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AP World History: Chapter 27 Flashcards

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6163693362Emma Goldman0
6163696101Kaiser Wilhelm II1
6163696102western front2
6163697958eastern front3
6163699502southern front4
6163701440Senegalese Sharpshooters5
6163702786Woodrow Wilson6
6163702787Paris Peace Conference7
6163710650League of Nations8
6163712393Weimar Republic9
6163713524Mandate System10
6163715243Balfour Declaration11
6163715244Sun Yat-sen12
6163717323May Fourth Movement13
6163718568Vladimir Lenin14
6163718569New Economic Policy15
6163721191"Socialism in One Country"16

AP Biology DNA Flashcards

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6051756018DNA Replicationthe process by which a DNA molecule is copied; also called DNA synthesis0
6051756019Transformationa change in genotype and phenotype due to the assimilation of external DNA by a cell transforming substance- DNA1
6051756020BacteriophagesViruses that infect bacteria Bacteria eaters2
6051756021Virusinfects a cell and takes over the cell's metabolic machinery3
6051756022Hershey and Chase (Don't need to memorize scientists)Concluded that phage DNA entered bacterial host cells, but phage proteins did not, so DNA functions as the genetic material4
6051756023Griffith (Don't need to memorize scientists)Concluded that nonpathogenic bacteria transformed into pathogenic bacteria by an unknown, heritable substance from the dead S cells that enabled the R cells to make capsules5
6051756024Chargaff's Lawthe base compostion of DNA varies between species and for each species, the percentages of A and T bases are roughly equal to the percentages of the G and C bases6
6051756025Rosalind Franklin (Don't need to memorize scientists)accomplished X-ray crystallographer that discovered the double helix of DNA7
6051756026Antiparallelsubunits run in opposite directions8
6051756027Nitrogenous bases of DnaA, T, C, G9
6051756028PurinesA and G Nitrogenous bases with two organic rings10
6051756029PyrimidinesC and T Nitrogenous base with a single organic ring11
6051756030Conservative modeltwo parental strands reassociate after acting as templates for new strands thus restoring the parental double helix12
6051756031Semiconservative Modelthe two strands of the parental molecule separate and each functions as a template for synthesis of a new complementary strand- most common13
6051756032Dispersive Modeleach strand of both daughter molecules contains a mixture of old and newly synthesized DNA14
6051756033Origins of Replicationshort stretches of DNA having a specific sequence of nucleotides15
6051756034Replication Forka Y shaped region where the parental strands of DNA are being unwound16
6051756035Helicasesenzymes that untwist the double helix at the replication forks, separating the two parental strands and make them available as template strands17
6051756036Single Strand Binding ProteinsBind to the unpaired DNA strands keeping them from repairing18
6051756037TopoisomeraseThe untwisting of double helix causes tighter twisting and strain ahead of replication fork Relieve this strain by breaking swiveling, and rejoining DNA strands19
6051756038PrimerThe initial nucleotide chain that is produced during DNA synthesis is actually a short stretch of RNA20
6051756039PrimaseSynthesizes the primer Starts a complementary RNA chain from a single RNA nucleotide, adding more RNA nucleotides one at a time, using the parental DNA strand as a template21
6051756040DNA polymerasesEnzyme that catalyze the synthesis of new DNA by adding nucleotides to a preexisting chain22
6051756041Leading strandStrand that continuously adds nucleotides to the new complementary strand as the fork progresses DNA pol III23
6051756042Lagging StrandThe strand that DNA pol III works away from the replication fork Synthesized discontinuosly as a series of segments24
6051756043Okazaki fragmentsSeries of segments that are 1000-2000 nucleotides long25
6051756044DNA Ligasejoins the sugar phosphate backbones of all the Okazaki fragments into a continuous DNA strand26
6051756045DNA pol IIISynthesizes new DNA strands by adding nucleotides to an RNA primer or a pre-existing DNA strand27
6051756046DNA pol IRemoves RNA nucleotides of primer from 5' end and replaces them with DNA nucleotides28
6051756047Mismatch repairOther enzymes remove and replace incorrectly paired nucleotides that have resulted from replication errors29
6051756048NucleaseDNA cutting enzyme that cuts out the damaged parts of the strand and fills the space with nucleotides using the undamaged strand as a template30
6051756049Nucleotide excision repairDNA repair system where teams of enzymes detect and repair the DNA, the nuclease cuts out the damaged DNA and removes it, fills in the missing nucleotides and the DNA ligase seals the free end of the new DNA to the old DNA making the strand complete31
6051756050TelomeresSpecial nucleotide sequences at the ends of chromosomes TTAGGG is repeated between 100-1000 times Prevent the staggered ends of daughter molecule from activitating cell's system for monitoring DNA damage32
6051756051TelomeraseEnzyme that catalyzes the lengthening of telomeres in eukaryotic germ cells and restores the original length and compensating for the shortening that occurs during DNA replication33
6051756052HistonesProteins that are responsible for the first level of DNA packing in chromatin34
6051756053Nucleosomethe basic unit of DNA packing35
6051756054Chromatincomplex of DNA and protein36
6051756055Heterochromatincentromeres and telomeres exist in a highly condensed state with visible irregular clumps making it largely inaccessible37
6051756056Euchromatincentromeres and telomeres exist in a less compacted state that is very accessible38

