AP English Literature Term List Flashcards

2938726415	Abstract	Refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images	0
2938749795	Allegory	A story that acts as an extended metaphor. Characters, objects, and actions int he story have additional meanings separate from and outside the story itself. These additional levels of meaning are the story.	1
2938803631	Alliteration	The repetition of the same consonant or vowel sound at the beginning of several closely placed words. The sound can also be included within the words as well as at the beginning.	2
2938812706	Allusion	A brief reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object	3
2938819879	Ambiguity	The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word; phrase, sentence, or passage.	4
2938827747	Amplification	Involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what otherwise might be passed over.	5
2938835462	Anaphora	The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successful phrases, clauses, or lines.	6
2938841112	Anastrophe	Transposition of normal word order; most often found in Latin in the case of prepositions and the words they control. (a form of hyperbaton)	7
2938859080	Anecdote	A story or brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate to a point.	8
2938865990	Anthropomorphism	A technique in which a writer ascribes human traits, ambitions, emotions or entire behavior to animals, non-human beings, natural phenomena or objects.	9
2938880551	Anti Hero	A prominent character in a play or book that has characteristics opposite to that of a conventional hero. The protagonist is generally admired for his bravery, strength, charm, ingenuity etc... while this is typically clumsy, unsolicited, and unskilled and has both good and bad qualities.	10
2938917170	Antiphrasis	One word irony, established by context	11
2938923045	Aphorism	A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) This can be a memorable summation of the author's point.	12
2938941271	Apophasis	(Also called praeteritio or occupatio) Asserts or emphasizes something by pointedly seeming to pass over, ignore, or deny it.	13
2938960177	Aporia	Expression of doubt (often feigned) by which a speaker appears uncertain as to what he should think, say, or do	14
2938968720	Aposiopesis	A form of ellipse by which a speaker comes to an abrupt halt, seemingly overcome by passion (fear, excitement, etc...) or modesty	15
2939004564	Apostrophe	A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity.	16
2939022077	Appositive	A noun or noun substitute placed next to (in apposition to) another noun to be described or defined by it.	17
2939028847	Archaism	Use of an older or obsolete form.	18
2939033152	Archetype	A typical character, theme, symbols, setting, an action, or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature.	19
2939041175	Assonance	The use of the same or similar vowel sounds in the stressed syllables of several closely placed words that end with different consonant sounds.	20
2939049643	Asyndeton	Lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words.	21
2939056241	Atmosphere	The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting an partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently, atmosphere foreshadows events.	22
2939072390	Attitude	The relationship an author has toward his or her subject, and/or his or her audience.	23
2939081165	Blank Verse	Unrhymed iambic pentameter	24
2939089421	Cacophony	Harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage in a literary work.	25
2939092411	Caesura	A pause or break in a line of poetry.	26
2939095283	Characterization	The way an author creates and develops the characters in the story. This includes appearance, personality, behavior, beliefs, and relationships with other characters.	27
2939116332	Direct Characterization	The narrator explains the character to the reader.	28
2939119588	Indirect Characterization	The reader infers what the character is like through his actions and the reactions of other characters.	29
2939124765	Conflict	A struggle between an character and another opposing force.	30
2939132533	Man vs. Self	The character struggles within herself to make a decision, reach a conclusion, or overcome a part of herself.	31
2939139091	Man vs. Man	The character struggles against the will or actions of another character.	32
2939146176	Man vs. Society	The character struggles against a group or society	33
2939148988	Man vs. Nature	The character struggles against natural forces or elements outside of human creation.	34
2939154774	Cliché	An overused common expression.	35
2939158956	Climax	Arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of ascending power.	36
2939164038	Colloquial	The use of slang in writing, often to create local color and to provide an informal tone.	37
2939169364	Comedy	Drama that is meant to amuse the audience through wit, humor, subtlety, character.	38
2939175043	Comic Relief	The inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work, thereby intensifying the next tragic event.	39
2939198748	Conceit	A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. This displays intellectual cleverness due to the unusual comparison being made.	40
2939222585	Concrete	Words that exist things that exist and can be expressed through the senses. Abstractions are rendered understandable and specific through exact examples.	41
2939240957	Connotation	Any meaning a word conveys, emotional or social, that is in addition to its official meaning. The additional meaning may be personal, limited to a group, or universal. (Don't confuse this with slang, when a word takes on a entirely new meaning in informal speaking.)	42
2939252932	Denotation	The formal or official meaning of a word, separate from any other associations or acquired meanings.	43
2939260538	Dialect	The recreation of regional spoken language, such as a Southern dialect.	44
2939294714	Diction	The choice of words used in speaking or writing.	45
