AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP Literature Terms, Eras, and Works Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
6201791559allegorya form of extended metaphor in which objects and persons in a narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself0
6201791560alliterationa recurrence of initial consonant sounds1
6201792990allusiona casual and brief reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event2
6201792991ambiguitythe quality of having more than one meaning3
6201794381anaphorathe repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or sentences4
6201794382antithesisestablishing a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure5
6201796039apostrophethe direct address of a person or personified thing, usually absent6
6201796040assonancethe use of similar vowel sounds repeated in successive or proximate words7
6201796041canonin relation to literature, this term is applied to those works generally accepted as the great ones8
6201796042conceitan elaborate, usually intellectually ingenious poetic comparison or image9
6201797357dictionthe author's choice of words10
6201797358enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence or clause over a line break11
6201797359euphemismthe substitution of a mild or less negative word or phrase for a harsh or blunt one12
6201798526flashbacka device that allows the writer to present events that happened before the time of the current narration or the current events in the fiction13
6201798527framea narrative structure that provides a setting and exposition for the main narrative in a novel14
6201798528hyperboleexaggeration used for emphasis15
6201798529imagerythe name given to the elements in a poem that spark off the senses16
6201800015invectivespeech or writing that abuses, denounces, or vituperates against17
6201800016ironyconveying a reality different from and usually opposite to appearance or expectation18
6201800017metaphora comparison which imaginatively identifies one thing with another dissimilar thing19
6201801150metonymya closely associated object is substituted for the object or idea in mind20
6201801151novellaa prose fiction longer than a short story but shorter than a novel21
6201801152oxymorona paradox reduced to two words22
6201801153parodya satiric imitation of a work or of an author with the idea of ridiculing the author, his ideas, or work23
6201802233personathe person created by the author to tell the story24
6201802234personificationthe metaphorical representation of an animal or inanimate object as having human attributes25
6201802235rhetoricthe principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively26
6201803681satirea manner of writing that mixes a critical attitude with wit and humor in an effort to improve mankind and human institutions27
6201803682stanzaa group of lines within a poem, demarcated by a blank line28
6201803683symbola closely associated object is substituted for the object or idea in mind29
6201803684synecdochea form of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole30
6201805537syntaxthe organization of words in a sentence31
6201805538thesisthe main idea or statement that a writer wishes to advance, illustrate, prove, or defend32
6201805539tonethe writer's attitude toward his readers and his subject33
6201805540understatementexpressing an idea with less emphasis or in a lesser degree than is the actual case34
6201807528versimilitudethe semblance to truth or actuality in characters or events that a novel or other fictional work possesses35
6201807529dramatic ironywhen the audience or reader is aware of key elements that characters in the story are not aware of36
6201807530dichotomya character feels two equally important but opposing feelings toward an event, action, or person37
6201809092Old English era450-1066, alliterative verses, oral tradition, Beowulf38
6201809093Middle English era1066-1500, didactic, chivalry, religious, Chaucer39
6201810079Renaissance1500-1660, new discoveries, science, Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, Marlow40
6201810080Romanticism1798-1837, nature, imagination, individualism, Austen, Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, Hawthorne, Whitman41
6201811920Edwardian era1901-1915, imperialism, colonialism, class distinctions, Conrad, Barrie, Wells42
6201811921Victorian era1837 - 1901, difficult lives, moral lesson, Hardy, George Elliot, Dickens, Carroll43
6201811922Modern era1914 - 1945, war, alienation, T.S. Eliot, Wolf, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck44
6201813592Post-modern era1945-2000, irony, satire, paradox, Miller, Vonnegut45
6201813594John MiltonParadise Lost46
6201816402Robert BrowningMy Last Duchess47
6201816403Joseph ConradHeart of Darkness48
6201816404Mary ShelleyFrankenstein49
6201818517Oscar WildeImportance of Being Earnest50
6201821833John SteinbeckGrapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men51
6201821834William FaulknerA Rose for Emily, Barn Burning52
620188490018th Century1700-1799, political, reason, Swift, Voltaire53
6201916491ShakespeareThe Tempest, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet54
6201919642Marlow, narratorHeart of Darkness55
6201921870KurtzHeart of Darkness56
6201923341CongoHeart of Darkness57
6201925131Accountant, Station ManagerHeart of Darkness58
6201927485Savagery of colonialismHeart of Darkness59
6201927486VictorFrankenstein60
6201929399CreationFrankenstein61
6201931731Arctic and EuropeFrankenstein62
6201931732ElizabethFrankenstein63
6201935351Need to accept responsibilityFrankenstein64
6201935352ProsperoTempest65
6201937566MirandaTempest66
6201937567CalibanTempest67
6201939233Value of mercyTempest68
6201944647Explain God's actions to manParadise Lost69
6201947141Comedy of multiple identitiesImportance of Being Earnest70
6201961986Arrogant, controlling dukeMy Last Duchess71
6201964466CrucibleArthur Miller72
6201964467In Cold BloodTruman Capote73
6201967015Julius CaesarWilliam Shakespeare74
6201967016Scarlett LetterNathaniel Hawthorne75
6201989879John DonneHoly Sonnet 10, Valedictory Forbidding Mourning, No Man is an Island76
6201998440Valedictory Forbidding Mourningconceit77
6201998441My Last Duchessdramatic monologue78
6202002070dramatic monologuea poem where a speaker speaks to an unseen but clearly present audience at a critical moment in his or her life79
6202017774epistolarytold in letter form80
6202019451frame novelsFrankenstein, Heart of Darkness81
6202021071bildingsroman novelcoming of age story82
6202051695homilya speech that focuses on religious or spiritual enlightenment83
6202057039connotationthe mood associated with a word84

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!