AP US History - The Enduring Vision Chapter 19 Flashcards

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6687364657Scott JoplinA young black pianist who earned cent for every copy of his composition "Maple Leaf Rag" sold. The contract signaled a new era in the popular music industry. Over the next two decades, "Maple Leaf Rag" would sell more than half a million copies a year and make Joplin the king of ragtime, the syncopated dance music that had become a national sensation.0
6687367468New immigrantsItalians, Slavs, Greeks, and Jews from southern and eastern Europe, Armenians from the Middle East, and, in Hawaii, Japanese from Asia.1
6687367486Ellis IslandA special facility for admitting immigrants that entered the US through New York.2
6687369400Victorian moralityA set of social ideas embraced by the privileged classes of England and America during the long reign (1837 - 1901) of Britain's Queen Victoria.3
6687374040Department storeThese stores attracted these new customers by advertising "rock-bottom" prices and engaging in price wars. To avoid keeping their stock too long, they held giant end-of-the-season sales at drastically marked-down prices. They targeted women who, in order to provide for their families, now had to shop for soap, canned foods, and other products formerly made at home.4
6687375824Research universityA new kind of institution, which offered courses in a wide variety of subject areas, established professional schools, and encouraged faculty members to pursue basic research.5
6687377899Political machineAn unofficial political organization designed to keep a particular party or faction in office.6
6687380119William Magear TweedNew York City boss who was infamous for fraud and corruption. Convicted of fraud and extortion, Tweed was sentenced to jail in 1873, served two years, escaped to Spain, was reapprehended and reincarcerated, and died in jail in 1878.7
6687382449Salvation ArmyA church established along pseudo-military lines in England in 1865 by Methodist minister "General" William Booth, the Salvation Army sent uniformed volunteers to the United States in 1880 to provide food, shelter, and temporary employment for families. Its members ran soup kitchens and day nurseries and dispatched its "slum brigades" to carry the message of morality to the immigrant poor.8
6687384486Josephine Shaw LowellFounded the New York Charity Organization Society (COS) in 1882. Trying to make aid to the poor more efficient, Lowell and the COS leaders divided New York City into districts, compiled files on all aid recipients, and sent "friendly visitors," who were trained, salaried women, into the tenements to counsel families on how to improve their lives.9
6687386763Anthony ComstockA pious young dry-goods clerk who founded the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice in 1872. The organization demanded that municipal authorities close down gambling and lottery operations and censor obscene publications.10
6687388590Social GospelMovement launched in the 1870s by Washington Gladden, a Congregational minister in Columbus, Ohio. Gladden insisted that true Christianity commits men and women to fight social injustice wherever it exists.11
6687388634Jane AddamsAn early advocate of the Settlement-House movement (where relief workers would have to take up residence in poor neighborhoods to see firsthand what living in poverty is like).12
6687390425Florence KelleyWorked at the Hull House who later became the chief factory inspector for Illinois in 1893.13
6687394234John L. SullivanAlso known as "the Boston Strong Boy", he was the most popular sports hero of the nineteenth century. He was a boxer.14
6687395926Mark TwainPopular American writer in the 1800s. Attacking aristocratic literary conventions, Twain and other authors who shared his concerns explored new forms of fiction and worked to broaden its appeal to the general public.15
6687397722ModernismArchitectural movement that looked for inspiration in the future. Modern architects had tired of copying European designs by the 1890s and believed banks should look like the financial institutions they were, not like Greek temples.16
6687400096Frank Lloyd WrightChicago architect who "prairie-school" houses that represented a typical modernist break with past styles. Wright scorned the three-story Victorian house with its large attic and basement. His designs, which featured broad, sheltering roofs and horizontal silhouettes, used interconnecting rooms to create a sense of spaciousness.17
6687401591Frances WilliardTemperance leader who believed that women were compassionate and nurturing by nature. She was also convinced that drinking encouraged thriftlessness and profoundly threatened family life. She founded the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879.18
6687404790Kate ChopinFamed author of the controversial 1899 novel The Awakening. In the novel, the heroine falls in love with another man; then she takes her own life when his ideas about women prove as narrow and traditional as those of her husband.19

AP World History: Ch. 10 Civilization in Eastern Europe: Byzantium and Orthodox Europe, Pt. 1 Flashcards

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5256831269Vladimir10th century Russian king centered in Kiev who had to choose between Judaism, Islam Byzantine and Orthodox Christianity.0
5256831270RomeThe center of the Western Christian tradition and home of the pope.1
5256831271ConstantinopleCenter of Orthodox Christianity that became dominant throughout most of eastern Europe.2
5256831272BalkansThe peninsula and a cultural area in Southeast Europe with different and disputed borders.3
5256831273Constantinople Map4
5256831274Byzantine Empire5
5256831275ConstantineRoman emperor who built his capital city on the site of the former Byzantium with elegant buildings and Christian churches.6
5256831276GreekThe common language supplanting Latin when Justinian became emperor in the 6th century.7
5256831277Justinian6th century Byzantine emperor who tried to reconquer western territory, but is best known for codifying Roman law.8
5256831278Hagia SophiaElegant church constructed during the reign of Justinian.9
5256831279BelisariusOne of Justinian's most important military commanders during the attempted reconquest of western Europe. (c. 505-565)10
5256831280Greek FireByzantine weapon of fire used to check the growing power of the Arab fleet that challenged Byzantine naval supremacy.11
5256831281BulgariaSlavic kingdom established in northern portions of Balkan peninsula that was a constant source of pressure on the Byzantine, which was defeated by Emperor Basil II in 1014.12
5256831282Basil IIKnown as the slayer of the Bulgarians, who brought the Byzantine Empire to a pinnacle of power in the late 10th century.13
5256831283Byzantine Political SystemSimilar to earlier patterns in China where the emperor would have enjoyed something analogous to the "Mandate of Heaven."14
5256831284Empress TheodoraStrong, austere leader who refused to marry the imperial heir, check the power of unruly nobles, and limit bureaucratic corruption.15
5256831285byzantineA word used to refer to a complex institutional arrangement.16
5256831286IconPaintings of saints and other religious figures that were often richly ornamented.17
5256831287First Among EqualsByzantine recognition that the Roman pope existed, but was not superior to the Byzantine Emperor.18
5256831288SchismThe official split between the Eastern and Western churches in 1054.19
5256831289SeljuksTurkish troops who in the 11th century seized most of the Asiatic provinces of the Byzantine Empire, which cut of a prosperous source of tax revenue.20
5256831290Battle of ManzikertBattle in which the Byzantines were defeated by the Seljuk Turks. It was followed by Seljul conquest of most of Anatolia and marked the beginning of the end for the Byzantine Empire (1071)21
5256831291Fall of ConstantinopleThe capture of the capital of the Greco-Roman Empire by an invading army of the Ottoman Empire on 29 May 1453.22
7922014682tsarSlavic version of the word Caesar23

