AP Literature Terms Flashcards

5608407141	anaphora	the regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of two or more successive phrases or clauses.	0
5608407142	chiasmus	a reversal in the word order of words in two otherwise parallel sentences	1
5608407143	apostrophe	the direct address to an absent or dead person, or to an object, quality, or idea.	2
5608407144	hyperbole	a rhetorical figure in which emphasis is achieved through exaggeration	3
5608407145	metaphor	figurative language that describes something as though it actually were something else	4
5608407146	metonymy	the substitution of one term for another that is generally associated with it. (ex. the crown declared that the man would be executed.)	5
5608407147	synecdoche	a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole (ex. all hands on deck)	6
5608407148	onomatopoeia	the use of words that sound like a noise	7
5608407149	paradox	a statement or expression so surprisingly self-contradictory but ends up being true on some level	8
5608407150	parallelism	the use of similar grammatical structures or word order.	9
5608407151	personification	the use of human characteristics to describe animals, things, or ideas.	10
5608407152	point of view	the perspective that a narrator takes toward the events it describes	11
5608407153	protagonist	the central character in a story	12
5608407154	pun	a witty word-play which reveals that words with different meanings have similar or even identical sounds	13
5608407155	satire	writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of individuals or groups	14
5608407156	polysyndeton	the repetition of conjunctions in a sentence	15
5608407157	asyndeton	the omission of conjunctions in a sentence	16
5608407158	archetype	a symbol found in many cultures	17
5608407159	dramatic irony	a situation where the audience knows something that the characters on stage are not aware of	18
5608407160	allusion	a reference to a piece of literature, character, historical figure that the author assumes the reader will recognize	19
5608407161	dramatic climax	the turning point in a Shakespearean tragedy where the action turns against the protagonist	20
5608407162	diction	the word choices made by a writer	21
5608407163	didactic	having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing	22
5608407164	flat (static) character	a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story	23
5608407165	dynamic (round) character	a character who undergoes a change or transformation in the course of a story	24
5608407166	exposition	the beginning portion of Freytag's pyramid where the background information, characters and setting are introduced	25
5608407167	exciting force	the spark or complication that "gets the action going" in the play the event that sets the plot into motion	26
5608407168	rising action	Events leading up to the climax	27
5608407169	denouement (catastrophe)	The final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work or the outcome of a complicated sequence of events	28
5608407170	omniscient narrator	a narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters	29
5608407171	theme	Central idea of a work of literature	30
5608407172	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
5608407173	deus ex machina	an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel	32