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AP Literature Terms Flashcards

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7514176078AllegoryA narrative or description having a second or symbolic meaning beneath the surface one0
7514178591AllusionA reference, explicit or implicit, to something in previous literature or history1
7514180814AnecdoteA short account of an interesting or humorous incident2
7514193578Artistic UnityThat condition of a successful literary work whereby all its elements work together for the achievement of its central purpose3
7514193579CacophonyA harsh, discordant, unpleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds4
7514201781EuphonyA smooth, pleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds5
7514204197GenreA type or class, as poetry, drama, etc.6
7514215243ImageryThe representation through language of sensory experience7
7514215244MoodThe pervading impression of a work8
7514215245MoralA rule of conduct or maxim for living expressed or implied as the "point" of a literary work. Compare Theme.9
7514225809ProseNon-metrical language; the opposite of verse10
7514228339ThemeThe main idea, or message, of a literary work. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly.11
7514228340ToneThe writer's or speaker's attitude toward the subject, the audience, or herself or himself; the emotional coloring, or emotional meaning, of a work12
7514237822TopicThe subject matter or area of a literary work. Not to be confused with theme.13
7514240764SettingThe context in time and place in which the action of a story occurs14
7514240765Symbol(literary) Something that means more than what it is; an object, person, situation, or action that in addition to its literal meaning suggests other meanings as well, a figure of speech which may be read both literally and figuratively.15
7514249378VerseMetrical language; the opposite of prose16
7514249379VoiceThe distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or a character in a book17
7514260122AntagonistCharacter in a story or poem who opposes the main character (protagonist). Sometimes the antagonist is an animal, an idea, or a thing.18
7514260123Character(1) Any of the persons involved in a story or play [sense 1] (2) The distinguishing moral qualities and personal traits of a character [sense 2]19
7514260124CharacterizationThe process of conveying information about characters20
7514271553Deuteragonistthe second most important character, after the protagonist, often a foil or eventual antagonist21
7514276209Direct presentation of characterA method of characterization in which the author, by exposition or analysis, tells us directly what a character is like, or has someone else in the story do so22
7514279405Dynamic CharacterA character (sense 1) who during the course of a story undergoes a permanent change in some aspect of character (sense 2) or outlook.23
7514289402Flat CharacterA character (sense 1) whose character (sense 2) is summed up in one or two traits24
7514289403Foila character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight various features of that other character's personality, throwing these characteristics into sharper focus.25
7514289404HeroA man who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for bold exploits, and favored by the gods26
7514292359HubrisOverbearing and excessive pride27
7514307089Indirect presentation of characterThat method of characterization in which the author shows us a character in action, compelling us to infer what the character is like from what is said or done by the character28
7514307090ProtagonistThe main character of a novel, play, or film29
7514310454Round CharacterA character (sense 1) whose character (sense 2) is complex and many sided.30
7514337063Static CharacterA character who is the same sort of person at the end of a story as at the beginning.31
7514337064Stock CharacterA stereotyped character32
7514339417Tragic FlawA flaw in the character of the protagonist of a tragedy that brings the protagonist to ruin or sorrow33
7514347255AsideA brief speech in which a character turns from the person being addressed to speak directly to the audience; a dramatic device for letting the audience know what a character is really thinking or feeling as opposed to what the character pretends to think or feel34
7514347256ColloquialInformal, conversational language35
7514350317Dialogue(1) Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative. (2) A literary work written in the form of a conversation.36
7514350318DialectA regional variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary37
7514362926DictionWord Choice38
7514367047EuphemismSubstituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for a harsh, blunt, or offensive one39
7514367048Figure of SpeechBroadly, any way of saying something other that the ordinary way; more narrowly (and for the purposes of this class) a way of saying one thing and meaning another.40
7514370725HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used in the service of truth41
7514378381InvectiveDenunciatory or abusive language.42
7514383845Monologue(1) A dramatic soliloquy. (2) A literary composition in such form43