AP World History: Ch. 9 African Civilizations and the Spread of Islam Flashcards

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5192519559Stateless Society (Segmentary)African societies organized around kinship. A group of villages, based on ethnic loyalties made up a district . Village chiefs resolved district issues.0
5192519560ChiefThe head of the most prominent family who represented settlements as it dealt with neighboring settlements.1
5192519561Bantu300-600 ethnic groups in Africa who speak Bantu languages. They inhabit a geographical area stretching east and southward from Central Africa across the African Great Lakes region down to Southern Africa.2
5192519562Kingdom of KongoNear modern day Angola, this emerged as the most highly centralized Bantu kingdom and a prosperous trading kingdom. large agricultural state on the lower Congo River; capital at Mbanza Congo.3
5192519563MerchantsBrought Islam to sub-Saharan Africa over land along camel routes to west Africa and along sea lanes to east Africa.4
5192519564GhanaStarted as a regional state in the 5th century, it exploded as a trading town in the 8th century as Muslim traders came and its capital city of Koumbi Saleh trade and taxes on gold.5
5192519565MaliRule by the "lion prince," Sundiata, this kingdom included ancient Ghana, Niger, Senegal, others, and built a huge capital at Niana.6
5192519566SundiataThe lion prince who reigned Mali from 1230 to 1255 through acts of legendary bravery, he used his dominant cavalry to secure his kingdom.7
5192519567TimbuktuAlong with Gao, and Jenne, a formidable market city in the Malian Empire.8
5192519568Mansa MusaThe nephew of Sundiata who ruled Mali, and is legendary for his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324-1325 that spread wealth and ultimately Islam throughout his realm.9
5192519569Songhay EmpireA successor state to Mali whose power had begun to wane that dominated the middle reaches of the Niger Valley with a capital at Gao.10
5192519570Sunni AliGreat Songhay leader with tactical military prowess who seized the traditional trading cities of Timbuktu and Jenne.11
5192519571Savanna StatesCharacterized by the fusion of Islamic and pagan populations, and sometimes men and women mixed freely in market places and women did not go veiled.12
5192519572New Swahili CultureCreated around the 10th century as as Islamic merchants began regular, sustained interaction with Indigenous Bantu people.13
5192519573Ibn BattutaMedieval Moroccan Muslim traveler and scholar, who is widely recognized as one of the greatest travelers of all time.14
5192519574KilwaAn impressive trade city along the east African coast.15
5192519575Great ZimbabweCentral African kingdom which also was influenced by wealth from east Africa, which by the early 13th century had massive stone buildings and walls, incorporates the greatest early buildings in sub-Saharan Africa.16
5192519576Age SetsIn smaller states and kin-based societies along with sex and gender expectations this often determined social positions and helped organize societies in a unique African tradition.17
5192519577Slave TradingA practice dating back to African antiquity that was usually the result of prisoners of war, debt, criminals or suspected witches.18
5192519578Zanj RevoltA major uprising against the Abbasid Caliphate which took place from 869 until 88319
5192519579Traditional African ReligionTended to be monotheistic and tended to be more practical than theological with its focus on morality and ethics.20
5192519580Divine ForceRecognized by most people as a male who was responsible for creating and sustaining life21
5192519581DivinersIntelligent men and sometimes women who understood their communities and sought to resolve problems through consulting oracles or prescribing medicines.22
5192519582AlexandriaEarly center of Christian learning in north Africa during the first century C.E.23
5192519583St. Augustine of HippoAugustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine, was an early Christian theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western24
5192519584Rock ChurchesChristianity spread in Ethiopia but often retained African influences such as this architecture suggests.25
5192519585GriotWest African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet and/or musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition and is often seen as a societal leader26
5192519586HausaPeoples of northern Nigeria who formed states following the demise of the Songhay Empire that combined Muslim and pagan traditions.27
5192728056IfriqiyaRoman name for present-day Tunisia.28
5192731763MaghribArabic term for northwestern Africa.29
5192737787Almohadisa later puritanical Islamic reform movement among the Berbers of northwest Africa; also built an empire reaching from the African savanna into Spain.30
5192742454juulaMalinke merchants who traded throughout the Mali Empire and west Africa.31
5192752825Muhammad the Greatextended the boundaries of Songhay in the mid-16th century.32
5192761268ShariaIslamic law, defined among other things the patrilineal nature of Islamic inheritance.33
5192765005ZenjArabic term for the east African coast.34
5192770920Beninpowerful city-state (in present-day Nigeria) that came into contact with the Portuguese in 1485 but remained relatively free of European influence; important commercial and political entity until the 19th century.35
5192777198demographythe study of population.36
5192781882demographic transitionshift to low birth rate, low infant death rate, stable population, first emerged in western Europe and United States in late 19th century.37

AP English Literature Vocab #8 Flashcards

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5162715534ExplicateTo give a detailed explanation0
5162719037PolemicControversial argument, especially refuting or attacking a specific opinion or doctrine1
5162729560InfatuationA foolish or exaggerated passionate attraction2
5162735876RuckusNoisy commotion or heated controversy3
5162738348BanalCommonplace & predictable; trite4
5162742807ImpudentCharacterized by offensive boldness; insolent or impertinent5
5162768892FickleCharacterized by erratic change or instability especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious6
5162777709PrevailTo be in greater strength or influence to triumph7
5162781133MelodramaA play, story, TV show, or movie characterized by exaggerated emotions8
5162784533DilemmaA problem that seems to defy a favorable answer9
5162786380PropensityA tendency10

AP World History Chapter 7: Flashcards

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5062802928BedouinNomadic pastoralists of the arabian peninsula; culture based on camel and goat nomadism; early converts to Islam.0
5062811749ShaykhsLeaders of tribes and clans within bedouin society; usually men with large herds; several wives, and many children1
5062819245MeccaCity located in mountainous region along Red Sea in Arabian peninsula; founded by Umayyad clan of Quraysh; site of Ka'ba; original home of Muhammad; location of chief religious pilgrimage point in Islam.2
5062829638UmayyadClan of Quraysh that dominated politics and commercial economy of Mecca; clan established a dynasty under this title as rulers of Islam, 661 to 750.3
5062836130QurayshTribe of bedouins that controlled Mecca in 7th century c.e.4
5062839888Ka'baMost revered religious shrine in pre-Islamic Arabia; located in Mecca; focus of obligatory annual truce among bedouin tribes; later incorporated as important shrine in Islam.5
5062850446MedinaAlso known as Yathrib; town located northeast of Mecca; grew date palms whose fruit was sold to bedouins; became refuge for Muhammad following flight from Mecca (hijra).6
5062860371AllahThe Arab term for the high god in pre-Islamic Arabia that was adopted by the followers of Muhammad and the Islamic faith.7
5062871037Sasanian EmpiresThe dynasty that ruled Persia (contemporary Iran) in the centuries before the rise of Muhammad and the early decades of Islamic expansion.8
5062876056MuhammadProphet of Islam; born c.570 to Banu Hashim clan of Quraysh tribe in Mecca; raised by father's family; received revelations from Allah in 610 c.e. and thereafter; died in 632.9
5062885029KhadijahFirst wife of the prophet Muhammad, who had worked for her as a trader.10
5062889607Qur'anRecitations of revelations received by Muhammad; holy book of Islam.11
5062896003Ali(c. 599-661) Cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad; one of orthodox caliphs; focus for Shi'a.12
5062900322UmmaCommunity of the faithful within Islam; transcended old tribal boundaries to create degree of political unity.13
5062906178ZakatTax for charity; obligatory for all Muslims.14
5062910727Five PillarsThe obligatory religious duties of all Muslims; confession of faith, prayer, fasting during Ramadan, zakat, and hajj.15
5062929904RamadanIslamic month of religious observance requiring fasting from dawn to sunset.16
5062934323HajjA Muslim's pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, to worship Allah at the Ka'ba.17
5062939977CaliphThe political and religious successor to Muhammad.18
5062941400Abu BakrThe first caliph or leader of the Muslim faithful elected after Muhammad's death in 632. Renown for his knowledge of the nomadic tribes who then dominated the Islamic community.19
5062949710Ridda WarsWars that followed Muhammad's death in 632; resulted in defeat of rival prophets and some of larger clans; restored unity of Islam.20
5062957737JihadsStruggles; often used for wars in defense of the faith, but also a term to indicate personal quests for religious understanding.21
5062967578CoptsChristian sect of Egypt; tended to support Islamic invasions of this area in preference to Byzantine rule.22
5062971250NestoriansA Christian sect found in Asia, tended to support Islamic invasions of this area in preference to Byzantine rule; cut off from Europe by Muslim invasions.23
5063010674UthmanThird caliph and member of Umayyad clan; murdered by mutinous warriors returning from Egypt; death set off civil war in Islam between followers of Ali and the Umayyad clan.24
5063020611Battle of StiffinFought in 657 between forces of Ali and Umayyads; settled by negotiation that led to fragmentation of Ali's party.25
5063024677Mu'awiya(602-680) Leader of Umayyad clan; first Umayyad caliph following civil war with Ali.26
5063028998SunnisPolitical and theological division within Islam; supported the Umayyads.27
5063031211Shi'aAlso known as Shi'ites; political and theological division within Islam; followers of Ali.28
5063038822KarbalaSite of defeat and death of Husayn, son of Ali; marked beginning of Shi'a resistance to Umayyad caliphate.29
5063047162DamascusSyrian city that was capital of Umayyad caliphate.30
5063048789MawaliNon-Arab converts to Islam.31
5063050075JizyaHead tax paid by all non believers in Islamic territories/32
5063052570DhimmiLiterally "people of the book"; applied as inclusive term to Jews and Christians in Islamic territories; later extended to Zoroastrians and even Hindus.33
5063061130HadithsTraditions of the prophet Muhammad.34
5063065322AbbasidDynasty that succeeded the Umayyads as caliphs within Islam; came to power in 750 c.e.35
5063067685Battle of the River ZabVictory of Abbasids over Umayyads; resulted in conquest of Syria and capture of Umayyad capital.36
5063077066BaghdadCapital of Abbasid dynasty located in Iraq near ancient Persian capital of Ctesiphon.37
5063082368WazirChief administrative official under the Abbasid caliphate; initially recruited from Persian provinces of empire.38
5063088088DhowsArab sailing vessels with triangular of lateen sails; strongly influenced European ship design.39
5063099425AyanThe wealthy landed elite that emerged in the early decades of Abbasid rule.40

