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AP Literature Poetry Terms Flashcards

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8612951593Archetypean idealized model of a person, object, or concept from which similar instances are derived, copied, patterned, or emulated0
8612955093Free Versepoetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme1
8612958789Interior Monolougewriting that records the thinking that goes on inside a character's head; it is coherent as if character were talking2
8612966258Blank Versepoetry written without rhymes, but which retains a set metrical patter, usually iambic pentameter3
8612970780Symbola person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something more than itself4
8612975342Satirework that uses mockery, humor, and wit to criticize and cause change in human nature and institutions5
8612981099In Medias Res"in the midst of things" - standard of epic poetry where the action begins in the middle instead of at the beginning6
8612989105Moodthe emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene7
8612992330Apostrophecalling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea8
8612997687Deus ex Machinaany artificial device or coincidence used to bring about a convenient and simple solution to a plot9
8613001006Allusionreference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture10
8613005668Antagonistopponent who struggles against or blocks the hero, or protagonist, in a story11
8613008305Epigrapha quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme12
8613011774Local Colora term applied to fiction or poetry which tends to place special emphasis on a particular setting, including its customs, clothing, dialect, and landscape13
8613023290Enjambmentthe continuation of the sense and, therefore, the grammatical construction of a sentence beyond the end of a line of poetry14
8613028235Antiherocentral character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes; may lack courage, grace, intelligence, or moral scruples15
8613037942Consonancein poetry, when words appearing at the ends of two or more verses have similar final consonant sounds but have final vowel sounds that differ, as with "stuff" and "off"16
8613046925Farcea type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, for-fetched situations17
8613053362Dramatic Ironyan occasion in a play, film, or other work in which a character's words or actions convey a meaning unperceived by the character by understood by the audience18
8613059548Litotesa form of understatement in which the positive form is emphasizes through the negation of a negative form; ex: "Are you aware, Mrs. Bueller, that Ferris does not have what we consider to be an exemplary attendance record?"19
8613068732Dialecta way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of the inhabitants of certain geographical area20
8613078351Alliterationrepetition of the same or similar consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close together; Example: "The soul selects her own society"21
8613083405Onomatopoeiathe use of words whose sounds echo their sense22
8613085329Polysyndetonsentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate the items in a series; ex "X and Y and Z"23
8613091654Internal Rhymerhyme within a line of poetry instead of at the end24
8613096563Anticlimaxthe intentional use of fancy language to describe the trivial or commonplace, or a sudden transition from a significant thought to a trivial one in order to achieve a humorous or satiric effect25
8613103574Euphemismthe substitution of a comfortable or inoffensive expression to replace one that might offend or suggest something unpleasant26
8613108906Verbal Ironywhen the intended meaning of a statement differs from the apparent meaning27
8613111602Metaphora figure of speech that makes a comparison between tow unlike things WITHOUT the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles28
8613116994Chiasmusin poetry, a type of rhetorical balance in which the second part is syntactically balances against the first, but with the parts reversed; example: "flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike"29
8613123918Personificationa figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes30
8613128304Motifa recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work (or in several works by one author), unifying the work by trying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme31
8613134576Soliloquya long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stage32
8613137373Euphonyharmony or beauty of sound which provided a pleasing effect to the ear, usually sought-for in poetry for effect33
8613141132Ambiguitydeliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work34
8613145656Tonethe attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience, revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization35
8613151831Hyperbolea figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement, for effect; "If I told you once, I've told you a million times..."36
8613160206Similea figure of speech that makes an explicitly comparison between two unlike things, using words such as like, as, than, or resembles37
8613163378Kenninga compound poetic phrase substituted for the usual name of a person or thing; ex. "Whale Road" for ocean38
8613168265Juxtapositionpoetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ides, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit39
8613176727Cacophonyunpleasant sounds in the jarring juxtaposition of harsh letter or syllables which are grating to the ear, usually inadvertent, but sometimes deliberately used in poetry for effect40
8613181045Foreshadowingthe use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot41
8613186467Catharsisa sudden emotional breakdown or climax that consists of overwhelming feelings of great pity, sorrow, or laughter, or any extreme change in emotion42
8613189987Synechdochea figure of speech in which a part represents the whole; ex. "If you don't drive properly, you will lose your wheels"43
8613195657Dictionthe choice of words, phrases, sentence structure, and figurative language in literary work; the manner or mode of verbal expression, particularly with regard to clarity and accuracy44
8613207076Asyndetoncommas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus exphasizing the parts equally: instead of X, Y, and Z ... the writer uses X, Y, Z45
8613213955Clichea word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse46
8613221460Anaphorarepetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row47
8613223798Allegorystory or poem in which character, settings, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities48
8613228837Imagerythe use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience49
8613232436Hubrisexcessive pride or ambition that leads to a character's downfall50
8613235781Tragic Flawin a tragedy, the quality within the hero or heroine which leads to his or her downfall51
8613242288Epistrophedevice of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated at the end of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences52
8613247293Metonymea figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing, is referred to by something closely associated with it; "We requested from the crown support for our petition"53
8613255454Stream of Conciousnessa style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind54
8613259753Foila character who acts as contrast to another character55
8613261914Assonancethe repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds especially in words that are together; example: "Do not go gentle into that good night"56
8613269457Paradoxa statement which contains seemingly contradictory element or appears contrary to common sense, yet can be seen as true when viewed from another angle; ex. "Damn with faint praise"57
8613276564Oxymorona figure of speech the combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase; ex. "Jumbo shrimp"58
8613281188Asidea comment made by a stage performer that is intended to be heard by the audience by supposedly not by other characters59
8613285849Couplettwo consecutive rhyming lines of poetry60
8613288140Genrea category of literary work which may refer to both the content of a given work - tragedy, comedy, pastoral - and to its form, such as poetry, novel, or drama; this term also refers to types of popular literature, as in science fiction or detective story61
8613300629Frame Narrativea story within a story within sometimes yet another story, as in, for example, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Heart of Darkness62
8613307420Suspension of Disbeliefa willingness of a reader or viewer to ignore minor inconsistencies or unbelievable behavior so as to enjoy a work of fiction63
8613311342Personathe narrator in a non first-person novel; the author's creation - the voice "through which the author speaks"64
8613317623Parodya work that makes fun of another work by imitation some aspect of the writer's style65
8613321660Expositionin drama, the presentation of essential information regarding what has occurred prior to the beginning of the play66
8613326866Protagonistthe central character in a story, the one who initiates or drives the action67
8613330311Meterthe repetition of sound patterns that creates a rhythm in poetry68
8613333592Puna "play on words" based on the multiple meanings of a single word or on words that sound alike but mean different things69
8613337525Quatraina poem consisting of four lines, or four lines of a poem that can be considered as a unit70

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