7514383846ProverbA short, pithy saying that expresses a basic truth or practical precept44
7514383847PunA play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words45
7514390953SarcasmBitter or cutting speech; speech intended by its speaker to give pain to the person addressed46
7514394973Soliloquya device often used in drama where by a character relates his or her thoughts and feelings to him/herself and to the audience without addressing any of the other characters.47
7514398854SlangA kind of language esp. occurring in casual or playful speech, usu. made up of short-lived coinages and figures of speech deliberately used in place of standard terms48
7514409915UnderstatementA figure of speech that consists of saying less than one means, or of saying what one means with less force than the occasion warrants.49
7514473235ExpostionThe part of a play (usually at the beginning) that provides the background information needed to understand the characters and the actions.50
7514475259ConflictA clash of actions, desires, ideas, or goals in the plot of a story or drama. Conflict may exist between the main character and some other person or persons; between the main character and some external force—physical nature, society, or "fate"; or between the main character and some destructive element in his or her own nature. A struggle that takes place in a character's mind is called internal conflict.51
7514475260Rising ActionThat development of plot in a story that precedes and leads up to the climax52
7514477550ClimaxThe turning point or high point of a plot53
7514477551Falling ActionThe falling action immediately follows the climax and shows the aftereffects of the events in the climax54
7514496986Denouement(Also called the resolution) the conclusion of the story. Conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense of catharsis for them and the reader. Sometimes a hint as to the characters' future is given55
7514499910IronyA situation, or a use of language, involving some kind of incongruity or discrepancy. Three kinds of irony are distinguished in this class:56
7514502870Dramatic Ironyirony An incongruity of discrepancy between what a character says or thinks and what the reader knows to be true (or between what a character perceives and what the author intends the reader to perceive).57
7514505388Irony of SituationA situation in which there is an incongruity between appearance and reality, or between expectation and fulfillment, or between the actual situation and what would seem appropriate.58
7514508127Verbal IronyA figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant59
7514520938Epistolarynovel a novel written as a series of documents. First person point of view The story is told by one of its characters, using the first person.60
7514523370FlashbackA literary device in which an earlier event is inserted into a narrative61
7514529297FlashforwardA literary device in which a later event is inserted into a narrative.62
7514535434In medias res(into the middle of things) is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning, establishing setting, character, and conflict via flashback and expository conversations.63
7514544328Limited omniscient point of viewThe author tells the story, using the third person, but is limited to a complete knowledge of one character in the story and tells us only what that one character thinks, feels, sees, or hears.64
7514554017Linear structurea plot that follows a straight-moving, cause and effect, chronological order65
7514560194Objective point of viewThe author tells the story, using the third person, but is limited to reporting what the characters say or do; the author does not interpret their behavior or tell us their private thoughts or feelings.66
7514568317Omniscient point of viewThe author tells the story, using the third person, knowing all and free to tell us anything, including what the characters are thinking or feeling and why they act as they do67
7514578884Narratorthe speaker or the "voice" of an oral or written work. Although it can be, the narrator is not usually the same person as the author. The narrator is one of three types of characters in a given work, (1) participant (protagonist or participant in any action that may take place in the story), (2) observer (someone who is indirectly involved in the action of a story), or (3) non participant (one who is not at all involved in any action of the story). The narrator is the direct window into a piece of work.68
7514589464Nonlinear structureis when the plot is presented in a non-causal order, with events presented in a random series jumping to and from the main plot with flashbacks or flashforwards; or in any other manner that is either not chronological or not cause and effect, for example, in medias res.69
7514596964Point of ViewThe angle of vision from which a story is told.70
7514601514Stream of consciousnessNarrative which presents the private thoughts of a character without commentary or interpretation by the author71
7514604291Unreliable narratora narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised. Unreliable narrators are usually first-person narrators.72
