AP Literature Flashcards
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| 4622524936 | Allegory | a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions | 0 | |
| 4622530898 | Alliteration | the use of words that begin with the same sound near one another | 1 | |
| 4622544002 | Allusion | a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize | 2 | |
| 4622573960 | Ambiguity | uncertainty or inexactness of meaning in language | 3 | |
| 4622577171 | Analogy | a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way | 4 | |
| 4622586799 | Anaphora | repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses (Richard D. Bury: "In books I find the dead as if they were alive; in books I foresee things to come; in books warlike affairs are set forth; from books come forth the laws of peace.") | 5 | |
| 4622592130 | Anecdote | a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event | 6 | |
| 4622593806 | Antagonist | a person or a group of people who opposes a protagonist | 7 | |
| 4622633660 | Antimetabole / Chiasmus | a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary."); used for effect-calling attention to the words, or demonstrating that reality is not always what it seems by using the reversal of words. | 8 | |
| 4622694780 | Antithesis | a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced | 9 | |
| 4622835142 | Antihero | a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes | 10 | |
| 4623024665 | Anthropomorphism | aims to make an animal or object behave and appear like they are human beings | 11 | |
| 4623075199 | Aphorism | a pithy observation that contains a general truth | 12 | |
| 4623078550 | Assonance | when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds ("Men sell the wedding bells.") | 13 | |
| 4623129542 | Characterization | a literary device that is used step by step in literature to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story | 14 | |
| 4623138548 | Characterization: Indirect (Implicit) | audience has to deduce for themselves the characteristics of the character by observing his/her thought process, behavior, appearance, way of communication with other characters and by discerning the response of other characters | 15 | |
| 4623144798 | Characterization: Direct (Explicit) | uses another character, narrator or the protagonist themselves to tell the readers or audience about the subject | 16 | |
| 4623157214 | Characterization: Static Character | a character that does not undergo inner changes or undergoes a little change; can be main character | 17 | |
| 4623173927 | Characterization: Dynamic Character | undergoes changes throughout the narrative due to several conflicts they encounter on their journey | 18 | |
| 4626522744 | Characterization: Flat Character | a type of character in fiction that does not change too much from the start of the narrative to its end; supports the main character | 19 | |
| 4626539058 | Characterization: Round Character | a character with whom the audience can sympathize, associate or relate to, as he seems a character they might have seen in their real lives; writers define a round character fully, both physically and mentally | 20 | |
| 4626579210 | Cliché | an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off ("the time of my life", "at the drop of a hat", etc.) | 21 | |
| 4626586686 | Colloquialism | informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing | 22 | |
| 4626591704 | Comedy | a literary genre and a type of dramatic work that is amusing and satirical in its tone, mostly having cheerful ending | 23 | |
| 4626616257 | Conceit | a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor (Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 and John Donne's "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" are examples) | 24 | |
| 4626620994 | Conflict | a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces, usually a protagonist and an antagonist | 25 | |
| 4626627609 | Conflict: External | marked by a characteristic involvement of an action wherein a character finds himself in struggle with those outside forces that hamper his progress | 26 | |
| 4626630928 | Conflict: Internal | when a character experiences two opposite emotions or desires; usually virtue or vice, or good and evil inside him; develops a unique tension in a storyline marked by a lack of action | 27 | |
| 4626639036 | Connotation | the implied or associative meaning of a word (slender vs. skinny; cheap vs. thrifty) | 28 | |
| 4626645872 | Couplet | a literary device which can be defined as having two successive rhyming lines in a verse and has the same meter to form a complete thought; marked by a usual rhythm, rhyme scheme and incorporation of specific utterances | 29 | |
| 4626650977 | Dialect | a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region ("Y'all" = Southern dialect) | 30 | |
| 4626652628 | Diction | the word choices made by a writer (diction can be described as: formal, semi-formal, ornate, informal, technical, etc.) | 31 | |
