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AP Literature Term Quiz #2 Flashcards

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7376699502elegya meditative poem in the classical tradition of certain Greek and Roman poems, which deals with more serious subjects (e.g. justice, fate, or providence). These may include elegiac motifs, reminding the reader of the transitory nature of life. These can be mournful, lamenting poems0
7376723738end-stoppeda line that has a natural pause at the end (period, comma)1
7376729458enjambedthe running over of a sentence or thought into the next couplet or line without a pause at the end of the line, a run on line.2
7376736555epica long, grand narrative poem about the brave, exemplary deeds of ancient heroes. A "primary" epic the oldest type, based upon oral tradition; a "literary" epic is written down from the start. Examples of the first type include Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey, and the Anglo Saxon epic, Beowulf; examples of the second type include Virgil's the Aeneid, Spenser's Faerie Queene, and Milton's Paradise Lost3
7376759422epistolary novela novel in the form of letters which pass between the main characters (The Screwtape Letters)4
7376766921epistrophethe repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Also called antistrophe is the counterpart to anaphora.5
7376775512epitheta picturesque tag or nickname associated with a certain character. Epithets can serve as a mnemonic device to remember and distinguish different characters. It is also an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.6
7376801565essaya short work of nonfiction prose in which a writer attempts to fulfill a specific purpose, as represented by the basic types or forms of essay7
7376806080analytical essayan attempt to identify an author's purpose and to evaluate his or her success in achieving it8
7376811257argumentative essayan attempt to convince an audience to think or act in a certain way based upon an appeal to reason (logos)9
7376817146descriptive essayan attempt to enable an audience to feel a certain way by using words to create a mood or emotion10
7376822876expositoryan attempt to enable an audience to understand something unfamiliar through a clear explanation which sets forth a number of connected facts11
7376828922narrativean attempt to enable an audience to understand something unfamiliar through a compelling story which sets forth a series of connected events12
7376837534persuasive essayan attempt to convince an audience to think or act in a certain way based upon emotional appeals (pathos)13
7376844743explicationa detailed explanation of something (a poem)14
7376847618extended metaphoran implied analogy or comparison which is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem15
7376853005euphemismthe substitution of a mild or less negative word or phrase for a harsh or blunt one16
7376858024figurative languagedescriptive language in which one thing is associated with another, through the use of simile, metaphor, or personification17
7376865153footthe basic unit of meter consisting of a group of two or three syllables. Scanning or scansion is the process of determining the prevailing foot in a line of poetry18
7376882613foreshadowinghints of future events through unusual circumstances in the present19
7376887915frame storythe literary device of creating a larger story for the purpose of combining a number of shorter stories in a unity (story within a story)20
7376899376free versea type of poetry which avoids the patterns of regular rhyme or meter. Rhyme may be used, but with great freedom. There is no regular meter or line length. The poet relies instead upon diction, imagery and syntax to create a coherent whole.21
7376911868genrea distinct classification in literature. A classification according to what different works have in common, in their structure and treatment of a subject.22
7376921822heroic coupletone of the most common forms of English poetry. It consists of two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter which together express a complete thought.23
7376927990hyperboleexaggeration for effect24
7376931302imagerylively description which appeals to other sensory experience. Any figures of speech such as similes and metaphors to visualize a mood, idea, or character. Can involve all the senses, but usually involves the sense of sight25
7376945282internal rhymerhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end26
7376948010invectivespeech or writing that abuses, denounces. It can be directed against a person, cause, idea or system27
7376952941ironyusing a word or situation to mean the opposite of its usual or literal meaning, usually done in humor, sarcasm, or disdain. A contradiction between what something appears to man and what it really means28
7376963948verbal ironywhen a character says one thing but means something else (sarcasm)29
7376966451dramatic ironywhen an audience perceives something that a character in the literature does not know30
7376972828juxtapositionthe arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side-by-side or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical effect, suspense, or character development31

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