2939304412	Didactic	Teaching; Literary works that have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching or moral or ethical principles.	46
2939350778	Double Entendre	A literary device that can be defined as a phrase or a figure of speech that might have multiple senses or interpretations or two different meanings that could be understood in two different ways.	47
2939757509	Dramatic Monologue	A poem in which a single character gives a speech, usually to a known but silent listener, that reveals something about himself as he is in a dramatic or significant situation.	48
2939766240	Ellipsis	A literary device that is used in narratives to omit some parts of a sentence or event, which gives the reader a chance to fill the gaps while acting or reading it out.	49
2939778837	Enjambment	The continuation of a thought or clause from one line of poetry to another.	50
2939781701	Epanalepsis	Repeats the beginning word of a clause or sentence at the end.	51
2939787393	Epic Poem	A long narrative poem written in a formal style that involves important characters whose actions highlight the deeds of the protagonist and form the framework for culturally and historically significant events.	52
2939797382	Epigraph	The use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme.	53
2939801273	Epithet	A descriptive literary device that describes a place, a thing, or a person in such a way that it helps in making the characteristics of a person, thing, or place more prominent than they actually are.	54
2939811022	Epizeuxis	Repetition of one word (for emphasis)	55
2939813520	Euphemism	A more acceptable and more pleasant way of saying something that may be inappropriate or uncomfortable.	56
2939827072	Euphony	The pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work. Often a very subjective term.	57
2939831875	Exemplum	Citing an example; using an illustrative story, either true of fictitious.	58
2939839461	Exposition	Background information presented in a literary work	59
2939842747	Extended Metaphor	A sustained comparison, often referred to as a conceit. This is developed throughout a piece of writing.	60
2939849417	Figurative Language	The use of language in a non-literal, non-normative way. This includes things such as metaphor, simile, hyperbole, and synecdoche, among others.	61
2939864635	Foil	A character in a story who contrasts with another character, making the latter's attributes clearer and more distinctive, much like adding salt to a recipe brings out the flavors of the other ingredients.	62
2939882225	Foreshadowing	Information given in a text that prepares the reader for future parts of the text. This information may be subtle or overt.	63
2939887909	Free Verse	Poetry that is free from the limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms. Such poems are without rhythms and rhyme schemes; do not follow regular rhyme scheme rules and still provide artistic expression.	64
2939905895	Homily	This term literally means "sermon", but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.	65
2939910753	Hyperbole	An exaggeration to amuse or to reinforce or heighten effect.	66
2939913635	Hysteron Proteron	Inversion of the natural sequence of events, often meant to stress the event which though later in time, is considered more important.	67
2939929883	Image	A description of an experience, object, or person using sensory details, usually more than one.	68
2939934495	In Medias Res	Starting a story in the middle and giving necessary exposition as the story unfolds.	69
2939940104	Intertextuality	A textual reference within some text that reflects the text used as a reference. Instead of employing referential phrases from different literary works, it draws upon the concept, rhetoric, or ideology from other texts to be merged in the new text. It may be the retelling of an old story, or you may rewrite the popular stories in modern context.	70
2939958390	Irony	When reality is different from what it appears to be or what is anticipated.	71
2939960164	Verbal Irony	Much like sarcasm, when what is said differs from what is actually meant, but usually not as harsh or abrasive.	72
2939964303	Dramatic Irony	When the reader or viewer or a text or performance knows something that the characters themselves do not.	73
2939969879	Juxtaposition	A literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.	74
2939976445	Litotes	Understatement, for intensification, by denying the contrary of the thing being affirmed.	75
2939980601	Loose sentence	A type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases or clauses.	76
2939985093	Metaphor	A comparison between two things in which the similarity between the two is implied and not directly stated.	77
2939989660	Metonymy	Substituting a thing closely related to a word with the word itself.	78
2939995642	Meter	The rhythm of a piece of poetry. The rhythm is determined by the number of syllables in a line and the number and placement of accents in the line.	79
2940004555	Mood	1.) Dealing with verbal units and a speaker's attitude. 2.) the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood. In this usage, mood is similar to tone and atmosphere.	80
2940016903	Motif	A recurring word, phrase, image, object, or action that creates unity throughout a text and may also reinforce its theme.	81
2940022422	Onomatopoeia	Words that sound the same as they mean.	82
2940023523	Oxymoron	An image of contradictory term (Jumbo Shrimp)	83
2940026134	Parable	A story that operates on more than one level and usually teaches a moral lesson.	84
2940028580	Paradox	A statement that appears to be self contradictory or opposed to common sense, but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.	85
2940035092	Parallelism	It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to structural similarity.	86
2940039827	Parataxis	Writing successive independent clauses, with coordinating conjunctions, or no conjunctions.	87