| 4626656788 | Elegy | a form of literature which can be defined as a poem or song in the form of elegiac couplets, written in honor of someone deceased; laments or mourns the death of the individual | 32 | |
| 4663180030 | Epic | a long narrative poem, which is usually related to heroic deeds of a person of an unusual courage and unparalleled bravery; uses grandiose style. | 33 | |
| 4663181731 | Epigraph | a literary device in the form of a poem, quotation or sentence usually placed at the beginning of a document which belongs to another writer; can be used as a heading of a chapter or other section of a work | 34 | |
| 4663187941 | 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; also known as a by-name or descriptive title | 35 | |
| 4663191811 | Fable | uses animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature that illustrates a moral lesson | 36 | |
| 4667403042 | Farce | a type of comedy that makes the use of highly exaggerated and funny situations aimed at entertaining the audience; only aims at making the audience laugh | 37 | |
| 4663195130 | Figurative Language | language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.) | 38 | |
| 4663195896 | Flashback | interruptions that writers do to insert past events in order to provide background or context to the current events of a narrative | 39 | |
| 4663197711 | Foil | a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character with the objective to highlight the traits of the other character; may also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things | 40 | |
| 4663199687 | Foreshadowing | a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story | 41 | |
| 4663203066 | Free Verse | poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms | 42 | |
| 4663204443 | Hyperbole | an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis | 43 | |
| 4663210787 | Imagery | the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses | 44 | |
| 4663211586 | Irony | a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words | 45 | |
| 4665662784 | Irony: Verbal | when a character uses statements with underlying meanings contrasting with its literal meanings | 46 | |
| 4665668320 | Irony: Situational | when incongruity appears between expectations of something to happen, and what actually happens instead | 47 | |
| 4665677008 | Irony: Dramatic | a useful plot device for creating situations where audience knows more about the situations, the causes of conflicts and their resolutions before leading characters or actors; commonly found in plays, movies, theaters and sometimes in poetry | 48 | |
| 4665682924 | Juxtaposition | placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast | 49 | |
| 4665684232 | Local Color | the customs, manner of speech, dress, or other typical features of a place or period that contribute to its particular character | 50 | |
| 4665689616 | Lyric Poem | a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person | 51 | |
| 4665696068 | Metaphor | a direct comparison of two different things | 52 | |
| 4665699485 | Metaphor: Implied | compares two unlike things, but it does so without mentioning one of them by using a word or phrase that describes the unmentioned term and makes the comparison in that way | 53 | |
| 4665722106 | Metaphor: Extended | a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem; often comprised of more than one sentence and sometimes consists of a full paragraph | 54 | |
| 4665731641 | Metaphor: Dead | a figure of speech which has lost the original imagery of its meaning due to extensive, repetitive, and popular usage | 55 | |
| 4665734105 | Metaphor: Mixed | a combination of two or more incompatible metaphors, which produces a ridiculous effect ("This tower of strength will forge ahead.") | 56 | |
| 4665736972 | Metonymy | substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it ("The pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting].") | 57 | |
| 4665737649 | Mood | the emotional atmosphere of a work | 58 | |
| 4665738154 | Motif | a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works | 59 | |
| 4665738692 | Motivation (Character) | a reason behind a character's specific action or behavior; the character's own consent and willingness to do something | 60 | |
| 4665741297 | Onomatopoeia | a word which imitates the natural sounds of a thing | 61 | |
| 4665743321 | Oxymoron | a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect; a combination of an adjective proceeded by a noun with contrasting meanings ("cruel kindness" or " living death") | 62 | |
| 4665748139 | Parable | a brief, succinct story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson with mostly human characters | 63 | |
| 4665755685 | Paradox | a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth; also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas | 64 | |
| 4665757902 | Parody | an imitation of a particular writer, artist or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect | 65 | |
