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AP LITERATURE TERMS Flashcards

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8846185823DICTIONA SPEAKER OR WRITERS CHOICE OF WORDS0
8846185824SYNTAXSyntax is a set of rules in a language. It dictates how words from different parts of speech are put together in order to convey a complete thought.1
8846185825TONEThe attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience, revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization2
8846185826IMAGERYthe use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience.3
8846188457FIGURATIVE LANGUAGEWords which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, but are used to describe. Similes and metaphors are common forms.4
8846188458POINT OF VIEWthe vantage point from which the writer tells the story.5
8846188501DETAILDetails are items or parts that make up a larger picture or story. Chaucer's "Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales is celebrated for its use of a few details to bring the characters to life. The miller, for example, is described as being brawny and big-boned, able to win.6
8846190963PACINGIn literature, pace, or pacing is the speed at which a story is told. The pace is determined by the length of the scenes, how fast the action moves, and how quickly the reader is provided with information. It is also sometimes determined by the genre of the story.7
8846190964SHIFTA rhetorical shift occurs when speakers or writers alter their style or tone in a piece. It is often accompanied by a shift in focus. These shifts may happen between rhetorical modes -- a term representing in what manner or to what purpose language is used -- or simply from one frame of reference to another.8
8846190965CONNOTATIONThe implications of a word or phrase, as opposed to its exact meaning (denotation). Both China and Cathay denote a region in Asia, but to a modern reader, the associations of the two words are different.9
8846192734DENOTATIONThe dictionary meaning of a word, as opposed to connotation.10
8846192735THEMEThe main thought expressed by a work. Essay questions may ask for discussion of the theme or themes of a work or may use the words "meaning" or "meanings." The open question frequently asks you to relate a discussion on one subject to a "meaning of the work as a whole." When preparing the novels and plays you might use on the open question, be sure to consider what theme or themes you would write about if you are asked to talk about a "meaning of the work." The question is much harder to answer for some works than others. I'm not sure what I would say is the meaning of Hamlet, Wuthering Heights, or Waiting for Godot. But I have much less trouble defining a theme in works like Brave New World or Animal Farm.11
8846319786ALLEGORYa story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.12
8846319787ALLUSIONan expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.13
8846322111ALLITERATIONthe occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.14
8846322112ANALOGYa comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.15
8846324938EPIPHANYEpiphany is the point in a work of literature where a character has a sudden insight or realization that changes his or her understanding.16
8846324939FOILa character who contrasts with another character —usually the protagonist— to highlight particular qualities of the other character.17
8846324940HYPERBOLEexaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.18
8846327354JUXTAPOSITIONthe fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.19
8846327355IRONYthe expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.20
8846327356LITOTESironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary21
8846328729METAPHOREa figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.22
8846330520OXYMORONa figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction23
8846330521PARODYan imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.24
8846332391PERSONIFICATIONthe attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.25
8846334161SIMILEa figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid using "like" or "as"26
8846334162SYMBOLa mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g., the letter or letters standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation.27
8846336090SATIREthe use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.28

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