AP Literature Common Literary Terms Flashcards

225498328	Allegory	A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these things is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth.	0
225498329	Alliteration	The repetition at close intervals of initial identical consonant sounds. Or vowel sounds in successive words or syllables that repeat.	1
225498330	Allusion	An indirect reference to something with which the reader is expected to be familiar. Allusions are usually literary, historical, biblical, or mythological.	2
225498331	Anaphora	Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row.	3
225498332	Apostrophe	An address to the dead as if living; to the inanimate as if animate; to the absent as if present; to the unborn as if alive.	4
225498333	Archetype	Hero or villain or other type of character.	5
225498334	Assonance	Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity. "Fake" and "lake" denote rhyme. "Lake" and "fate" demonstrate assonance.	6
225498335	Cacophony	The use of inharmonious sounds in close conjunction for effect. Opposite of euphony.	7
225498336	Characterization	The method an author uses to develop characters in a work. Can be direct or indirect.	8
225498337	Conceit	Unusual or surprising extended comparison between two very different things. A special kind of metaphor or complicated analogy.	9
225498338	Connotation	Rather than the dictionary definition, the associations associated by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning or denotation.	10
225498339	Consonance	Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity	11
225498340	Diction	Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types and arrangements have significant effects on meaning.	12
225498341	Dramatic Irony	When the reader is aware of an inconsistency between a fictional or nonfictional character's perception of a situation and the truth of that situation.	13
225498342	Elegy	A formal sustained poem lamenting the death of a particular person.	14
225498343	Epigraph	A quotation of aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of a theme.	15
225498344	Epiphany	A major character's moment of realization or awareness.	16
225498345	Euphemism	The use of a word or phrase that is less direct, but it is also considered less distasteful or less offensive than another. "He is at rest" instead of "He is dead."	17
225498346	Euphony	The use of compatible, harmonious sounds to produce a pleasing, melodious effect.	18
225498347	Figurative Language	A word or words that are inaccurate literally, but describe by calling to mind sensations or responses that the thing described evokes. Can be metaphors or similes.	19
225498348	Figure of Speech	A form of expression in which words are used out of the usual sense in order to make the meaning more specific.	20
225498349	Flat Character	A character constructed around a single idea or quality; a flat character is immediately recognizable.	21
225498350	Foil	A character whose trains are the opposite of another and who thus points up the strengths and weaknesses of the other character.	22
225498351	Grotesque	Refers to strangely unusual representations characterized by distortions or incongruities. The fiction of Edgar Allen Poe is often described as grotesque.	23
225498352	Hyperbole	Conscious exaggeration used to heighten effect. Often humorous.	24
225498353	Image	A word or group of words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the senses.	25
225498354	Imagery	The use of images, especially in a pattern of related images, often figurative, to create a strong unified sensory impression.	26
225498355	Irony	When a ready is aware of a reality that differs from a character's perception of reality. The literal meaning of a writer's words may be verbal irony. It is a discrepancy between expectation and reality.	27
225498356	Litotes	Opposite of hyperbole; understatement.	28
225498357	Metaphor	A comparison of two things, often unrelated.	29
225498358	Dead Metaphor	So overused that its original impact has been lost.	30
225498359	Extended Metaphor	One developed at length and involves several points of comparison.	31
225498360	Mixed Metaphor	When two metaphors are jumbled together, often illogically.	32
225498361	Metonymy	Designation of one thing with something closely associated with it. Calling the king the CROWN.	33
225498362	Mood	An atmosphere created by a writer's word choice (diction) and the details selected. Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length, and complexity affect pacing.	34
225498363	Motif	A frequently recurrent character, incident, or concept in literature.	35
225498364	Onomatopoeia	The use of a word whose pronunciation suggests its meaning. "Buzz."	36
225498365	Oxymoron	A rhetorical antithesis. Juxtaposing two contradictory terms like "wise fool" or "deafening silence."	37
225498366	Parable	A short story from which a lesson may be drawn.	38
225498367	Paradox	A seemingly contradictory statement or situation which is actually true. This rhetorical device is often used for emphasis or simply to attract attention.	39
225498368	Parody	An exaggerated imitation of a usually more serious work for humorous purposes. The writer of a parody used the quirks of style or the imitated piece in extreme or ridiculous ways.	40
225498369	Persona	A writer often adopts a fictional voice to tell a story. Persona or voice is usually determined by a combination of subject matter and audience.	41
225498370	Personification	Figurative language in which inanimate objects, animals, ideas, or abstractions are endowed with human traits or human form.	42
225498371	Point of View	The perspective from which a fictional or nonfictional story is told. First-person (reliable or unreliable), second-person, and third-person (omniscient, objective, limited) point of view are commonly used.	43