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AP Literature terms Flashcards

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5835412119Ad hominemAn attack on a person rather than on a person's ideas0
5835412120AllegoryA work in which everything stands for something else (i.e. "the pilgrim's progress")1
5835412121AlliterationThe repetition of initial sounds ("such sweet thunder")2
5835412122AllusionA reference to history, the Bible, literature, mythology3
5835412123AmbiguityThe multiple meanings of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage4
5835412124AmplificationRepeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what otherwise might be passed over5
5835412125AnalogyA type of comparison between to similar things, frequently used to explain the unfamiliar with the familiar6
5835412126AnaphoraThe repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines; "And Brutus is an honourable man."7
5835420982AnecdoteA story or brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate a point.8
5835422371AntiphrasisOne word irony, established by context; "I did mark/How he did shake/'tis true this god did shake."9
5835423966AphorismA terse statement expressing a general truth or moral principle; "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."10
5835425457ApophasisAsserting something by pointedly seeming over to pass over, ignore, or deny it; "we won't even discuss his past crimes."11
5835426633AporiaA feigned expression of doubt; "what's in a name? that which we call a rose/by any other name would smell as sweet."12
5835436582AposiopesisWhen a speaker comes to an abrupt halt, seemingly overcome by passion or modesty; "I can speak no more."13
5835439517ApostropheA figure of speech that directly addresses an absent/imaginary person or personified abstraction; "Death, be not proud."14
5835441494AppositiveA noun or noun substitute placed next to another noun to be described or defined by the appositive; "Architect Frank Lloyd Wright..."15
5835443850ArchaismUse of an older or obsolete form; "Methinks it's time for lunch."16
5835445231AssonanceRepetition of the same vowel sound in words close together; "He gives his harness bells a shake"17
5835449308AsyndetonLack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words; "I came, I saw, I conquered."18
5835451196AtmosphereThe emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described.19
5835452601AttitudeThe relationship an author has towards his subject and/or to his audience.20
5835467465CacophonyHarsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage in a literary work; "With throats unslaked, with black lips baked/ Agape they heard me call."21
5835471130ClichéAn overused common expression; "honesty is the best policy."22
5835482134ClimaxArrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of ascending power.23
5835500405ColloquialThe use of slang in writing, often to create local color and to provide an informal tone; "I wasn't born yesterday."24
5835501710Comic ReliefThe inclusion of humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work, thereby intensifying the next event.25
5835504327ConceitA fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising comparison between seemingly dissimilar objects.26
5835505672ConcreteWords that describe things that exist and can be experienced through the senses.27
5835506826ConnotationThe interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning.28
5835507918DeductionThe process of moving from a general rule to a specific example29
5835510513DenotationThe literal meaning of a word.30
5835511999DiacopeThe repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase; "I am dying, Egypt, dying."31
5835513302DialectThe recreation of regional spoken language.32
5835516514DictionThe choice of words used in speaking and writing; divided into four categories: formal, informal, colloquial, and slang.33
5835517353DidacticWorks designed to teach or instruct; usually try to impart some moral or ethical lesson.34
5835522697DistinctioAn explicit reference to a particular meaning or to the various meanings of a word, in order to remove or prevent ambiguity; "that is to say,..."35
5835546079ElizabethanReferring to English culture, politics, and literature during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603)36
5835546785Ellipsisa series of three periods indicating that some material has been omitted from a given text.37
5835548179EpanalepsisThe repetition of the beginning word of a clause at the end of that clause; "nothing can be created out of nothing."38
5835550638EpigraphThe use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme.39
5835553133EpithetAn adjective/adjective phrase qualifying a subject by naming an important characteristic of that subject; "Richard the Lion-Hearted"40
5835554252EpizeuxisThe repetition of one word for emphasis; "tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow"41
5835555741EuphemismA more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable.42
5835557316PunA play on the meaning and sounds of words; "If he be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek."43

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