7514655331AnticlimaxA sudden descent from the impressive or significant to the ludicrous or inconsequential73
7514657789CatastropheThe concluding action of a classical tragedy containing the resolution of the plot74
7514661620Comic ReliefA humorous incident introduced into a serious literary work in order to relieve dramatic tension or heighten emotional impact75
7514666573DilemmaA situation in which a character must choose between two courses of action, both undesirable76
7514670441Deus ex machina(god from the machine) The resolution of a plot by use of a highly improbable chance or coincidence (so named from the practice of some Greek dramatists of having a god descend from heaven at the last possible minute—in the theater by means of a stage machine—to rescue the protagonist from an impossible situation).77
7514679559Indeterminate endingAn ending in which the central problem or conflict is left unresolved78
7514684277InversionA reversal in order, nature, or effect79
7514688307MotivationAn emotion, desire, physiological need, or similar impulse that acts as an incitement to action80
7514693304MysteryAn unusual set of circumstances for which the reader craves an explanation; used to create suspense81
7514696446ParadoxA statement or situation containing apparently contradictory or incompatible elements82
7514698412PlotThe sequence of incidents or events of which a story is composed83
7514703813Plot manipulationA situation in which an author gives the plot a twist or turn unjustified by preceding action or by the characters involved84
7514708772Plot deviceAn object, character, or event whose only reason for existing is to advance the story. Often breaks suspension of disbelief.85
7514712338PrologueAn introduction or a preface, esp. a poem recited to introduce a play86
7514714549Red herringa literary tactic of diverting attention away from an item or person of significance87
7514716871SceneA subdivision of an act in a dramatic presentation in which the setting is fixed and the time continuous88
7514719497SuspenseThat quality in a story that makes the reader eager to discover what happens next and how it will end89
7514724490Suspension of DisbeliefAn unspoken agreement between writer and reader: "I agree to believe your make-believe if it entertains me."90
7514726968Subplot Surprise An unexpected turn in the development of a plotA plot subordinate to the main plot of a literary work91
7514729697SurpriseAn unexpected turn in the development of a plot92
7514750024ComedyA type of drama, opposed to tragedy, having usually a happy ending, and emphasizing human limitation rather than human greatness.93
7514752986Comedy of mannersComedy that ridicules the manners (way of life, social customs, etc.) of a certain segment of society94
7514758839SatireA kind of literature that ridicules human folly or vice with the purpose of bringing about reform or of keeping others from falling into similar folly or vice95
7514761636Scornful comedyA type of comedy whose main purpose is to expose and ridicule human folly, vanity, or hypocrisy96
7514768134Romantic comedyA type of comedy whose likable and sensible main characters are placed in difficulties from which they are rescued at the end of the play97
7514769942FarceA type of comedy that relies on exaggeration, horseplay, and unrealistic or improbable situations to provoke laughter98
7514774946Escapist literatureLiterature written purely for entertainment, with little or no attempt to provide insights into the true nature of human life or behavior.99
7514776680FableA short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point and often employing animal characters that act like human beings100
7514783071FantasyA kind of fiction that pictures creatures or events beyond the boundaries of known reality Interpretive literature Literature that provides valid insights into the nature of human life or behavior101
7514788715MythAny story that attempts to explain how the world was created or why the world is the way that it is. Myths are stories that are passed on from generation to generation and normally involve religion. Most myths were first spread by oral tradition and then were written down in some literary form. Many ancient literary works are, in fact, myths as myths appear in every ancient culture of the planet.102
7514794918Novela book of long narrative in literary prose.103
7514797224Novella(also called a short novel), a written, fictional, prose narrative longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel.104
7514803219ParableA simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson105
7514805432TragedyDrama in which a noble protagonist — a person of unusual moral or intellectual stature or outstanding abilities — falls to ruin during a struggle caused by a tragic flaw (or hamartia) in his character or an error in his rulings or judgments.106
7514832078ApostropheA figure of speech in which someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is addressed as if it were alive and present and could reply107
7514834666ConnotationWhat a word suggests beyond its basic definition; a word's overtones of meaning108