| 4623061419 | Personification | an act of giving human characteristics to animals or objects to create imagery | 66 | |
| 4667341572 | Plot | the events that make up a story or the main part of a story | 67 | |
| 4667343552 | Plot: Exposition | introduce background information about events, settings, characters etc. to the audience | 68 | |
| 4667345105 | Plot: Rising Action | a series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest and tension in a narrative; includes all decisions, characters' flaws and background circumstances that together create turns and twists leading to a climax | 69 | |
| 4667346303 | Plot: Climax | the particular point in a narrative at which the conflict or tension hits the highest point | 70 | |
| 4667347521 | Plot: Turning Point | the story events, either plot or character related, that mark where the story "turns" in a new direction; the new direction is usually caused by a choice or dilemma faced by the characters | 71 | |
| 4667350978 | Plot: Resolution | the unfolding or solution of a complicated issue in a story; also known as a denouement | 72 | |
| 4667352275 | Point Of View | the angle of considering things, which shows us the opinions or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation | 73 | |
| 4667353366 | Point Of View: First Person | involves the use of either of the two pronouns "I" and "we" | 74 | |
| 4667355010 | Point Of View: Second Person | employs the pronoun "you" | 75 | |
| 4667356426 | Point Of View: Third Person | uses pronouns like "he", "she", "it", "they" or a name | 76 | |
| 4667357140 | Point Of View: Omniscient | a narrator knows the feelings and thoughts of every character in the story; moves from character to character, allowing different voices to interpret the events | 77 | |
| 4667359763 | Point Of View: Objective | when the writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue; no personal opinions or emotions | 78 | |
| 4667363952 | Protagonist | the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story | 79 | |
| 4667365608 | Quatrain | a verse with four lines, or even a full poem containing four lines, having an independent and separate theme; often one line consists of alternating rhyme | 80 | |
| 4667366553 | Refrain | a verse, a line, a set, or a group of some lines that appears at the end of stanza, or appears where a poem divides into different sections | 81 | |
| 4667368220 | Rhythm | a literary device which demonstrates the long and short patterns through stressed and unstressed syllables particularly in verse form | 82 | |
| 4667368546 | Rhetoric | the art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner | 83 | |
| 4667370172 | Rhetorical Question | a question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer | 84 | |
| 4667370443 | Satire | the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions (Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, The Simpsons, etc.) | 85 | |
| 4667371262 | Simile | a comparison of two things using "like," "as," or other specifically comparative words | 86 | |
| 4667372403 | Soliloquy | a popular literary device often used in drama to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character; used to convey the progress of action of the play by means of expressing a character's thoughts about a certain character or event while talking to himself without acknowledging the presence of any other person | 87 | |
| 4667375709 | Stereotype | a character who is so ordinary or unoriginal that the character seems like an oversimplified representation of a type, gender, class, religious group, or occupation | 88 | |
| 4667388519 | Stream Of Consciousness | writing in which a character's perceptions, thoughts, and memories are presented in an apparently random form, without regard for logical sequence, chronology, or syntax | 89 | |
| 4667389422 | Style | the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work (when analyzing, one may consider diction, figurative language, sentence structure, etc.) | 90 | |
| 4667390176 | Suspense | a state of uncertainty, anticipation, and curiosity as to the outcome of a story or play, or any kind of narrative in verse or prose | 91 | |
| 4667392851 | Symbol | a word, place, character, or object that means something beyond what it is on a literal level | 92 | |
| 4667393604 | Synecdoche | using one part of an object to represent the entire object (for example, referring to a car simply as "wheels") | 93 | |
| 4667395827 | Theme | a central idea of a work | 94 | |
| 4667396577 | Tone | the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject of audience | 95 | |
| 4667396742 | Tragedy | a kind of drama that presents a serious subject matter about human suffering and corresponding terrible events in a dignified manner | 96 | |
| 4667397452 | Understatement | the deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it actually is | 97 | |
| 4667398114 | Vernacular | the everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage | 98 |