AP Literature - Literary Terms Flashcards
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| 5693943833 | alliteration | It is a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series. |  | 0 |
| 5693943834 | allusion | A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. | 1 | |
| 5693943838 | 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. | 2 | |
| 5693943840 | antithesis | A balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses. |  | 3 |
| 5693943842 | apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. | 4 | |
| 5693943844 | 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. |  | 5 |
| 5693943854 | denotation | Dictionary definition of a word |  | 6 |
| 5693943856 | diction | The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing |  | 7 |
| 5693943857 | didactic | Intended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson |  | 8 |
| 5693943859 | euphemism | An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant |  | 9 |
| 5693943866 | foreshadowing | A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader. |  | 10 |
| 5693943875 | hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor |  | 11 |
| 5693943877 | imagery | Descriptive or figurative language in a literary work; the use of language to create sensory impressions. |  | 12 |
| 5693943878 | 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. |  | 13 |
| 5693943883 | juxtaposition | Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts |  | 14 |
| 5693943885 | metaphor | A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared. |  | 15 |
| 5693943887 | metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it | 16 | |
| 5693943888 | mood | Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader |  | 17 |
| 5693943898 | oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. |  | 18 |
| 5693943900 | parable | A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson |  | 19 |
| 5693943901 | paradox | A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. |  | 20 |
| 5693943902 | parallelism | Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other |  | 21 |
| 5693943903 | parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. |  | 22 |
| 5693943906 | persona | A pattern of relatively permanent traits, dispositions, or characteristics that give some consistency to people's behavior. |  | 23 |
| 5693943907 | personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes |  | 24 |
| 5693943910 | 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" |  | 25 |
| 5693943913 | 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. |  | 26 |
| 5693943916 | rhetorical question | A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer |  | 27 |
| 5693943923 | satire | A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies. |  | 28 |
| 5693943928 | synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa |  | 29 |
| 5693943929 | syntax | Arrangement of words in phrases and sentences |  | 30 |
| 5693943931 | tone | A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels. |  | 31 |