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AP LITERATURE: Plot Terms Flashcards

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4374533311AntagonistAny force in a story or play that is in conflict with the protagonist . Could be another person, an aspect of physical or social environment, or a destructive nature in the protagonist's own nature)0
4976314119Artistic/ Organic UnityCondition f a successful literary work whereby all its elements work together for the achievement of its central purpose. Nothing is irrelevant to the central purpose and nothing is omitted that is essential to it . Parts arranged effectively .1
4976340396ClimaxThe turning point or high point in a plot2
4976358914ConflictA clash of actions, desires, ideas, or goals in a plot or drama. Between main character and some other person/ group/ force/ own destructive qualities3
4976372548ConnotationWhat a word suggests beyond its basic dictionary definition4
4976377692DenotationThe basic dictionary definition of a word5
4976381306DictionWord choice6
4976383900DilemmaA situation in which a character must choose between two courses of action, both are undesirable7
4976389133ExpositionThe part of a play or work of fiction in which the background to the main conflict is introduced8
4976396493External ConflictThe conflict between a character and an outside force9
4976404623Falling ActionThat segment of the plot that comes between the climax and the conclusion10
4976420123ImageryThe representation through language of sense experience11
4976424038Internal ConflictThe struggle occurring in character's mind12
4976436911IronyA situation or language involving some kind of incongruity or discrepancy. Can be classified as verbal, dramatic, or situational.13
4976450874JuxtapositionThe fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect14
4976459908MoralA rule of conduct or maxim for living expressed or implied as the "point" of a literary work15
4976466658ParadoxA statement or situation containing apparently contradictory or incompatible elements16
4976483619PlotThe sequence of incidents or events of which a story or play is composed17
4976496561ProtagonistThe central character in a story or play18
4976507406Rising ActionThat development of plot in a story or play that precedes and leads up to the climax19
4976512609SuspenseThat quality in a story or play that makes the reader eager to discover what happens next and how it will end20
4976520576SymbolSomething that means more than what it is; an object, person, situation, or action that in addition to its literal meaning suggests other meanings as well21
4976531811SyntaxSentence structure and variation22
4976535292ThemeThe central idea or unifying generalization implied or stated by a literary work23
4976541356ToneThe writer's or speaker's attitude toward the subject, the audience, or herself or himself, the emotional coloring, or emotional meaning, of a work24

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