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AP Literature Terms (with images) Flashcards

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3994273477AllegoryThe representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.0
3994273478AlliterationThe repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words in a line of poetry.1
3994273479AnaphoraRepetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines in a poem.2
3994273480ApostropheWhen a character speaks to a character or object that is not present or is unable to respond.3
3994273481AssonanceThe repetition of the same vowel sound in a phrase or line of poetry.4
3994273482ClimaxThe turning point in the plot or the high point of action.5
3994273483Colloquial LanguageInformal, conversational language. Indicative of a specific region.6
3994273484ConnotationAn idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing, ie. Bat=evil.7
3994273485DictionWord choice or the use of words in speech or writing.8
3994273486EnjambmentThe continuation of reading one line of a poem to the next with no pause, a run-on line.9
3994273487EpiphanySudden enlightenment or realization, a profound new outlook or understanding about the world usually attained while doing everyday mundane activities.10
3994273488FlashbackWhen a character remembers a past event that is relevant to the current action of the story.11
3994273489ForeshadowingClues in the text about incidents that will occur later in the plot; creates anticipation in the novel.12
3994273490HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or comic/dramatic effect.13
3994273491ImageryThe use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. Also includes sensory language.14
3994273492IronyWhen one thing should occur, is apparent, or in logical sequence but the opposite actually occurs.15
3994273493MeterThe measured arrangement of words in poetry, as by accentual rhythm, syllabic quantity, or the number of syllables in a line.16
3994273494MetaphorA figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison; this comparison does not use like or as.17
3994273495MotifA dominant theme or central idea.18
3994273496OnomatopoeiaThe formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.19
3994273497ParodyA literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule.20
3994273498PersonificationA figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form.21
3994273499ProseOrdinary speech or writing without metrical structure, written in paragraph form.22
3994273500SimileA figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as.23
3994273501SoliloquyA dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener. Typical in plays.24
3994273502SymbolismSomething that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.25
3994273503ToneReflects how the author feels about the subject matter or the feeling the author wants to instill in the reader.26
3994273504TragedyA drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.27
3994273505SonnetA poem with fourteen lines. There are Italian and English (typically referred to as "Shakespearean") forms.28
3994273506SatireA literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit; the goal is to change the behavior/issue.29

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