AP World History 2 Flashcards

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5044744551Period 1Technological and Environmental Transformation 600 BCE0
5044750973Period 2Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies 600 BCE - 600 CE1
5044760068Period 3Regional and Interregional Interactions 600 CE- 14502
5044770635Period 4Global Interactions 1450-17503
5044789504Period 5Industrialization and Global Interactions 1750-19004
5044804114Period 6Accelerating Global Change and Realignments 1900-now5
5044810282Theme 1Interaction between Human and the Environment6
5044814518Theme 2Development and Interaction of Cultures7
5044884070Theme 3State building, expansion, and conflict8
5044888485Theme 4Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems.9
5044895735Theme 5Development and Transformation of Social Structures10

AP Literature terms Flashcards

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5040550243ActA major division of the action of a play or drama0
5040558833ActionThe events or unfolding of events in a narrative. The action is what happens in the plot of the literary work, including what the characters say and do to advance the story1
5040577088Aesthetic DistanceA separation between the audience and a work of art that is necessary for the audience to recognize and appreciate the work as an aesthetic object. Distance does not imply complete detachment. It allows the audience to view the work free from overly personal identifications and experience its contents fully and freely2
5040617168AllegoryThe concrete presentation of an abstract idea with at least two levels of meaning- The surface storyline and the political, philosophical, or religious meaning3
5040634043AlliosisPresenting alternatives: "You can eat well or you can sleep well." While such a structure often results in the logical fallacy of the false dichotomy or the either/or fallacy, it can create a cleverly balanced and artistic sentence4
5040659984AlliterationThe repetition of sounds in a sequence of words. Alliteration often refers to repeated initial consonant sounds5
5040670828AllusionAn indirect reference, often to a person, event, statement, theme, or work. Allusions enrich meaning through the connotations they carry6
5101345443AmbiguityLack of clarity or uncertainty in meaning. May be intentional or unintentional, and the richness and complexity of literary works depend to a great extent on ambiguity, which can be used to create alternate meanings or levels of meaning.7
5101403501AmplificationA rhetorical figure involving a dramatic ordering of words, often emphasizing some sort of expansion or progression.8
5101485441AnacoluthonIntentional disruption of syntax to create intensity, excitement, confusion.9
5101505441AnagnorisisThe moment in a drama when the protagonist discovers something that either leads to or explains a reversal of fortune.10
5101544631AnalepsisThe evocation in a narrative of scenes or events that took place at an earlier point in the story, (Flashback)11
5101573508AnapestA metrical foot in poetry that consists of three syllables. Two unstressed followed by a stressed. DEE-DEE-DUM12
5101599935AnaphoraAn exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences.13
5101643347AnapodotonDeliberately creating a sentence fragment by the omission of a clause14
5101697919AnecdoteA brief account of some interesting or entertaining and often humorous incident.15
5101783211AntagonistThe character pitted against the protagonist16
5101792825AntanaclasisThe stylistic scheme of repeating a single word, but with a different meaning each time. From Shakespeare: "for many a thousand widows/ Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands; Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down." Or, "Police police police."17
5101810155AnticlimaxRhetorical descent, usually sudden, from a higher to a lower emotional point--from a topic or tone with greater drama or significance to one with less impact or importance. Anticlimax typically results in disappointment or reversal of expectations. An example would be the last ten chapters of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.18
5101814923AntiheroA protagonist who does not exhibit the typical qualities of the traditional hero. Instead of being grand or admirable (brave, honest, magnanimous) an antihero can be ordinary, petty, or a criminal. Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman.19
5101820908AntimetaboleRepetition in reverse order: "One should eat to live, not live to eat." Or, "You like it; it likes you." The witches in Macbeth chant, "Fair is foul and foul is fair."20
5101845780AntithesisA rhetorical figure in which two ideas are directly opposed. Totalitarianism and freedom are antithetical concepts.21
5101848965AphorismA concise, pointed, epigrammatic statement that purports to reveal a truth or principle. Aphorisms can be attributed to a specific person. "All you need is love" (The Beatles). "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" (William Shakespeare). Once a statement is so widely known that authorship is lost, it is called a proverb. "It takes a village to raise a child." A statement that gives behavioral advice is called a maxim. "The early bird gets the worm.22
5101872615AposiopesisA figure of speech wherein a sentence is deliberately broken off and left unfinished, the ending to be supplied by the imagination, giving an impression of unwillingness or inability to continue. An example would be the threat "Get out, or else—!" This device often portrays its users as overcome with passion (fear, anger, excitement) or modesty. Typically indicated by ellipses (...) or a dash (--).23
5101880274ApostropheWhen a character speaks to a character or object that is not present or is unable to respond. The object of the apostrophe, if not human, is usually personified.24
5101885478ArchetypeThe original model from which something is developed or made; in literary criticism, those images, figures, character types, settings, and story patterns that, according to Carl Jung, are universally shared by people across all cultures. Examples: The snake, the flood, the savior, the blonde guy wearing white with a square jaw and chiseled pecs who shows up at just the right time.25
5101890577AssonanceRepetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.26
5101893889AsyndetonUsing no conjunctions to create an effect of speed or simplicity: Veni. Vidi. Vici. "I came. I saw. I conquered." (As opposed to "I came, and then I saw, and then I conquered.") Been there. Done that. Bought the t-shirt.27
5101905377AtmosphereThe general feeling created for the reader by a work at a given point. Atmosphere is established through elements such as imagery, setting, and sound. Atmosphere is not the same as tone, which is the author's attitude toward the reader, audience, or subject matter.28
5101914576AubadeA lyric poem delivered at dawn, usually by lovers who must part. Generally a joyful announcement of the new day after an evening of "adult together time."29
5101920401BalladA poem that recounts a story--generally some dramatic episode--in the form of a song.30
5101931102BildungsromanA novel that recounts the development of an individual from childhood or adolescence to maturity, to the point at which the protagonist recognizes his or her place in the world. Examples: Great Expectations, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Invisible Man, The Outsiders, The Spider-Man story.31
5101944314Blank verseName for unrhymed iambic pentameter. An iamb is a metrical foot in which an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. In iambic pentameter there are five iambs per line making ten syllables. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0aAWuUX5jU32
5101952383CacophonyHarsh, unpleasant, or discordant sounds. Opposite of euphony. An example of discordant sounds found in poetry would be Hart Crane's poem "The Bridge" (1930), which uses cacophony to communicate the chaos and evil in the industrial world:33
5101957691CaesuraA pause in a line of poetry34
5101959918CanonA body of written works accepted as authoritative or authentic.35