2940042994	Paranthesis	A final form of hyberbaton, consists of a word , phrase, or whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence.	88
2940046102	Parody	A comic imitation of a work that ridicules the original. It can be utterly mocking or gently humorous.	89
2940052281	Pathos	The aspects of a literary work that elicit pity from the audience. An appeal to emotion that can be used as a means to persuade.	90
2940055318	Pedantic	A term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distant.	91
2940059758	Aeriodic Sentence	A sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements. The effect of the periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety.	92
2940067214	Personification	Giving human characteristics to animals, ideas, feelings, or inanimate objects.	93
2940074885	Plot	The pattern of events in a story. It is the relationship between the parts of a story and how they fit together.	94
2940079609	Poetic Justice	An ideal form of justice in which the good characters are rewarded and the bad characters are punished by an ironic twist of their fate.	95
2940083911	Poetry	Literature that is written with a regular rhythm and is usually expressive, imaginative, and relevant to the life and experience of the reader or listener.	96
2940090178	Point of View	The perspective from which a narrative is told.	97
2940091449	First Person	The narrator speaks as the main character and the reader only knows things that this character knows, thinks, feels, and experiences.	98
2940099743	Third Person Limited	The narrator speaks in the third person, but the focus is on only one character, and the reader can only know or experience things that this character knows, thinks, feels, and experience.	99
2940106674	Third Person Omniscient	The narrator speaks in the third person and can know and explain anything that happens in the story and what the characters knows, thinks, feels, and experience.	100
2940115565	Third Person Objective	The narrator speaks in the third person and can know and explain anything that happens in the story externally but does not or cannot comment on what a character is thinking or feeling; no internal information about the characters is available.	101
2940121078	Polysyndeton	The repetition of conjunctions in a series of coordinate words, phrases, or clauses.	102
2940123719	Prose	Literature that is not written with a regular rhythm.	103
2940127424	Reduction ad Adsurdum	The Latin for "to reduce to the absurd." This is a technique useful in creating a comic effect and is also an argumentative technique. It is considered a rhetoric fallacy, because it reduces an argument to an either/or choice.	104
2940133579	Satire	A mode of writing based on ridicule that criticizes the foibles and follies of society without necessarily offering a solution.	105
2940138136	Sentence Structure	When an essay question asks you to analyze sentence structure, look at the type of sentences the author uses. Remember that the basic sentence structures are simple compound, and complex, and variations created with sentence combining. Also consider variation or lack of it in sentence length, any unusual devices in sentence construction, such as repetition or inverted word order, and any unusual word or phrase placement. As with all devices, be prepared to discuss the effect of the sentence structure. For example, a series of short, simple sentences or phrases can produce a feeling of speed and choppiness, which may suit the author's purpose.	106
2940155205	Sententia	Quoting a maxim or wise saying to apply a general truth to the situation; concluding or summing foregoing material by offering a single, pithy statement of general wisdom.	107
2940163467	Setting	The place in which a piece of literature is set, the time in which it occurs, the special circumstances that make it unique or different from our own world, and the culture in which it takes place.	108
2940172251	Simile	A comparison between two things in which the similarity between the two is directly stated, usually using the words "like" or "as".	109
2940176458	Soliloquy	A speech given when a character is alone, and meant to share with the reader or viewer what is happening in that character's thoughts and feelings.	110
2940179463	Stanza	A set of two or more lines in a poem, grouped by their arrangement on the page or the subject that they express.	111
2940181510	Syllogism	The format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.	112
2940183735	Symbol	Something that is itself but also represents or stand from something else.	113
2940186133	Synecdote	Substituting a part of a whole for the whole itself.	114
2940188649	Syntax	The way an author arranges words and phrases to create sentences. This is roughly analogous to sentence fluency.	115
2940191629	Theme	The author's attitude towards his/her subject as expressed to the reader. The author creates tone through the use of diction (especially words with clear connotations), syntax, imagery, and the information given through exposition. Tone is sometimes used interchangeably with the term "mood".	116
2940198801	Tone	The author's message about or commentary on life that applies to everyone, is based on events in the text, and is expressed as a statement. A theme is different from a moral because the first is declarative and the second is imperative.	117
2940205190	Tragedy	Drama that is meant to show the darker aspects of human existence that occur through nature or their own own flaws. It also can celebrate the heroic struggle against this darkness, although this struggle results in defeat of some kind.	118
2940212368	Unreliable Narrator	A narrator in a first-person narrative who cannot be completely trusted to relay information accurately or to understand what is going on. This can also apply in a third-person narrative if narrator is another character addressing the reader directly.	119
2940218850	Verisimilitude	Likeness to the truth. Resemblance of a fictitious work to a real event even if it is a far-fetched one.	120