AP Literature Vocabulary Flashcards

7107903935	Syntax	Structuring of diction	0
7107903936	Canon	A body of books, narratives, and other texts considered to be the most important and influential of a particular time period or place.	1
7107912462	Ethos	Appeal to authority	2
7107912463	Dialectic	The practice of arriving at a conclusion by the exchange of logical arguments	3
7107912464	Motif	An object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work.	4
7107912465	Parody	An imitation of a particular writer, artist, or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect.	5
7107912466	Logos	Appeal to logic	6
7107912467	Digression	A stylistic device employed to create a temporary departure from the main subject of the narrative to focus on apparently unrelated topics, explaining background details.	7
7107912468	Oxymoron	A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect.	8
7107912469	Paralipsis	Rhetorical device in which an idea is deliberately suggested through a brief treatment of a subject, while most of the significant points are omitted.	9
7107912470	Epiphany	The moment in a story where a character achieves realization, awareness or a feeling of knowledge after which events are seen through the prism of this new light in the story.	10
7107912471	Propaganda	The spreading of rumors, false or correct information, or an idea in order to influence the opinion of the society.	11
7107912472	Pathos	Appeal to emotions	12
7107912473	Juxtaposition	Technique in which two ore 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	13
7107912474	Periphrasis	The use of excessive and longer words to convey a meaning which could have been conveyed with a shorter expression or in a few words.	14
7107912475	Active Voice	Type of clause or sentence in which a subject performs an action and expresses it through its representative verb	15
7107912476	Connotation	Refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it described explicitly.	16
7107912477	Bildungsroman	A special kind of novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its main character from his or her youth to adulthood.	17
7107912478	Neologism	A newly-created word used in expressions, in both writing and speaking. Some neologisms are built from new uses of old words, while others are combinations of old and new words.	18
7107912479	Cliché	Refers to an expression that has been overused to the extent that it loses its original meaning or novelty.	19
7107912480	Passive Voice	A type of clause or sentence in which an action (through verb) or an object of a sentence, is emphasized rather than its subject. Ex) many people were killed in the war against terrorism	20
7107912481	Denotation	Literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative meaning.	21
7107912482	In Medias Res	Describes a narrative that beings somewhere in the middle of the story, instead of the beginning	22
7107912483	Convention	Defining features of particular literary genres, such as novel, short story, ballad, sonnet, and play.	23
7107912484	Epithet	Descriptive literary device that describes a place, a thing, or a person in such a way that it helps making the characteristics of the subject more prominent than they actually are.	24
7107952866	Melodrama	Exaggerated form of drama, dealing with sensational and romantic topics that appeal to the emotions of the common audience.	25
7107952867	Alliteration	Stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.	26
7107952868	Didactic	Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.	27
7107952869	Poetic Licence	The freedom to depart from the facts of matter or from the conventional rules of language when speaking or writing in order to create an effect.	28
7107952870	Analogy	Comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another idea that is quite different from it.	29
7107952871	Ellipsis	Literary device 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.	30
7107952872	Parallelism	The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same, or similar in their construction, sound, meaning, or meter. This method adds balance and rhythm to sentences, giving them a smoother flow.	31
7107952873	Epistolary	A literary genre pertaining to letters, in which writers use letters, journals and diary entries in their works, or they tell their stories or deliver messages through a series of letters.	32
7107952874	Pastiche	Literary piece that imitates another famous literary work of another writer. Unlike parody, its purpose is not to mock but to honor the literary piece it imitates.	33
7107952875	Antithesis	Rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect	34
7107952876	Anachronism	An error of chronology or timeline in a literary piece.	35
7107952877	Allegory	A figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events. Different from symbolism, an allegory is a complete narrative.	36
7107952878	Euphony	The use of words and phrases that are distinguished as having a wide range of noteworthy melody or loveliness in the sounds they create.	37
7107952879	Synecdoche	A literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part.	38
7107952880	Euphemism	Polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant.	39
7107952881	Anaphora	Deliberate repetition of the first part of a sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect.	40
7107952882	Ambiguity	Word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning.	41