5101968799CatachresisA term referring to the incorrect or strained use of a word.36
5101976094CatharsisThe emotional effect a tragic drama has on its audience.37
5101988638CharacterA figure in a literary work. A flat character is defined by a single idea or quality. A round character has the three-dimensional complexity of a real person.38
5138798041ClicheAn expression used so often (and often out of context) that it has lost its original impact. Ex: "Under the weather" for being ill and "show me the money" for greedy enthusiasm.39
5138815105ClimaxThe turning point or the high point of action40
5138818621ColloquialInformal, conversational language. Colloquialisms are phrases or sayings that are indicative of a specific region.41
5138821884ConcreteOpposite of abstract. Concrete terms refer to specific people, places, events, or things. If you can put it in a jar (even if it is painful), it is concrete.42
5138827983Confessional poetryA contemporary poetic mode in which poets discuss matters relating to their private lives. Confessional poets use intimate detail and often psychoanalytic terms to describe their most painful experiences. Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath are are pioneers of this style.43
5138831045ConflictA confrontation or struggle between opposing characters or forces in the plot of a narrative work, from which the action emanates and around which it revolves.44
5138834664ConnotationAn idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing, ie. Bat=evil.45
5138840791ConsonanceThe repetition of consonant sounds in a phrase or line of poetry. The consonant sound may be at the beginning, middle, or end of the word.46
5138843771ContractionRemoves an unstressed syllable and in order to maintain the rhythmic meter of a line. This practice explains some words frequently used in poetry such as th' in place of the, o'er in place of over, and 'tis or 'twas in place of it is or it was.47
5138847985ConventionAn understanding between a reader and a writer about certain details of a story that does not need to be explained.48
5138850830CoupletTwo rhyming lines in poetry49
5138858420DactylA metrical foot in poetry that consists of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones. Most nursery rhymes are dactylic: "Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, Baker's man."50
5138861214DenotationA word's literal meaning(s), independent of any connotations; the dictionary definition of a word.51
5138866926DenouementThe final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot.52
5138872315Deus ex machinaTerm that refers to a character or force that appears at the end of a story or play to help resolve conflict. Word means "god from a machine." In ancient Greek drama, gods were lowered onto the stage by a mechanism to extricate characters from a seemingly hopeless situation. The phrase has come to mean any turn of events that solve the characters' problems through an unexpected and unlikely intervention.53
5138879073DialogueConversation between two or more characters in a literary work.54
5138882698DictionA speaker or author's word choice. The general type or character of language used in speech or in a work of literature.55
5138892224DidacticInstructive or providing information for a particular purpose. "Teachy."56
5138896488DissonanceHarsh, discordant sounds.57
5138899576DomesticityAn aspect of patriarchal, nineteenth-century doctrine of separate spheres, according to which a woman's place was in the privacy of the home, whereas a man's place was in the wider, public world.58
5138906825EkphrasisLiterary representation of a response to a visual work or art, such as a painting or sculpture.59
5138910393Elektra ComplexThe desire a female child feels toward the male parent, from the ancient Greek legend of Elektra, who convinced her brother to kill their mother to avenge their father's murder.60
5138915479ElegyA poem or song composed especially as a lament for a deceased person.61
5138918912EnallageIntentionally misusing grammar to characterize a speaker or to create a memorable phrase. Boxing manager Joe Jacobs, for instance, became immortal with the phrase, "We was robbed!" Or, the editors of Punch magazine might tell their British readers, "You pays your money, and you takes your chances."62
5138923185End RhymeRhyme that occurs at the end of lines in verse. The last word of the line rhymes with the last word of another line.63
5138928150End-Stopped LineA line of poetry whose meaning is complete in itself and that ends with a grammatical pause marked by punctuation.64
5138931701English (Shakespearean) SonnetA 14-line sonnet consisting of three quatrains with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef, followed by a couplet, gg.65
5138934911EnjambmentA poetic statement that spans more than one line.66
5138937936EpigraphA passage printed on the first page of a literary work, taken from earlier texts, to establish the tone or theme of what follows.67
5138943423EpilogueThe concluding section of a work.68
5138946451EpiphanySudden enlightenment or realization, a profound new outlook or understanding about the world usually attained while doing everyday mundane activities.69
5138948837Epistolary NovelA novel that tells its story through letters written from one character to another. Ex: Perks of Being a Wallflower70
5138952795EpistropheEpistrophe71
5138955405EpithetAn adjective or phrase applied to a noun to accentuate a certain characteristic. Ex: The Founding Fathers; Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen, that Mr. Rogers-looking fool.72
5138958584EuphonyA succession of words which are pleasing to the ear. These words may be alliterative, utilize consonance or assonance, and are often used in poetry but also seen in prose. Opposite of cacophony.73
5138964331EuphemismThe act of substituting a harsh, blunt, or offensive comment for a more politically accepted or positive one.74
5138966841FableA usually short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point and often employing as characters animals that speak and act like humans.75
5138968813Falling actionIn a tragedy, the portion of the plot that follows the climax or the crisis and that leads to or culminates in the catastrophe. In other genres, it leads to the resolution of the plot.76
5138974132Figurative languageSpeech or writing that departs from literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect or meaning. Speech or writing employing figures of speech.77
5138976299FoilA character that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another.78
5138979570FootThe metrical length of a line is determined by the number of feet it contains. Monometer: One foot Dimeter: Two feet Trimeter: Three feet Tetrameter: Four feet Pentameter: Five feet Hexameter: Six feet Heptameter: Seven feet The most common feet have two to three syllables, with one stressed. Iamb- An iambic foot has two syllables. The first is unstressed and the second is stressed. The iambic foot is most common in English poetry. (re/spect) Trochee- A trochaic foot has two syllables. The first is stressed and the second is unstressed. (bum/mer, Free/burg, Pass/ler) Dactyl- A dactylic foot has three syllables beginning with a stressed syllable; the other two unstressed. (ec/sta/cy) Anapest- An anapestic foot has three syllables. The first two are unstressed with the third stressed. (con/tra/dict)79
5138985347ForegroundingGiving prominence to something in a literary work that would not be accentuated in ordinary discourse. An example would be Zora Neale Hurston's "foregrounding of language and culture in her fiction, dramatizing vernacular ways of speaking that are so independent, dynamic, and expressive that they cross over, challenge, and transform mainstream dialects."80
5138989325ForeshadowingIntroducing into narrative material that prepares the reader for future events, actions, or revelations. Foreshadowing often helps to create mood and atmosphere.81
5138993568FormalismA style of literary criticism from the 30s. It's what we do for AP: the literary work is an object in its own right. We analyze what's on the page, not the author's life or social forces. This allows us to deal with any piece of literature, whether we are familiar with the context or author or not.82
