AP Literature - Literary Terms Flashcards

6518531372	allegory	A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.	0
6518531373	alliteration	It is a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.	1
6518531374	allusion	A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.	2
6518531376	antecedent	The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.	3
6518531377	antagonist	A character or force in conflict with the main character	4
6518531378	anaphora	A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences.	5
6518531379	anastrophe	Inversion of the natural or usual word order	6
6518531380	antithesis	A balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses.	7
6518531381	aphorism	A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life.	8
6518531382	apostrophe	A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.	9
6518531383	assonance	Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity	10
6518531384	asyndeton	A series of words separated by commas (with no conjunction), e.g. "I came, I saw, I conquered." The parts of the sentence are emphasized equally; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence.	11
6518531385	blank verse	Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter	12
6518531386	caesura	A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.	13
6518531387	cacophony	Harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of sounds	14
6518531388	cadence	Rhythmic rise and fall	15
6518531389	conceit	A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.	16
6518531390	connotation	All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests	17
6518531391	consonance	Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.	18
6518531392	couplet	A pair of rhymed lines that may or may not constitute a separate stanza in a poem.	19
6518531393	dactyl	A stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables	20
6518531394	denotation	Dictionary definition of a word	21
6518531395	denouement	an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot	22
6518531396	diction	The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing	23
6518531397	didactic	Intended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson	24
6518531398	dirge	a funeral hymn or mournful speech	25
6518531399	euphemism	An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant	26
6518531400	end-stopped line	A line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation	27
6518531401	enjambment	A run-on line of poetry in which logical and grammatical sense carries over from one line into the next.	28
6518531402	epitaph	A brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone	29
6518531403	epic	A long narrative poem, written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society	30
6518531405	flashback	A method of narration in which present action is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events	31
6518531406	foreshadowing	A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.	32
6518531407	foot	A metrical unit composed of stressed and unstressed syllables.	33
6518531409	free verse	Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme	34
6518531410	genre	A category or type of literature (or of art, music, etc.) characterized by a particular form, style, or content.	35
6518531411	hamartia	tragic flaw which causes a character's downfall	36
6518531412	heroic couplet	A pair of rhymed, iambic pentameter lines.	37
6518531413	hexameter	A line of poetry that has six metrical feet.	38
6518531414	hubris	Excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy	39
6518531415	hyperbole	A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor	40
6518531416	iamb	A common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable.	41
6518531417	imagery	Descriptive or figurative language in a literary work; the use of language to create sensory impressions.	42
6518531418	irony	A contrast or discrepancy between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen.	43
6518531419	verbal irony	In this type of irony, the words literally state the opposite of the writer's true meaning	44
6518531420	situational irony	Occurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected	45
6518531421	dramatic irony	Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play.	46
6518531422	jargon	Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand	47
6518531423	juxtaposition	Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts	48
6518531425	metaphor	A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared.	49
6518531426	meter	A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry	50
6518531427	metonymy	A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it	51
6518531428	mood	Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader	52
6518531429	motif	(n.) a principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design	53
6518531430	motivation	A psychological factor that provides a directional force or reason for behavior.	54
6518531431	narration	The purpose of this type of rhetorical mode is to tell the story or narrate an event or series of events.	55
6518531432	novel	A long fictional narrative written in prose, usually having many characters and a strong plot.	56
6518531433	novella	A short novel usually under 100 pages.	57
6518531434	novelette	When a novel is short and has chapters reffered to as vignettes	58
6518531435	octave	a verse form consisting of eight lines of iambic pentameter	59
6518531436	ode	A lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful, and exalted feelings toward the subject.	60
6518531437	onomatopoeia	A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.	61
6518531438	oxymoron	A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.	62
6518531439	paean	song of joy or triumph; a fervent expression of joy	63
6518531440	parable	A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson	64
6518531441	paradox	A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.	65
6518531442	parallelism	Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other	66
6518531443	parody	A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.	67
6518531444	pedantic	An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.	68
6518531445	pentameter	a rhythm in poetry that has five stressed syllables in each line (five metrical feet)	69
6518531446	persona	A pattern of relatively permanent traits, dispositions, or characteristics that give some consistency to people's behavior.	70
