AP Literature - Literary Terms Flashcards

7368365619	allegory	A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.	0
7368365621	allusion	A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.	1
7368365625	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
7368365627	antithesis	A balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses.	3
7368365629	apostrophe	A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.	4
7368365636	conceit	A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.	5
7368365637	connotation	All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests	6
7368365641	denotation	Dictionary definition of a word	7
7368365643	diction	The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing	8
7368365646	euphemism	An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant	9
7368365653	foreshadowing	A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.	10
7368365662	hyperbole	A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor	11
7368365664	imagery	Descriptive or figurative language in a literary work; the use of language to create sensory impressions.	12
7368365665	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
7368365672	metaphor	A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared.	14
7368365674	metonymy	A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it	15
7368365675	mood	Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader	16
7368365676	motif	(n.) a principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design	17
7368365684	onomatopoeia	A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.	18
7368365685	oxymoron	A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.	19
7368365688	paradox	A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.	20
7368365690	parody	A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.	21
7368365694	personification	A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes	22
7368365696	point of view	The perspective from which a story is told	23
7368365697	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"	24
7368365710	satire	A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies.	25
7368365714	symbol	A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.	26
7368365715	synecdoche	a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa	27
7368365716	syntax	Arrangement of words in phrases and sentences	28
7368365717	theme	A topic of discussion or writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work.	29
7368365718	tone	A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels.	30
7368365719	understatement	the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.	31
7368491774	ambiguity	is a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning.	32
7368524244	analogy	is a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar.	33
7368542076	anecdote	a short and interesting story or an amusing event often proposed to support or demonstrate some point and make readers and listeners laugh	34
7368562222	anthropomorphism	a technique in which a writer ascribes human traits, ambitions, emotions or entire behavior to animals, non-human beings, natural phenomena or objects.	35
7368583653	attitude	is perspective or tone of the writer.It is the way a writer develops his characters, describes his stories and designs his narratives.	36
7368606551	colloquialism	is the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing. tends to sneak in as writers, being part of a society, are influenced by the way people speak in that society	37
7368624723	dramatic monologue	is the speech or verbal presentation that a single character presents in order to express his/her collection of thoughts and ideas aloud	38
7368634691	explication	s a literary technique in criticism and research used for a close analysis of an excerpt or text taken from a lengthy piece of work.	39
7368657653	litotes	is a figure of speech which employs an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite expressions.	40
7368665282	mixed metaphor	refers to a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph, or lines in a poem. It is often comprised of more than one sentence, and sometimes consists of a full paragraph.	41
7368671892	simile	s a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. draws resemblance with the help of the words "like" or "as." Therefore, it is a direct comparison.	42
7368684944	stream of consciousness	is a method of narration that describes in words the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters.	43
7368697541	vernacular	is a literary genre that uses daily used language in writing and speaking. It is different from written works, as they normally follow the formal variety of language.	44
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