5138999831Frame storyA story that contains another story or stories. Usually the frame story explains why the interior story or stories are being told83
5139002080Free versePoetry that lacks a regular meter, does not rhyme, and uses irregular line lengths. Writers of free verse disregard traditional poetic conventions and rely instead on parallelism, repetition, and the ordinary cadences and stresses of everyday discourse.84
5139004515Freytag's pyramidGustav Freytag's conception of the typical structure of a five-act play: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, catastrophe.85
5139009879GenreThe classification of literary works on the basis of their content, form, or technique. Ex: Prose/Poetry, Epic/Drama/Lyric, Comedy/Tragedy/Pastoral/Satire86
5139012307GothicA genre characterized by a general mood of decay, suspense, and terror; action that is dramatic and generally violent or otherwise disturbing; loves that are destructively passionate; and landscapes that are grandiose, if gloomy or bleak. Ex: Edgar Allan Poe, Dracula, Frankenstein.87
5139018144GrotesqueStrangely unusual things, bizarre or unnatural combinations of characteristics or images.88
5139022104HagiographyOriginally a biography recounting a saint's life. Now hagiography can refer to writing about a revered individual. Ex: "Michael Jordan's hagiographers were unwilling to admit he was a style trainwreck."89
5139027221HamartiaAn error in judgment made by a tragic hero that brings about the suffering, downfall, and often death of that hero.90
5139030554Harlem RenaissanceAn intellectual and cultural movement of the 1920s centered in Harlem, then a predominantly African American section of New York City. Commonly dated 1919-1937. Significant writers include: Langston Hughes, WEB DuBois, Jean Toomer, Zora Neale Hurston, Dorothy West, Nella Larsen, Countee Cullen.91
5139033052HendiadysThe expression of an idea by the use of usually two independent words connected by and (as nice and warm) instead of the usual combination of independent word and its modifier (as nicely warm).92
5139035865Hero/HeroineSynonymous with protagonist, a hero or heroine is the main character of the work.93
5139040935HubrisUsed in Greek tragedies, refers to excessive pride that usually leads to a hero's downfall.94
5139044599HypallageAlso known as a transferred epithet, is the trope in which a modifier, usually an adjective, is applied to the "wrong" word in the sentence. The word whose modifier is thus displaced can either be actually present in the sentence, or it can be implied logically. The effect often stresses the emotions or feelings of the individual by expanding them on to the environment. Ex: "restless night," "clumsy helmet," "happy morning."95
5139048039HyperbatonA generic term for changing the normal or expected order of words. "One ad does not a survey make." The term comes from the Greek for "overstepping" because one or more words "overstep" their normal position and appear elsewhere. For instance, Milton in Paradise Lost might write, "High on a throne of royal gold . . . Satan exalted sat." In normal, everyday speech, we would expect to find, "High on a throne of royal gold . . . Satan sat exalted."96
5139052117HyperboleA figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or comic/dramatic effect.97
5139055768LambA metrical foot in poetry that consists of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. Ex: afloat, respect, in love.98
5139058516IdyllA narrative work, usually short, descriptive, and composed in verse that depicts and exalts pastoral scenes and themes. The simple shepherd's life is a typical subject. Often composed from the viewpoint of a "civilized" society that longs for something more primal, natural, or innocent.99
5139081435ImageryThe use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas.100
5139084845In Medias ResA literary technique of beginning the narrative in the middle of the action. Used to "hook" the reader or audience.101
5139098175Interior MonologueA literary technique for rendering stream of consciousness by reproducing a character's mental flow. Presents thoughts, emotions, and sensations as experienced by the character.102
5139104425Internal RhymeA rhyme that occurs within a line of verse. Ex: "They took some honey and plenty of money/Wrapped in a five-pound note."103
5139111699IntertextualityThe condition of interconnectedness among texts, or the concept that any text is an amalgam of others, either because it exhibits signs of influence or because its language inevitably contains common points of reference with other texts through such things as allusion, quotation, genre, style, and even revisions.104
5139114120InversionAn intentional digression from ordinary word order which is used to maintain regular meters. For example, rather than saying "the rain came" a poem may say "came the rain". Meters can be formed by the insertion or absence of a pause.105
5139116854IronyWhen one thing should occur, is apparent, or in logical sequence, but the opposite occurs. A man in the ocean might say, "Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink." Dramatic Irony: When the audience or reader knows something characters do not know Verbal Irony: When one thing is said, but something else, usually the opposite, is meant Cosmic Irony: When a higher power toys with human expectations106
5139120179Italian (Petrarchan) SonnetA poem with fourteen lines. An Italian sonnet subdivides into two quatrains and two tercets (or an octave which presents a problem and a sestet which ponders a solution). Rhyme scheme is typically ABBAABBA followed by CDCDCD or a (variation). A contemporary one: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/244570107
5139123575LitotesA trope that involves making an affirmation by negating its opposite. "Not unkind" means "kind." "Not bad" usually means "good."108
5139126254Loose SentenceA complex sentence in which an independent clause is followed by one or more other elements. It is syntactically complete on the front end. Loose sentences are less formal, more conversational, and more common in English than periodic sentences.109
5139129603MeiosisA trope involving deliberate understatement, usually for comic, ironic, or satiric effect. Typically involves characterizing something in a way that, taken literally, minimizes its gravity. Ex: "One nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day."110
5139132127MetaphorA figure of speech that associates two distinct things without using a connective word. Ex: "That child is a wet napkin."111
5139134268MetaplasmusA type of neologism in which misspelling a word creates a rhetorical effect. To emphasize dialect, one might spell dog as "dawg." To emphasize that something is unimportant, we might add -let or -ling at the end of the word, referring to a deity as a "godlet", or a prince as a "princeling." To emphasize the feminine nature of something normally considered masculine, try adding -ette to the end of the word, creating a smurfette or a corvette. To modernize something old, the writer might turn the Greek god Hermes into the Hermenator. Likewise, Austin Powers renders all things shagedelic. The categories following this entry are subdivisions of metaplasmus. I remember these by thinking about adding PEP. Prosthesis--adding an extra syllable or letters to the beginning of a word: Shakespeare writes in his sonnets, "All alone, I beweep my outcast state." He could have simply wrote weep, but beweep matches his meter and is more poetic. Too many students are all afrightened by the use of prosthesis. Prosthesis creates a poetic effect, turning a run-of-the-mill word into something novel. Epenthesis--Epenthesis (also called infixation) -- adding an extra syllable or letters in the middle of a word. Shakespeare might write, "A visitating spirit came last night" to highlight the unnatural status of the visit. More prosaically, Ned Flanders from The Simpsons might say, "Gosh-diddly-darn-it, Homer." Proparalepsis--adding an extra syllable or letters to the end of a