6518531447	personification	A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes	71
6518531448	plot	Sequence of events in a story	72
6518531449	point of view	The perspective from which a story is told	73
6518531450	polysyndeton	Deliberate use of many conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted. Hemingway and the Bible both use extensively. Ex. "he ran and jumped and laughed for joy"	74
6518531451	prosody	Appropriate expression when reading. Includes pitch (intonation), loudness, stressing phrases, etc.	75
6518531452	protagonist	Chief character in a dramatic or narrative work, usually trying to accomplish some objective or working toward some goal.	76
6518531453	pun	A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.	77
6518531454	quatrain	4 line stanza	78
6518531455	refrain	A line or set of lines repeated several times over the course of a poem.	79
6518531456	rhetorical question	A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer	80
6518531457	end rhyme	A word at the end of one line rhymes with a word at the end of another line	81
6518531458	eye rhyme	rhyme that appears correct from spelling but does not rhyme because of pronunciation	82
6518531459	forced rhyme	when two words don't really rhyme together, but an author uses similar spelled, or sounding words to try to create a rhyme; Ex: stone, one	83
6518531460	internal rhyme	A word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line	84
6518531461	slant rhyme	rhyme in which the vowel sounds are nearly, but not exactly the same (i.e. the words "stress" and "kiss"); sometimes called half-rhyme, near rhyme, or partial rhyme	85
6518531462	rhyme scheme	A regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem	86
6518531463	satire	A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies.	87
6518531464	sestet	a rhythmic group of six lines of verse	88
6518531465	shifts/turns	Changes in the speaker's attitude. Look for key words such as but, yet, however, and although, punctuation, and stanza division.	89
6518531466	sonnet	14-line lyric poem focused on a single theme; usually written in iambic pentameter	90
6518531467	symbol	A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.	91
6518531468	synecdoche	a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa	92
6518531469	syntax	Arrangement of words in phrases and sentences	93
6518531470	theme	A topic of discussion or writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work.	94
6518531471	tone	A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels.	95
6518531472	understatement	the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.	96
6518531473	villanelle	A French verse form calculated to appear simple and spontaneous but consisting of nineteen lines and a prescribed pattern of rhymes.	97
6518582277	ambiguity	deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work. An event or a situation that may be interpreted in more than one way--done on purpose by the author	98
6518607762	analogy	Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike	99
6518610825	anecdote	Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something, often shows character of an individual	100
6518622314	antimetabole	repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order. Moliere: "one should eat to live, not live to eat." In poetry, this is called chiasmus	101
6518638788	antihero	central character who lack all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes. May lack courage, grace, intelligence, or moral scruples	102
6518652771	apposition	placing in immediately succeeding order of two or more coordinate elements, the latter of which is and explanation, qualification, or modification. Also known as an appositive	103
6518660620	anthropomorphism	attributing human characteristics to an animal or inanimate object. (Personification)	104
6518665621	balance	constructing a sentence so that both halves are about the same length and importance. Sentences can be unbalanced to serve a special effect as well.	105
6518669720	chiasmus	In poetry, a type of rhetorical balance in chic the second part is syntactically balanced against the first, but with the parts reversed. Coleridge: Flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike. In prose, this is called antimetabole	106
6518679463	cliche	a word or phrase that is overused and meaningless. Avoid cliches like the plague. (intended cliche)	107
6518685377	colloquialism	a word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing, but inappropriate for formal writing or situations	108
6518693865	comedy	in general, a story that ends with a happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main characters.	109
6522507212	confessional poetry	a twentieth century term used to describe poetry that uses intimate material from the poet's life	110
6522970005	elegy	a poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died.	111
6522985700	epanalepsis	device of repetition in which the same expression is repeated both at the beginning and at the end of the line, clause, or sentence. Voltaire: "Common sense is not so common."	112
6523009342	epigraph	a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme	113
6523015544	epistrophe	device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated at the end of two or lines, clauses, or sentences ( the opposite of anaphora)	114
6523029115	epithet	an adjective or adjective phrase applied to a person or thing that is frequently used to emphasize a characteristic quality. "Father of our country" and The great Emancipator" are examples	115
6523045295	fable	a very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about how to succeed in life	116
6523050771	farce	a type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched situations	117
6523060733	figurative language	words which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, but are used to describe. Similes and metaphors are common forms	118
6523065705	foil	a character who acts as a contrast to another character. Often a funny side kick to the dashing hero, or villain contrasting the hero	119
6523081069	hypotactic	sentence marked by the use of connecting words between clauses or sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them. "I am tired because it is hot."	120
6523099105	inversion	the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase	121