7107952883	Cacophony	Use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing and unmelodious sounds primarily those of consonants to achieve desired results.	42
7107952884	Synesthesia	Refers to a technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one senses like hearing, seeing, smell etc. at a given time.	43
7107952885	Aphorism	A statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner.	44
7107952886	Anastrophe	Literary technique in which the normal order of words is reversed in order to achieve a particular effect of emphasis or meter.	45
7107952887	Anectdote	..A short and interesting story or an amusing event often proposed to support or demonstrate some point and make readers and listeners laugh.	46
7107952888	Archetype	A typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature	47
7107952889	Syllogism	Rhetorical device that starts an argument with a reference to something general and from this it draws conclusion about something more specific.	48
7107952890	Aesthetic	A set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement	49
7107952891	Idiom	A set expression or a phrase comprising two or more words. The expression should not be interpreted literally.	50
7107952893	Qualify/Qualifier	To agree but not fully	51
7107952894	Typography	The style and appearance of printed matter	52
7107952895	Antihero	A prominent character in a play or book that has characteristics opposite to that of a conventional hero. Ex) Red Hood, Dead Pool	53
7107952896	Tragic Flaw	A trait in a character leading to his downfall and the character is often the hero of the literary piece. Ex) lack of self-knowledge, lack of judgment, and often pride.	54
7107952897	Rhetoric	A technique of using language effectively and persuasively in spoken or written form	55
7107952898	Sarcasm	Literary and rhetorical device that is meant to mock with often satirical or ironic remarks with a purpose to amuse and hurt someone or some section of society simultaneously	56
7107952899	Emblem	An object or the figure of an object symbolizing and suggesting another object or an idea.	57
7107952900	Nostalgia	Employed to discuss a general interest in the past, or the personalities of the past, and subsequent feelings of pleasure or pain.	58
7107952901	Rhetorical device	A use of language that is intended to have an effect on its audience.	59
7107952902	Pun	A play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings.	60
7107952903	Invective	Denotes speech or writing that attacks, insults, or denounces a person, topic, or institution. It involves the use of abusive and negative use of language.	61
7107952904	Metonymy	Figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated.	62
7107952905	Periodic Sentence	Sentence that has the main clause or predicate at the end.	63
7107952906	Apostrophe	Is a figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation "O". Using an apostrophe detaches an author from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech.	64
7107952907	Cosmic Irony	The idea that fate, destiny, or a god controls and toys with human hopes an expectations; also the belief that the universe is so large and man is so small that the universe is indifferent to the plight of man.	65
7107952908	Colloquialism	The use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing.	66
7107952909	Epistrophe	Epistrophe is a stylistic device that can be defined as the repetition of phrases or words at the end of the clauses or sentences.	67
7107952910	Hyperbole	Figure of speech which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis	68
7107952911	Jargon	Jargon is a literary term that is defined as a use of specific phrases and words by writers in a particular situation, profession or trade. These specialized terms are used to convey hidden meanings accepted and understood in that field.	69
7107952912	Polysyndeton	Stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect.	70
7107952913	Objective	Not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased.	71
7107952914	Catharsis	Emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral and spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress.	72
7107952915	Litotes	Figure of speech which employs an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite expressions.	73
7107952858	Paradox	Statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth.	74
7107952859	Black Comedy	A subgenre of comedy that is all about making light of terrible situations.	75
7107952860	Foil Character	A character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character.	76
7107952861	Romantic Irony	An attitude of detached skepticism adopted by an author towards his or her work, typically manifesting in literary self-consciousness and self-reflection.	77
7107952862	Satire	Technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles.	78
7107952863	Epigraph	Literary device in the form of a poem, quotation or sentence usually placed at the beginning of a document or a simple piece having a few sentences but which belongs to another writer	79
7107952864	Caricature	Device used in descriptive writing and visual arts where particular aspects of a subject are exaggerated to create a silly or comic effect. It can be defined as a plastic illustration, derisive drawing or a portrayal based on exaggeration of the natural features, which gives a humorous touch to the subject.	80