word. For instance, Shakespeare in Hamlet creates the word climature by adding the end of the word temperature to climate (1.1.12). The wizardly windbag Glyndwr (Glendower) proclaims that he "can call spirits from the vasty deep" in 1 Henry IV (3.1.52). Aphaeresis--deleting a syllable from the beginning of a word to create a new word. For instance, in King Lear, we hear that, "the king hath cause to plain" (3.1.39). Here, the word complain has lost its first syllable. In Hamlet 2.2.561, Hamlet asks, "Who should 'scape whipping" if every man were treated as he deserved, but the e- in escape has itself cleverly escaped from its position! Syncope--deleting a syllable or letter from the middle of a word. For instance, in Cymbeline, Shakespeare writes of how, "Thou thy worldy task hast done, / Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages" (4.2.258). In 2 Henry IV, we hear a flatterer say, "Your lordship, though not clean past your youth, hath yet some smack of age in you, some relish of the saltness of time" (1.2.112). Here, the -i- in saltiness has vanished to create a new word. Syncope is particularly common in poetry, when desperate poets need to get rid of a single syllable to make their meter match in each line. Apocope--deleting a syllable or letter from the end of a word. In The Merchant of Venice, one character says, "when I ope my lips let no dog bark," and the last syllable of open falls away into ope before the reader's eyes (1.1.93-94). In Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare proclaims, "If I might in entreaties find success--/ As seld I have the chance--I would desire / My famous cousin to our Grecian tents" (4.5.148). Here the word seldom becomes seld.112
5139139880MeterThe measured arrangement of words in poetry, as by accentual rhythm, syllabic quantity, or the number of syllables in a line.113
5139143032MetonymyThe use of a word or phrase to stand in for something else which it is often physically associated. ie. Hollywood for US cinema, the Crown for UK government, the White House, City Hall.114
5139145399MoodThe general feeling created for the reader by a work at a given point. Mood is established through elements such as imagery, setting, and sound. Mood is not the same as tone, which is the author's attitude toward the reader, audience, or subject matter.115
5139148012MotifA recurrent, unifying element in an artistic work, such as an image, symbol, character type, action, idea, object, or phrase.116
5139152948MythA traditional anonymous story, originally religious in nature, told by a particular cultural group in order to explain a natural or cosmic phenomenon. Myths are distinguished from legends (adventures of a human cultural hero like Robin Hood) and fables (which have a moral, didactic purpose and often feature animals).117
5139155345NarratorA speaker through whom an author presents a narrative. Narrators are classified by point of view: first-person--the author, the protagonist, another character, a witness to the action. "I'm on the ramp." second-person--the narrator refers to the reader as "you," making the reader a part of the story. "You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning. But here you are, and you cannot say the terrain is entirely unfamiliar, although the details are fuzzy. You are at a nightclub talking to a girl with a shaved head. The club is either Heartbreak or the Lizard Lounge." third-person omniscient--each and every character is referred to by the narrator as "he", "she", "it", or "they." An omniscient narrator has knowledge of all times, people, places, and events, including all characters' thoughts. third-person limited--a limited narrator may know absolutely everything about a single character and every piece of knowledge in that character's mind, but the narrator's knowledge is "limited" to that character — that is, the narrator cannot describe things unknown to the focal character. Narrators are also classified by whether or not they are intrusive (opinionated), unintrusive (detached), reliable, unreliable, self-conscious or self-effacing.118
5139159637NovelA lengthy fictional prose narrative.119
5139162168NovellaA shorter fictional prose narrative that ranges from 50-100 pages in length.120
5139164498OccupatioLiterally "seizing," occupatio is the rhetorical figure of bringing up and responding to a counterpoint before the opponent has the chance to make it. Ex: "Now mom, I know you're going to say that if I join the Dungeons and Dragons club it may damage my social life, but Sheila and Tracy are already members!" This is opposed to apophasis, where the rhetorician feigns unwillingness to discuss a topic he or she is interested in.121
5139167178OctaveAn eight-line stanza. More specifically, the first eight lines of an italian sonnet. May pose a question or a dilemma that the sestet answers.122
5139169616OdeA relatively long, serious, and usually meditative lyric poem that treats a noble subject in a dignified or calm manner.123
5139172011Oedipus ComplexThe desire a young child feels for the opposite-sex parent and the hostility the child correspondingly feels toward the same-sex parent. Based on the Greek legend of Oedipus, who blinds himself after discovering that he killed his dad and then married his mother.124
5139178340OnomatopoeiaWords that seem to signify meaning through sound effects. Ex: Hiss, sizzle, pop, moo, purr, quack, beep.125
5139183069OtherA person or category of people seen as different from the dominant social group. Almost any ideology involves the classification of some group as the Other, often by virtue of race, class, gender, sexuality, or other characteristic. This practice often results in marginalization and oppression of that group.126
5139186485ParableA short, realistic, but usually fictional story told to illustrate a moral or religious point or lesson; a type of allegory.127
5139189861ParadoxA statement that seems self-contradictory, but expresses an underlying truth. Ex: "It became necessary to destroy the town in order to save it." Or, from the Tao Te Ching: "My words are easy to know and practice, but there is no one in the world who is able to know and practice them."128
5139197654ParalipsisA rhetorical figure involving a speaker's assertion that he or she will not discuss something that he or she in fact goes on to discuss.129
5139202460Parataxis/Paratactic StyleA sequence of sentences bearing only a loose logical relation to one another. Elements within those sentences tend to be joined by simple conjunctions (like and) that do little to show or explain causal or temporal relations. Another way to think about it is that all of the sentences carry the same weight. Ex: "There were no rooms at the inn. We drove farther until we found a hotel. It was raining heavily and we got soaked on the way to the door. Our socks stank of mildew. We ate dinner there and talked little."130
5139205145PastoralA literary mode historically and conventionally associated with shepherds and country living.131
5139216905PentameterA line of verse with five metrical feet. The most common line length in English verse. Ex: "Deer walk | upon | our moun | tains, and | the quail |"132
5139246582Periodic SentenceA complex sentence that is not syntactically complete until its very end. The opposite of a loose sentence.133
5139249182PeriphrasisA roundabout way of speaking or writing. The term is often used pejoratively to designate pompous or wordy writing. Ex: Ronald Reagan once called a lie a "terminological inexactitude."134
5139251331PersonificationA figure of speech in which human characteristics are bestowed upon anything nonhuman.135
5139254404PlotThe arrangement and interrelation of events in a narrative work, chosen and designed to engage the reader's attention and interest, while also providing a framework for the exposition of the author's message or theme.136
5139258342Poetic dictionThe choice and phrasing of words deemed suitable for verse. Ex: "Ere," "thrice," "thou."137
5139260965Poetic justiceThe idea that virtuous and evil actions are ultimately dealt with justly, with virtue rewarded and evil punished."138
