable that is not accented or stressed followed by one syllable that is accented or stressed.4
3602708229Rhyme Schemethe arrangement of rhymes in a stanza or a poem.5
3602709025Voltathe turn in thought in a sonnet that is often indicated by such initial words as But, Yet, or And yet.6
3602709026AlliterationThe occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.7
3602709515AssonanceThe repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close to each other8
3602709516ConsonanceEffect created when similar speech sounds are found near each other9
3602710477StanzaA group of lines within a poem10
3602710478OctetA group of 8 lines in a poem, usually found in Sonnets, generally put together with a sextet11
3602710479Sestetstanza or a poem of six lines; specifically : the last six lines of an Italian sonnet12
3602711409QuatrainA stanza of four lines.13
3602711410CoupletA unit of verse composed of two successive lines, usually rhyming and having the same meter and often forming a complete thought.14
3602712262Enjambmentthe running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a syntactical break.15
3602713535End Rhymewhen the last syllables within a verse or line rhyme16
3602713536Full Rhymerhyming where the stressed vowel sound in both words must be identical, as well as any subsequent sounds17
3602714869Near/Off/Half/Slant Rhymewhen the stressed syllables of ending consonants match, however the preceding vowels do not18
3602747472Sonnet Sequence / Sonnet Stylea group of sonnet composed by the same poet that have a unifying theme or subject, sometimes pieced together to create one, longer work.19
3668505965Climaxthe most exciting and important part of a story, play, or movie that occurs usually at or near the end20
3668511081Denouement (Resolution)the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work.21
3668516133Flashbackinterruption of chronological sequence (as in a film or literary work) by interjection of events of earlier occurrence22
3668519317ForeshadowingTo represent or indicate beforehand/before the event takes place.23
3668582051BalladA type of poem that is sometimes set to music. Ballads have a long history and are found in many cultures. A typical ballad consists of stanzas that contain a quatrain, or four poetic lines. The meter or rhythm of each line is usually iambic24
3668588560Terza Rimapoetry that is written in three line tercets (stanzas) put together by end-rhymes patterned as aba, bcb, cdc, ded, efe, etc25
3668594897Anaphorathe deliberate repetition in literature or a speech of a sentence to achieve some sot of artistic effect26
3668611596EpistropheRepetition of a word or word groups at the ends of successive clauses (two clauses next to each other27
3668627909Static CharacterA static character is one that does not undergo inner changes or undergoes a little change. It is a character that does not develop or grow. The personality of this character remains the same at the end of the story as it appears in the beginning. All his actions stay true and unchanged to his personality in-between the scenes.28
3668631051Round CharacterA round character in a novel, play or story is a complex personality. Like real people, he/she has depth in his feelings and passions. Writers define a round character fully, both physically and mentally. It is the character with whom the audience can sympathize, associate or relate to, as he seems a character they might have seen in their real lives.29
3668632510Flat CharacterA flat character is a type of character in fiction that does not change too much from the start of the narrative to its end. Flat characters are often said not to have any emotional depths.30
3668642494FoilIn literature, a foil is a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character with the objective to highlight the traits of the other character. The term foil, though generally being applied for a contrasting character, may also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things.31
3668648345VoiceDistinct from the terms PERSONA, NARRATOR and TONE, voice is associated with the basic vision of a writer32
3668648346DictionDiction is the distinctive tone or tenor of an author's writings. Diction is not just a writer's choice of words it can include the mood, attitude, dialect and style of writing. Diction is usually judged with reference to the prevailing standards of proper writing and speech and is seen as the mark of quality of the writing. It is also understood as the selection of certain words or phrases that become peculiar to a writer.33
3668650020SyntaxSyntax in literature refers to the actual way in which words and sentences are placed together in the writing. Usually in the English language the syntax should follow a pattern of subject-verb-object agreement but sometimes authors play around with this to achieve a lyrical, rhythmic, rhetoric or questioning effect. It is not related to the act of choosing specific words or even the meaning of each word or the overall meanings conveyed by the sentences.34
3668650021ToneThe tone of a literary work is the perspective or attitude that the author adopts with regards to a specific character, place or development. Tone can portray a variety of emotions ranging from solemn, grave, and critical to witty, wry and humorous. Tone helps the reader ascertain the writer's feelings towards a particular topic and this in turn influences the reader's understanding of the story.35
3668664675MoodThe literary device 'mood' refers to a definitive stance the author adopts in shaping a specific emotional perspective towards the subject of the literary work. It refers to the mental and emotional disposition of the author towards the subject, which in turn lends a particular character or atmosphere to the work. The final tone achieved thus is instrumental in evoking specific, appropriate responses from the reader.36
3668666984DialectThe usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people37
3668673427ColloquialismCharacteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech38
3668675480VernacularThe everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language)39
3668680636ProtagonistA protagonist is the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel, or any other story. A protagonist is sometimes referred to as the ¨hero¨ by the audience or readers.40
3668683799AntagonistIn literature, an antagonist is a character or group of characters that stand in opposition to the protagonist. The word antagonist comes from the Greek word for opponent, competitor, or rival.41
3668686159Tragic HeroA tragic hero is a character who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. Sometimes these tragedies are brought on by the character's fatal flaw or an error of judgement combined with fate or external forces.42
3668688290AntiheroAn antihero is a notable character who, while not an antagonist, lacks conventional heroic qualities, such as courage and idealism. They may have questionable morals and struggle with doing the "right thing."43
3668690429DenotationThe literal dictionary definition of a word contrasts the connotative and associated meanings.44
3668692910ConnotationA meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings in addition to their literal meanings or denotations.45