7514838359DenotationThe basic definition or dictionary meaning of a word109
7514840952EkphrasisThe poetic representation of a painting or sculpture in words110
7514844773Epigram(1) A short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation. (2) A concise, clever, often paradoxical statement.111
7514847856Extended figure(also knows as sustained figure) A figure of speech (usually metaphor, simile, personification, or apostrophe) sustained or developed through a considerable number of lines or through a whole poem112
7514855001Figurative languageLanguage employing figures of speech; language that cannot be taken literally or only literally113
7514862214Figure of speechBroadly, any way of saying something other that the ordinary way; more narrowly (and for the purposes of this class) a way of saying one thing and meaning another114
7514866131JuxtapositionPositioning opposites next to each other to heighten the contrast115
7514869716MetaphorA figure of speech in which an implicit comparison is made between two things essentially unlike116
7514872416MetonymyA figure of speech in which some significant aspect or detail of an experience is used to represent the whole experience117
7514874839OnomatopoeiaThe use of words that supposedly mimic their meaning in their sound (for example, boom, click, plop).118
7514877561PersonificationA figure of speech in which human attributes are given to an animal, an object, or a concept119
7514884143RhythmAny wavelike recurrence of motion or sound120
7514885989SentimentalityUnmerited or contrived tender feeling; that quality in a story that elicits or seeks to elicit tears through an oversimplification or falsification of reality121
7514892117SimileA figure of speech in which an explicit comparison is made between two things essentially unlike. The comparison is made explicit by the use of some such word or phrase as like, as, than, similar to, resembles, or seems122
7514898037SynecdocheA figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole. In this class it is subsumed under the term Metonymy.123
7514900539SyntaxWord organization and order124
7514927420AlliterationThe repetition at close intervals of the initial consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words (for example, map-moon, kill-code, preach-approve)125
7514931200AnapestA metrical foot consisting of two unaccented syllables followed by one accented syllable (for example, understand)126
7514936641Anapestic meterA meter in which a majority of the feet are anapests127
7514939183Approximate rhyme(also known as imperfect rhyme, near rhyme, slant rhyme, or oblique rhyme) A term used for words in a rhyming pattern that have some kind of sound correspondence but are not perfect rimes (for example, arrayed-said)128
7514941623AssonanceThe repetition at close intervals of the vowel sounds of accented syllables or important words (for example, hat-ran-amber, vein- made).129
7514945872Ballad meterStanzas formed of quatrains of iambs in which the first and third lines have four stresses (tetrameter) and the second and fourth lines have three stresses (trimeter). Usually, the second and fourth lines rhyme (abcb), although ballad meter is often not followed strictly.130
7514951619Blank versePoetry with a meter, but not rhymed, usually in iambic pentameter131
7514955243ConsonanceThe repetition at close intervals of the final consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words (for example, book- plaque-thicker)132
7514957497CoupletTwo successive lines, usually in the same meter, linked by rhyme133
7514959233DactylA metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables (for example, merrily)134
7514963825Dactylic meterA meter in which a majority of the feet are dactyls135
7514967449End rhymeRhymes that occur at the ends of lines136
7514972056End-stopped lineA line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation — the opposite of enjambment137
7514975746EnjambmentOr run-on line, a line which has no natural speech pause at its end, allowing the sense to flow uninterruptedly into the succeeding line — the opposite of an end-stopped line138
7514980523English (or Shakespearean) sonnetA sonnet rhyming ababcdcdefefgg. Its content or structure ideally parallels the rhyme scheme, falling into three coordinate quatrains and a concluding couplet; but it is often structured, like the Italian sonnet, into octave and sestet, the principal break in thought coming at the end of the eighth line.139
7514986040Feminine rhymeA rhyme in which the stress is on the penultimate (second from last) syllable of the words (picky, tricky)140
7514988440FootThe basic unit used in the scansion or measurement of verse. A foot usually contains one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables141
7514990926Free verseNonmetrical verse. Poetry written in free verse is arranged in lines, may be more or less rhythmical, but has no fixed metrical pattern or expectation142
7514992748Half rhyme(Sometimes called slant rhyme, sprung, near rhyme, oblique rhyme, off rhyme or imperfect rhyme), is consonance on the final consonants of the words involved143
