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AP LITERATURE VOCABULARY Flashcards

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9876432275foreshadowingto hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand0
9876432276enjambmentthe continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to the next1
9876432277pastorala work that describes the simple life of country folk who live in a timeless, painless life in a world full of beauty, music and love; bucolic, idyll2
9876432278odea lyric poem that is somewhat serious in subject and treatment, elevated in style and sometimes uses elaborate stanza structure, which is often patterned in sets of three3
9876432279antithesisthe juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas4
9876432280apostrophean address or invocation to something that is inanimate5
9876432281denotationa direct and specific meaning, often reffered to as the dictionary definition of a word6
9876432282blank versethe verse form consisting of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter7
9876432283caesurapause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns8
9876432284antagonistany force that is in opposition to the main character9
9876432285colloquialordinary language, the vernacular10
9876432286themea generalized, abstract paraphrase of the dominant idea or concern of a work11
9876432287couplettwo rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea or connection12
9876432288dialectthe language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group of people13
9876432289synechdochewhen a part is used to signify a whole, as in "All hands on deck!"-hands= sailors14
9876432290dictionthe specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect15
9876432291syntaxthe way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences16
9876432292flashbackretrospection, where an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narrative17
9876432293elegya poetic lament upon the death of a particular person, usually ending in consolation18
9876432294epica poem that celebrates, in a continuou narrative, the achievements of mighty heroes and heroines, often concerned with the founding of a nation or developing of a culture19
9876432295allusiona reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place20
9876432296extended metaphora detailed and complex metaphor that extends over a long section of a work; also called a conceit21
9876432297farcea play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor22
9876432298in-medis-resrefers to opening a story in the middle of the action, necessitating filing in past details by exposition or flashback; literally, "in the midst of things"23
9876432299formal dictionlanguage that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal24
9876432300expositionthat part of the structure of a plot that sets the scene, introduces and identifies characters, and establishes the situation at the beginning of a story or play25
9876432301satirea literary work that holds up human failing to ridicule26
9876432302alliterationthe sequential repetition of similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually heard in closely proximate stressed syllables27
9876432303stylea distinctive manner of expression expressed through an author's diction, rhythm, imagery, and more28
9876432304free versepoetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter, and non-rhyming lines29
9876432305genrea type or class of literature such as epic or narrative or poetry30
9876432306hyperboleoverstatement characterized by exaggerated language31
9876432307iambica metrical foot in poetry that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable32
9876432308conceita comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; in particular, an extended metaphor within a poem33
9876432309motifa recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event34
9876432310dramatic monologuealso, a soliloquy; a monologue set in a specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience35
9876432311imagerybroadly defined, any sensory detail or evocation in a work; more narrowly, the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, to call to mind an idea, or to describe an object36
9876432312informal dictionlanguage that is not as lofty or impersonal as formal diction; similar to everyday speech37
9876432313ironya situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant38
9876432314lyricany short poem in which the speaker expresses intense personal emotion rather than desciribing a narrative or dramatic situation; a sonnet and ode are two examples39
9876432315consonancethe repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants, but with a change in the intervening vowels40
9876432316mooda feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view41
9876432317metaphorone thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; an implicit comparison of two unlike things42
9876432318villanellea verse form consisting of nineteen lines divided into six stanzas- five tercets and one quatrain; the first and third line of the first tercet rhyme, and this rhyme is repeated through each of the next four tercets and in the last two lines of the concluding quatrain43
9876432319allegorya prose or poetic narrative in which the characters, behavior, and even the setting demonstrates multiple levels of meaning and significance; often is a universal symbol or personified abstraction44
9876432320tonethe attitude a literary work takes toward its subject and theme45
9876432321narrative structurea textual organization based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework46
9876432322narratorthe character who tells the story47
9876432323connotationwhat is suggested by a word, apart from what it explictly describes48
9876432324omniscientalso called unlimited focus; a perspective that can be seen from multiple characters49
9876432325oxymorona figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, sometimes resulting in a humorous image or statement50
9876432326parablea short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy51
9876432327realismthe practice in literature of attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail52
9876432328juxtapositionthe location of one thing as being adjacent with another; this placement of two items side by side creates a certain effect, reveals an attitude, or accomplishes some purpose of the writer53
9876432329ancedotea brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature54
9876432330structurethe organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work55
9876432331parallel structurethe use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts; maintains balance and symmetry56
9876432332personathe voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story and who may or may not share the values of the actual author57
9876432333archetyperecurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature58
9876432334refraina repeated stanza or line(s) in a poem or song59
9876432335quatraina poetic stanza of four lines60
9876432336rhymethe repetition of the same or similar sounds, most often at the ends of lines61
9876432337similea direct, explicit comparison of two things, usually using like or as to draw the connection62
9876432338solioquya monologue in which the character in a play is alone and speaking only to himself or herself63
9876432339protagonistthe main character in a work who may or may not be heroic64
9876432340assonancerepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually those found in stressed syllables of close proximity65
9876432341personificationtreating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human qualitites66
9876432342Shakespearean sonneta sonnet form divided into three quatrains and one couplet; also called an English sonnet67
9876432343onomatopoeiaa work capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes68
9876432344speakerthe person, not necessarily the author, who is the voice of the poem69
9876432345symbolisma person, place, thing, event, or pattern in a literary work that designates itself and at the same time figuratively represents something else70
9876432346Petrachan sonneta sonnet form divided into an octave and a sestet; also called an Italian sonnet71
9876432347settingthe time and place of the action in a story, poem, or play72
9876432348tragedya drama in which a character, usually of noble or high rank, is brought to a disastrous end in confrontation with a superior force73
9876432349sestinaa highly structured poem consisting of six six-line stanzas followed by a tercet; the same set of six words ends the lines of each of the six-line stanzas, but in a different order each time74
9876432350paradoxa statement that seems contradictory but may actually be true75
9876432351rhythmthe modulation of weak and strong (stressed and unstressed) elements in the flow of speech76
9876432352terza rimaa verse form consisting of three-line stanzas in which the second line of each rhymes with the first and third of the next77
9876432354first person POVuses "i", narrators thoughts/feelings78
9876432355second person POVnarrator refers to the audience as "you" (rare)79

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