3668695111IronyA figure of speech in which the intended meaning of words or things contrasts the actual meaning. When the literal and figurative meanings of something are in opposition.46
3668695112Verbal IronyWhen a speaker says something opposite of what he/she intends to do. Often in the form of a character stating something with underlying meanings that contrast with its literal meanings. Usually relies on the audience's intelligence to determine the hidden meaning.47
3668700318CharacterizationThe portrayal of a character in a story, written by the author.48
3668703196Direct CharacterizationWhen the author explains a character with no implications or subtlety.49
3668705873Indirect CharacterizationWhen the author implies a character's nature using their actions.50
3668707987Dynamic CharacterA character that undergoes change in a story.51
3668718107ConceitConceit is a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similes or metaphors.52
3668719782HyperboleHyperbole, derived from a Greek word meaning "over-casting" is a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.53
3668721930PunA pun is a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings.54
3668723741Double EntendreA double entendre is a literary device that can be defined as a phrase or a figure of speech that might have multiple senses, interpretations or two different meanings or that could be understood in two different ways.55
3668727838Rhetorical Question (Erotema)a question that is asked strictly to create an effect or emphasis, but not to produce a reply56
3668727839Oxymorona figure of speech in which contradictory words are shown in unison57
3668729954Paradoxa statement that may demonstrate something that seems absurd, but can actually be true58
3668731332Synesthesiatechnique that writers use to present things, people, or places in a way that appeals to more than one sense (hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste)59
3668751600Third Person Limited NarrationThe narrator is able to see into the mind of a single character. Sometimes the point of view may zoom in so close to that character that the narrator begins to use that character's manner of speech and thought, and sometimes the narrator may step back to take a more objective view. This point of view is sort of the "default" in fiction -- it is the most common because it can be used the most effectively in the majority of situations.60
3668754782Third Person Omniscient Narrationhe narrator knows everything; all thoughts, feelings, and actions may be related to the reader (or they may be withheld).61
3668760977Stream of ConsciousnessIn literature, stream of consciousness is a method of narration that describes in words the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters.62
3668762208StyleThe style in writing can be defined as the way a writer writes and it is the technique which an individual author uses in his writing. It varies from author to author and depends upon one's syntax, word choice, and tone. It can also be described as a voice that readers listen to when they read the work of a writer.63
3668764940Inversiona change in normal word order; especially : the placement of a verb before its subject64
3668766959Similea phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar65
3668769152Metaphora word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar66
3668771769Figurative Languagelanguage that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation67
3668774564Internal Conflictpsychological struggle within the mind of a literary or dramatic character, the resolution of which creates the plot's suspense.68
3668775795External Conflictstruggle between a literary or dramatic character and an outside force such as nature or another character, which drives the dramatic action of the plot69
3668777381Motifa recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work.70
3668777382Symbolsomething used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.71
3668788576Blank Verseliterary device defined as un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter.72
3668788577Free Verseliterary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms.73
3668790717VillianelleIn literature, it is defined as a poetic device which requires a poem to have 19 lines and a fixed form. It has five tercets (first 15 lines), a quatrain (last four lines), and a couplet at the end of the quatrain.74
3668791885SestinaSestina is a type of a poem that contains six stanzas, each stanza having six lines, while concluding seventh stanza having three lines called as envoi, that is also known as tornada. Please note that the same six end words of the Sestina are the same and are shuffled throughout the poem in a set order.75
3668800447Situational IronySituational irony occurs when incongruity appears between expectations of something to happen and what actually happens. The purpose of situational irony is to allow the reader to make a distinction between appearances and realities, and associate them to the theme of a story.76
3668800448Dramatic IronyDramatic irony is when the audience or reader knows more about the plot than the characters in the plot. Hence, the words and actions of characters would suggest a different meaning to the audience from what they indicate to the characters and the story, creating suspense and humor.77
3668802327NarrationThe recounting of a story told by a narrator who may be a direct or indirect part of that experience.78
3668803577First Person NarrationThe recounting of a story told by a narrator from the first person point of view, using "I" or "we". The narrator is a direct part of the experience being told.79
3668817996metonymyMetonymy in literature refers to the practice of not using the formal word for an object or subject and instead referring to it by using another word that is intricately linked to the formal name or word. It is the practice of substituting the main word with a word that is closely linked to it.80
3668819420synecdocheA synecdoche is a literary devices that uses a part of something to refer to the whole or vice versa. It is somewhat rhetorical in nature, where the entire object is represented by way of a fraction of it or a fraction of the object is symbolized by the whole.81
3668819421personificationPersonification is one of the most commonly used and recognized literary devices. It refers to the practice of attaching human traits and characteristics with inanimate objects, phenomena and animals.82
3668821129apostropheIn literature, apostrophe is a figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation "O". A writer or a speaker, using an apostrophe, detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech.83
3668835051PlotPlot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of the story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story.84
3668835052Expositiona literary device used to introduce background information about events, settings, characters etc. to the audience or readers.85
3668842457Inciting Action/Incidentan event that set the central conflict into motion or an event that begins a story's problem.86
3668842458Rising Actiona series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest and tension in a narrative. In literary works, a rising action includes all decisions, characters' flaws and background circumstances that together create turns and twists leading to a climax.87

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