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AP Literature Terms I Flashcards

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6681157596abstracta style (in writing) that's typically complex, discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points0
6681161743academicstyle that refers to dry and theoretical writing (think of a piece that sucks all the life out of its subject with analysis)1
6681172003accentin poetry, the stressed part of a word2
6681193502allegorya story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside the story itself (like a life lesson) Think of fables or longer stories told specifically to teach something.3
6681207146alliterationthe repetition of consonant sounds (think of tongue-twisters)4
6681210250allusiona reference to another work or famous figure (a pop culture reference on Family Guy or The Simpsons) OR a classical one -- Greek/Roman texts or the Bible5
6681221046anachronismwhen something is "mismatched in time" (If Oedipus was wearing an Apple Watch, for ex.) -- usually used for comic effect6
6681227920analogya comparison -- usually involves two or more symbolic parts and are used to clarify a relationship7
6681237153anecdotea short narrative, usually told to connect with another person and usually comedic in nature8
6681246069anthropomorphismwhen inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena are given human characteristics (similar to personification which requires human shape or form)9
6681261915anticlimaxwhen an action produces far less of a result than one had been led to expect. (NOT deus ex machina - that's different!)10
6681270726antiheroprotagonist who is markedly unheroic, morally weak, cowardly, dishonest or any other number of unsavory qualities11
6681276530aphorism12
6681286285apostrophe*an address to someone not present or to a personified object or idea13
6682044107archaismuse of deliberately old-fashioned language - typically to create a feeling of antiquity (Ye Olde Candle Shoppe)14
6682053839asidewhen a character makes a comment directly to the audience15
6682059874assonancethe repetition of vowel sounds ("Old King Cole was a merry old soul.")16
6682069397atmospherethe emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene (think description of setting or situation)17

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