AP Literature Terms Flashcards

3585053161	alexandrine	one line of iambic hexameter	0
3585053775	alliteration	repetition of beginning consonant sounds in words (righteous rapture; singsong syllable; sing a song of sixpence; big, black bear)	1
3585055585	allusion	reference, without explanation, to previous, well-known literature, history, Bible, mythology, or other common knowledge	2
3585057450	anachronism	something out of its place in the context of time (e.g. Victorian foxhunting during Arthurian times)	3
3585058625	anadiplosis	repetition of an important word in a phrase or clause (often last word) in the next phrase or clause (e.g. "truth brings freedom; freedom brings responsibility")	4
3585059970	analogy	comparison of two dissimilar things that are alike in some way, often using simile or metaphor (e.g. "He reminded me of a pig eating his swill").	5
3585061472	anaphora	a device of repetition in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at beginning of two or more lines, clauses or sentences (see epistrophe)	6
3585066111	antagonist	character who opposes the main character (protagonist); often the villain	7
3585066904	antihero	character, usually the protagonist, who faces problems in a story, but who often goes against traditional societal standards (e.g. Holden Caulfield)	8
3585068223	antithesis	contrasted ideas in parallel form (Give me liberty or give me death.)	9
3585068774	aphorism	wise saying, usually short and written, reflecting a general truth (e.g. "Haste makes waste.")	10
3585069514	apostrophe	speaking to something that cannot answer (Death, hear me cry and tell me you will spare me now.)	11
3585069964	assonance	resemblance or similarity in sound between vowels followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables (lake and fate)	12
3585070691	asyndeton	a form of condensed expression in which words/phrases are presented in series, sep. by commas (ex. veni, vidi, vici) NO conjunctions	13
3585072290	ballad	songlike, narrative poetry; usually simple, rhyming verse using abcb rhyme scheme	14
3585072838	blank verse	poetry that consists of unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter	15
3585073226	caesura/cesura	pause in a line of poetry before the end of a line	16
3585075514	catharsis	therapeutic release of emotion upon identifying with, and being moved by, literature	17
3585078737	classicism	movement of ancient Greece and Rome that employed strict forms, accented reason, and embraced restraint (the neo-classicists emulated these ideas in the late 18th and early 19th centuries)	18
3585079966	cliche	trite idea or statement	19
3585080239	climax	highest point in the plot (before outcome is revealed)	20
3585080810	cinquain	five-line poetic form, with 22 total syllables divided according to set pattern	21
3585083230	conceit	a simile or metaphor used to convey a fanciful idea (Petrarchan or metaphysical)	22
3585084680	concrete	opposing of abstract. Refers to nouns that can be perceived with the five senses.	23
3585085223	conflict	opposing elements or characters (problems)	24
3585086017	connotation	surrounding feelings and associations added to word meaning (e.g. mother-kindly, nurturing, etc.)	25
3585088804	consonance	repetition of similar consonant sounds, with changes in intervening vowel sounds	26
3585090852	contractions	shortening words by leaving out letters for poetic or other effect (o'er=over, 'tis= it is)	27
3585091772	couplet	two consecutive, rhymed lines of poetry; rhyme pattern aa	28
3585094246	denotation	dictionary definition of a word	29
3585094856	denouement	outcome, resolution, solution of a plot	30
3585095284	diction	word usage or choice	31
3585095619	didactic	describes literary works meant to teach a moral or lesson	32
3585095818	doggerel	jerky, rude composition in verse; poorly executed attempt at poetry, with trivial subject matter	33
3585096704	double entendre	deliberately ambiguous statement, one of whose possible meanings is risque/suggestive of some impropriety	34
3585098588	elegy	poetic form lamenting the death of a person or decline of a situation	35
3585099455	ellipsis	three dots that indicate words have been left out of a quoted passage or that time has passed (...). When words are omitted but no three dots are there, the literary device is also called ellipsis.	36
3585101560	enjambment	device of continuing the sense and grammatical construction of a verse or couplet into the next	37
3585102357	epanalepsis	a figure of speech in which one word or one phrase is repeated after intervening text (ex. "The king is dead; long live the king!")	38
3585103754	epic	long, narrative poem, usually telling of heroic deeds, events of historic importance, or religious or mythological subjects	39
3592224141	epistrophe	the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences (See anaphora).	40
3592224721	epigraph	a short quotation at the beginning of a book or chapter that relates to the theme	41
3592226067	epitaph	inscription on tombstone	42
3592226163	eponym	person whose name is the source of a new word	43
3592226847	euphemism	"nicer" word for a less pleasant subject	44
3592227041	fable	story with moral about life, often with personified animals	45
3592227898	farce	short humorous piece with low comedy	46
3592228438	figure of speech	use or arrangements of words for specific effects	47
3592229801	first-person narrator	person telling the story uses "I," "we" and is often a character in a story	48
3592231594	foil	character opposite or different from the protagonist, used to highlight the protagonist's traits; incidents or settings may also be used as foils	49