5139264944Poetic LicenseThe linguistic liberty taken by poets in composing verse. They can do unusual things, break rules, etc.139
5139267267Point of ViewThe vantage point from which a narrative is told.140
5139271608PolysyndetonPolysyndeton is the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted (as in "he ran and jumped and laughed for joy"). It is a stylistic scheme used to achieve a variety of effects: it can increase the rhythm of prose, speed or slow its pace, convey solemnity or even ecstasy and childlike exuberance. Another common use of polysyndeton is to create a sense of being overwhelmed, or in fact directly overwhelm the audience by using conjunctions, rather than commas, leaving little room for a reader to breathe. Ex: "We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other." --Ernest Hemingway141
5139273728Postcolonial LiteratureThe body of literature written by authors with roots in countries that were once colonies established by European nations. Postcolonial Theory explores the situation of colonized peoples both during and after colonization.142
5139277024Postmodernist LiteratureA term referring to radically experimental works produced after WWII. Much of postmodernist writing reveals and highlights the alienation of individuals and the meaninglessness of human existence.143
5139279455Prose PoemA brief, rhythmic composition blending prose and verse, ranging from several lines to several pages. Prose poems are written in sentences and do not have line breaks.144
5139281377ProtagonistThe main character of a work; usually the hero or heroine, but sometimes an antihero.145
5139283358QuatrainA stanza containing four lines.146
5139283503RefrainA phrase, line, or lines that recur(s) throughout the poem or song. It may vary slightly, but is usually exactly the same. When the refrain is meant to be repeated or sung by a group of people, it is called a chorus.147
5139286490ResolutionThe culmination of a fictional plot.148
5139289715RhymeAn echoing of similar sounds in words.149
5139292820Rhyme SchemeThe pattern of rhyme in a poem or stanza.150
5139295265RhythmThe measured flow of words, signifying the basic beat or pattern in language that is established by stressed syllables, unstressed syllables, and pauses.151
5139297645Rising ActionThe part of a drama that follows the inciting moment and precedes the climax. During the rising action, the plot becomes more complicated and the conflict intensifies.152
5139299968Round CharacterCharacters which are fully developed, with the complexity and depth associated with real people. They can surprise readers convincingly and have full-blown personalities complete with contractions and quirks that make it difficult to describe them reductively.153
5139303595SatireA literary genre or mode that uses irony, wit, and sometimes sarcasm to expose humanity's vices and foibles. Corrective ridicule.154
5139306362ScansionThe analysis of poetic meter, the more or less regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in verse.155
5139308969SettingThe combination of place, historical time, and social milieu that provides the general background for the characters and plot of a literary work.156
5139311607SestetAny six-line poem or stanza. More specifically, the last six lines of an Italian sonnet, which typically answer or resolve the question or problem posed in the octave157
5139315012SibilanceA type of alliteration involving repetition or the consonant s or other letters and letter combinations such as c (cent), ch (chalet), sh (shade), and z (zip).158
5139317852SimileA figure of speech comparing two distinct things using like or as. If you want to nerd out, like connects the vehicle (image used to represent the subject) and the tenor (subject). In "that child is like a cylcone," child is the tenor and cyclone is the vehicle. Slant rhyme159
5139319988SoliloquyA monologue delivered by a character while alone on the stage that reveals inner thoughts, emotions, or information that the audience needs to know.160
5139322557StanzaA grouped set of lines in a poem., usually separated from other such clusters by a blank line.161
5139324990Stream of ConsciousnessA literary technique featuring the mental flow of one or more characters. This flow is more determined by free association than by logic or grammatical rules. May seem fragmented, illogical, or inchoherent.162
5139327185StressThe emphasis placed on a syllable. In the last name "Freeburg," the first syllable is stressed.163
5139330876StyleThe way in which a literary work is written. Produced by the message the author communicates to the plus how the author chooses to present it.164
5139333183SurrealismA literary and artistic movement whose proponents view the unconscious mind as the source of imaginative expression and who seek to liberate the mind from the constraints of reason, convention, self-censorship, and conscious control. Characterized by unusual sequencing and syntax, free association, fantastic/nightmarish images, and the juxtaposition of jarringly incongruous elements. Maya Deren's film Meshes of the Afternoon is a great visual example.165
5139336219SymbolSomething concrete that stands for something larger and/or more complex--often an idea or a range of interrelated ideas, attitudes, and practices. The Golden Arches represent McDonald's, and to much of the world, American culture.166
5139336512SynesthesiaThe condition where one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another. Ex: "heavy silence," "icy tone," "red hot."167
5139339757SynecdocheA figure of speech where a part of something represents the whole. Ex: calling a car your "wheels," referring to the violins and cellos as "the strings," senior citizens as "greyheads," football as "pigskin," etc.168
5139342575SyntaxThe arrangement--the ordering, grouping, and placement--of words within a phrase, clause or sentence. Syntax is one of two components of diction (the other is vocabulary). Consider the differences between these examples: "I rode across the meadow" and "Rode I across the sea of grass."169
5139345594TercetA group of three lines of verse.170
5139348252TextureA term referring to the surface details or elements of a work. Texture includes: imagery, meter, rhyme, alliteration, euphony, etc.171
5139350819ThemeThe statements that a text seems to be making about its subject. Theme is usually a "big" idea: suffering, freedom, happiness, death, morality.172
5139352837ThesisThe position taken by someone expostulating on a particular topic with the intent of proving that position plausible or correct. A claim.173
5139356506ThrenodyA threnody is a song, hymn or poem of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person.174
5139359500ToneThe attitude of an author toward the reader, audience, or subject matter of a literary work.175
5139363479TragedyA serious drama, written in prose or verse, that typically ends in disaster and that focuses on a character who undergoes unexpected personal reversals.176
5139365689Tragic FlawA character trait in a tragic hero or heroine that brings about his or her downfall. Arrogance (hubris) is a common tragic flaw.177
5139367692TrocheeA metrical foot in poetry that consists of one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable.178
5139373467Unreliable NarratorA narrator who, intentionally or unintentionally, fails to provide an accurate report of events or situations and whose credibility is therefore compromised.179
5139376944VerisimilitudeThe apparent truthfulness and credibility of a fictional literary work. Works that achieve verisimilitude seem believable to the reader or audience because they mesh with human experience or accord with conventions that enable a suspension of disbelief.180
5139378928VillanelleA French verse form consisting of nineteen lines grouped in five tercets followed by a quatrain and involving only two rhymes, with the rhyme scheme aba aba aba aba aba abaa.181
5139381773ZeugmaA rhetorical figure where one word or phrase governs or modifies two or more words or phrases. Ex: "Mary likes chocolate, John vanilla." "Lust conquered shame; audacity, fear; madness, reason."182

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