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AP Literature Vocabulary Assignment Flashcards

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7198983129allegorya story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one0
7198984053alexandrine(of a line of verse) having six iambic feet1
7198986802anachronisman act of attributing a custom, event, or object to a period which it does not belong2
7198993700anapesta metrical foot consisting of two short or unstressed syllables followed by one long or stressed syllable3
7198995524anthropomorphisma literary device that can be defined as a technique in which a writer ascribes human traits, ambitions, emotions or entire behavior to animals, non-human beings, natural phenomena or objects.4
7198996983antiheroa main character that does not have the normal heroic attributes5
7198998529aphorisma saying that has a general truth like, "if it ain't broken, don't fix it."6
7199000661apostrophean arrangement of words addressing a non-existent person or an abstract idea in such a way as if it were present and capable of understanding feelings7
7199006140ballada poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas8
7199007394biographical criticisma form of Literary criticism which analyzes a writer's biography to show the relationship between the author's life and their works of literature9
7199010039caesuraa break between words within a metrical foot10
7199012481carpe diemseize the day in Latin11
7199014388classicismthe principles or styles characteristic of the literature and art of ancient Greece and Rome12
7199016804comedyentertainment consisting of jokes to make an audience laugh13
7199018791complainta statement that is unsatisfactory or unacceptable14
7199020975conceitan elaborate metaphor15
7199022211couplet, closeda literary device which can be defined as having two successive rhyming lines in a verse and has the same meter to form a complete thought16
7199024591couplet, heroica stanza consisting of two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter, especially one forming a rhetorical unit and written in an elevated style, as, Know then thyself, presume not God to scan17
7199027216dactylProsody. a foot of three syllables, one long followed by two short in quantitative meter, or one stressed followed by two unstressed in accentual meter, as in gently and humanly. Symbol:18
7199031631deconstructionist criticismto seek out the contradictions in the text to prove that the text lacks unity and coherence19
7199035326dramatic monologuea poetic form in which a single character, addressing a silent auditor at a critical moment, reveals himself or herself and the dramatic situation.20
7199036829elegya poem written in elegiac meter, sad or mournful21
7199038550epigramA brief witty poem, often satirical.22
7199040160existentialisma form of thought that stresses existence or experience over essence or meaning23
7199041287expressionisma style that shows the audience the action of the play through the mind of one character.24
7199042227feminismThe belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men25
7199043324formalism (New Criticism)Instead, the objective determination as to "how a piece works" can be found through close focus and analysis, rather than through extraneous and erudite special knowledge26
7199045343frame storyA secondary story or stories embedded in the main story27
7199046170New Historicisman approach to literary criticism and literary theory based on the premise that a literary work should be considered a product of the time, place, and historical circumstances of its composition rather than as an isolated work of art or text28
7199047488iamba two-syllable foot with the stress on the second syllable.29
7199047994idylla lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place30
7199048392impressionismusing many words to describe something; has deeper meaning not specifically written31
7199049167legenda traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.32
7199049582light verseHumorous, comic, witty poems.33
7199051354litotesUnderstatement34
7199051724MarxismA body of thought deriving its main elements from Karl Marx's ideas (Militant, revolutionary form of socialism)35
7199052696maskA feature that lets you protect or modify a particular area; created using a marquee.36
7199054074meterA regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry37
7199055365metonymythe substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant38
7199056415metric footMakes up the rhythm( which is the pattern of stressed and unstressed beats)39
7199057493neoclassicismLiterary imitation of the ancients making them new40
7199058153odea lyric poem that expresses strong emotions about life41
7199059263ottava rimaa stanza of eight lines of heroic verse with the rhyme scheme abababcc42
7199060249pastoralA work of literature dealing with rural life43
7199060701pessimismgloominess; a belief that the bad guys always win44
7199061402psychoanalytical criticismstudying a surface level of text and below it are symbols that actually mean something45
7199062400pyrrhicA metrical foot with two unstressed syllables46
7199062879romanceAny literary work characterized by non-realistic and idealizing use of the imagination.47
7199063999scansionthe action of scanning a line of verse to determine its rhythm48
7199064559spondeeA foot of two syllables, both of which are stressed49
7199064843stylethe choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work50
7199065304synecdochea figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa51
7199065734synaesthesiathe use of one kind of sensory experience to describe another (EX: hearing a sound causes seeing a color)52
7199066969terceta three-line stanza53
7199067221terza rimaA three-line stanza rhymed aba, bcb, cdc.54
7199067701tragedyA serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character55
7199068068triplet3 line stanza56
7199068425trocheeStressed, unstressed57
7199068684verseA single line of poetry58
7199068685villanelleA nineteen-line poem with two rhymes throughout.59
7199069121witintellectually amusing language that surprises and delights60

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