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AP Literature Terminology Flashcards

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3689508562AllegoryA narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one0
3689508563Alliterationuse of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse1
3689508564Allusiona reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize2
3689508565AmbiguityAn event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way.3
3689508566Anachronismsomething located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred4
3689508567Analogydrawing a comparison in order to show a similarity in some respect5
3689508569Antithesisthe juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance6
3689508570Apostropheaddress to an absent or imaginary person7
3689508571ArchetypeA detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response8
3689508572Assonancethe repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words9
3689508574Catharsisa release of emotional tension10
3689508575Characterizationthe process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character11
3689508576Comedy of MannersDeals with the relations and intrigues of gentlemen and ladies living in a polished and sophisticated society; it evokes laughter mainly at the violations of social conventions and decorum and relies on the wit and humor of the dialogue for its effect.12
3689508577Comic ReliefAn amusing scene, incident, or speech introduced into serious or tragic elements, as in a play, in order to provide temporary relief from tension, or to intensify the dramatic action.13
3689508578Connotationrefers to the implied or suggested meanings associated with a word beyond its dictionary definition14
3689508579Consonancerepetition of consonant sounds15
3689508580Dictiona writer's or speaker's choice of words16
3689508581Didactichaving the primary purpose of teaching or instructing17
3689508582Dramatic Irony(theater) irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play18
3689508583Elegya mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead19
3689508584Epigrapha quotation at the beginning of some piece of writing20
3689508585Epitheta term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Homeric epithets are often compound adjectives ("swift-footed Achilles") that become an almost formulaic part of a name. Epithets can be abusive or offensive but are not so by definition. For example, athletes may be proud of given epithets ("The Rocket").21
3689508586Euphemismthe substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt22
3689508588ExpositionThe introductory material which gives the setting, creates the tone, presents the characters, and presents other facts necessary to understanding the story.23
3689508589Farce(n.) a play filled with ridiculous or absurd happenings; broad or far-fetched humor; a ridiculous sham24
3689508590Figurative LanguageWriting or speech that is used to create vivid impressions by setting up comparisons between dissimilar things, [examples are metaphor, simile, and personification.25
3689508591Flat Charactera character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story26
3689508592Foil Charactera character who is used as a contrast to another character; the contrast emphasizes the differences between the two characters, bringing out the distinctive qualities in each27
3689508593Genrea kind of literary or artistic work28
3689508594Hubrisexcessive pride29
3689508595Hyperbolea figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor30
3689508596Imagerythe use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, thing, place, or experience31
3689508597Litotesunderstatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary)32
3689508598Metaphora figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity33
3689508599Extended MetaphorA metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.34
3689508600MetonymyA figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it35
3689508601Moodthe overall emotion created by a work of literature36
3689508602Motifa unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work37
3689508603Onomatopoeiausing words that imitate the sound they denote38
3689508604Oxymoronconjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence')39
3689508605Parablea short moral story (often with animal characters)40
3689508606Paradoxa statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.41
3689508607Parallelismphrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other42
3689508608Parodya work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner43
3689508609Periodic Sentencea complex sentence in which the main clause comes last and is preceded by the subordinate clause44
3689508611Personificationrepresenting an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature45
3689508612Point of Viewthe perspective from which a story is told46
3689508614Protagonistthe principal character in a work of fiction47
3689508615Puna humorous play on words48
3689508616Repetitionthe repeated use of the same word or word pattern as a rhetorical device49
3689508617Round Characterthis character is fully developed - the writer reveals good and bad traits as well as background50
3689508618Satireform of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack human vice and folly51
3689508619Sarcasmharsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule52
3689508620Settingthe state of the environment in which a situation exists53
3689508621SimileComparison using "like" or "as"54
3689508622Situational Ironyoccurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected55
3689508623Soliloquyin drama, a character speaks alone on stage to allow his/her thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience56