7514995390Heroic coupletPoems constructed by a sequence of two lines of (usually rhyming) verse in iambic pentameter. If these couplets do not rhyme, they are usually separated by extra white space.144
7515004488IambA metrical foot consisting of one unaccented syllable followed by one accented syllable (for example, rehearse)145
7515023078Iambic meterA meter in which the majority of feet are iambs, the most common English meter146
7515024994Internal rhymeA rhyme in which one or both of the rhyme-words occur within the line147
7515029239Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnetA sonnet consisting of an octave rhyming abbaabba and of a sestet using any arrangement of two or three additional rhymes, such as cdcdcd or cdecde148
7515033373Masculine rhyme(also known as single rhyme) A rhyme in which the stress is on the final syllable of the words (rhyme, sublime)149
7515036793MeterRegularized rhythm; an arrangement of language in which the accents occur at apparently equal intervals in time150
7515040151Octave(1) An eight-line stanza. (2) The first eight lines of a sonnet, especially one structured in the manner of an Italian sonnet151
7515042850Perfect rhymeA rhyme in which is when the later part of the word or phrase is identical sounding to another. Types include masculine and feminine, among others.152
7527911757PentameterA metrical line containing five feet153
7527917966Quatrain(1) A four-line stanza. (2) A four-line division of a sonnet marked off by its rhyme scheme.154
7527924622RefrainA repeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines, normally at some fixed position in a poem written in stanziac form155
7527929824RhymeThe repetition of an identical or similarly accented sound or sounds in a work. Lyricists may find multiple ways to rhyme within a verse. End rhymes have words that rhyme at the end of a verse-line. Internal rhymes have words that rhyme within it.156
7527938088Rhyme schemeAny fixed pattern of rhymes characterizing a whole poem or its stanzas157
7527944261ScansionThe process of measuring verse, that is, of marking accented and unaccented syllables, dividing the lines into feet, identifying the metrical pattern, and noting significant variations from that pattern158
7527948334Sestet(1) A six-line stanza (2) The last six lines of a sonnet structured on the Italian model159
7527951507SpondeeA metrical foot consisting of two syllables equally or almost equally accented (for example, true-blue).160
7527958773StanzaA group of lines whose metrical pattern (and usually its rhyme scheme as well) is repeated throughout a poem161
7527965712SyntaxThe arrangement of words to form phrases, clauses and sentences; sentence construction162
7527968584Terza RimaA three-line stanza form borrowed from the Italian poets. The rhyme scheme is: aba, bcb, cdc, ded, etc.163
7527975683TetrameterA metrical line containing four feet164
7527978953TrimeterA metrical line containing three feet165
7527984103Triple meterA meter in which a majority of the feet contain three syllables. (Actually, if more than 25 percent of the feet in a poem are triple, its effect is more triple than duple, and it ought perhaps to be referred to as triple meter.) Anapestic and dactylic are both triple meters.166
7527987438Trochaic meterA meter in which the majority of feet are trochees167
7527992420TrocheeA metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by one unaccented syllable (for example, barter)168
7527999471BalladA narrative folk song. The ballad is traced back to the Middle Ages. Ballads were usually created by common people and passed orally due to the illiteracy of the time. Subjects for ballads include killings, feuds, important historical events, and rebellion.169
7528007490ElegyA type of literature defined as a song or poem, written in elegiac couplets, that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died.170
7528012834EpicA long poem in a lofty style about the exploits of heroic figures. These often come from an oral tradition of shared authorship or from a single, high-profile poet imitating the style.171
7528019957LyricA song-like poem written mainly to express the feelings of emotions or thought from a particular person, thus separating it from narrative poems. These poems are generally short, averaging roughly twelve to thirty lines, and rarely go beyond sixty lines. These poems express vivid imagination as well as emotion and all flow fairly concisely.172
7528025949Narrative poemA poem that tells a story. A narrative poem can come in many forms and styles, both complex and simple, short or long, as long as it tells a story. A few examples of a narrative poem are epics, ballads, and metrical romances.173
7528032851OdeUsually a lyric poem of moderate length, with a serious subject, an elevated style, and an elaborate stanza pattern. The ode often praises people, the arts of music and poetry, natural scenes, or abstract concepts.174
7528035844SonnetA fixed form of fourteen lines, normally iambic pentameter, with a rhyme scheme conforming to or approximating one of two main types—the Italian or the English175

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