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AP Literature Terms (with images) Flashcards

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2389382124AllegoryThe representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.0
2389384376AlliterationThe repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words in a line of poetry.1
2389385854AnaphoraRepetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines in a poem.2
2389387230ApostropheWhen a character speaks to a character or object that is not present or is unable to respond.3
2389388599AssonanceThe repetition of the same vowel sound in a phrase or line of poetry.4
2389390038ClimaxThe turning point in the plot or the high point of action.5
2389393851Colloquial LanguageInformal, conversational language. Indicative of a specific region.6
2389396611ConnotationAn idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing, ie. Bat=evil.7
2389398922DictionWord choice or the use of words in speech or writing.8
2389400226EnjambmentThe continuation of reading one line of a poem to the next with no pause, a run-on line.9
2389474286EpiphanySudden enlightenment or realization, a profound new outlook or understanding about the world usually attained while doing everyday mundane activities.10
2389476486FlashbackWhen a character remembers a past event that is relevant to the current action of the story.11
2389479161ForeshadowingClues in the text about incidents that will occur later in the plot; creates anticipation in the novel.12
2389480676HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or comic/dramatic effect.13
2389484629ImageryThe use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. Also includes sensory language.14
2389486009IronyWhen one thing should occur, is apparent, or in logical sequence but the opposite actually occurs.15
2389488236MeterThe measured arrangement of words in poetry, as by accentual rhythm, syllabic quantity, or the number of syllables in a line.16
2389489014MetaphorA 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
2389490100MotifA dominant theme or central idea.18
2389491389OnomatopoeiaThe formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.19
2389492819ParodyA literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule.20
2389493751PersonificationA figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form.21
2389495339ProseOrdinary speech or writing without metrical structure, written in paragraph form.22
2389498759SimileA figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as.23
2389500220SoliloquyA 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
2389502100SymbolismSomething that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.25
2389503101ToneReflects how the author feels about the subject matter or the feeling the author wants to instill in the reader.26
2389504482TragedyA 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
2389506816SonnetA poem with fourteen lines. There are Italian and English (typically referred to as "Shakespearean") forms.28
2389512435SatireA 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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