3689508624Monologuespeech you make to yourself57
3689508625Stock Charactera fictional character that relies heavily on cultural types or stereotypes for its personality manner of speech and other characteristics. Stock characters are instantly recognizable to members of a given culture.58
3689508626Stream of Consciousnessthe continuous flow of ideas and feelings that constitute an individual's conscious experience59
3689508627Stylea way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period60
3689508628Symbolsomething that stands for something else61
3689508629SynecdocheA figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword).62
3689508630Syntaxthe rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language63
3689508631Themea unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work64
3689508632Tonethe quality of something (an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author65
3689508633TragedyA work in which the protagonist, a person of high degree, is engaged in a significant struggle and which ends in ruin or destruction66
3689508635Understatementthe opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.67
3689508636Verbal IronyA figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant68
3689508638Static Charactera character that does not change from the beginning of the story to the end69
3689508639Dynamic CharacterA character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story's action70
3689508640Catalysta person, thing, or agent that speeds up or stimulates a result, reaction, or change71
3689508641Anapesta metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed-stressed syllables72
3689508642Ballada type of poem that is meant to be sung and is both lyric and narrative in nature73
3689508643Ballad StanzaA four-line stanza, known as a quatrain, consisting of alternating eight- and six-syllable lines.74
3689508644Blank Verseunrhymed verse (usually in iambic pentameter)75
3689508645Colloquial Dictioncharacteristic of informal spoken language or conversation76
3689508646Pedantic Dictionmarked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects77
3689508647Cosmic IronyType of irony where it seems that God or fate is manipulating events so as to inspire false hopes, which are inevitably dashed.78
3689508648CoupletTwo consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.79
3689508649Dactyla metrical unit with stressed-unstressed-unstressed syllables80
3689508650DimeterA metrical line containing two feet81
3689508651End RhymeRhyme that occurs at the end of two or more lines of poetry82
3689508652End-Stopped Linea line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation83
3689508653Shakespearean Sonneta sonnet consisting three quatrains and a concluding couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef gg84
3689508654Enjambentthe continuation of a sentence from one line or couplet of a poem to the next.85
3689508655Epic Poema long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds86
3689508656Epigrama witty saying expressing a single thought or observation87
3689508657Eye Rhymerhyme that appears correct from spelling but does not rhyme because of pronunciation88
3689508658Exact Rhymeperfect rhyme, such as buzz and fuzz89
3689508660Fixed Forma traditional pattern that applies to whole poem (sonnet, limerick)90
3689508661Foota group of 2 or 3 syllables forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm91
3689508662Free VersePoetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme92
3689508663Heptametera verse line containing seven feet93
3689508664Heroic Coupleta couplet consisting of two rhymed lines of iambic pentamenter and written in an elevated style94
3689508665Hexametera metrical line containing six feet95
3689508666Iambicone unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable96
3689508667Internal Rhymea word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line97
3689508668Italian Sonneta poem that falls into two parts: an octave of eight lines and a sestet of six; the octave rhyme pattern is "abba abba" (two sets of four lines); the sestet's lines are more variable: "cde cde"; or "ced ced"; or "cd cd cd".98
3689508670Limericka kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet99
3689508671Lyric Poema short poem of songlike quality100
3689508672Masculine Endinga stressed syllable ending a verse line101
3689508673Meter(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse102
3689508674Monometera metrical line containing one foot103
3689508675Narrative Poema poem that tells a story and has a plot104
3689508676Near RhymeA rhyme based on an imperfect or incomplete correspondence of end syllable sounds.105
3689508677OctameterA metrical line containing eight feet106
3689508678Odea poem usually addressed to a particular person, object or event that has stimulated deep and noble feelings in the poet107
3689508679Open FormA type of structure or form in poetry characterized by freedom from regularity and consistency in such elements as rhyme, line length, and metrical pattern.108
3689508680Pentametera metrical line containing five feet109
3689508681Quatraina stanza of four lines110
3689508682Sestinaa lyric form that consists of six stanzas of six lines each followed by a three-line conclusion or envoy; this form requires a strict pattern of repetition of six key words that end the lines of the first stanza111
3689508683Sonneta verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme112
3689508684Terceta three line stanza113
3689508685Tetrametera metrical line containing four feet114
3689508686Villanellehighly structured poem consisting of six stanzas: five tercets and a quatrain; first and third line are repeated throughout115

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