AP Literature Flashcards

3681705158	Protagonist	The central character in a conflict, whether sympathetic or unsympathetic as a person. +central character.	0
3681706542	Antagonist	Any force arranged against the protagonist's own character traits.	1
3681711330	Dilemma	A position in which he or she must choose between two courses of action, both undesirable.	2
3681712988	Artistic Unity	There must be nothing in the story that is irrelevant, that does not contribute to the meaning; there should be nothing there for its own sake or its own excitement.	3
3681713751	Deus ex machine	(Latin for "god from a machine") Having a god descend from heaven at the last minute to rescue the protagonist from some impossible situation.	4
3681717115	Direct Presentation	Authors present their characters straight out, by exposition or analysis, what the characters are like, or they have another character in the story describe them.	5
3681729827	Indirect Presentation	Author shows us the characters through their actions; we determine what they are like by what they say or what they do.	6
3681731176	Denotation		7
3681733071	Connotation		8
3681733072	Flat	Usually have one or two predominant traits; they can be summed up in a sentence or two.	9
3681733943	Round	Are complex and many-sided; they have the 3-D quality of a real person.	10
3681734941	Stock	Stereotyped figures who have recurred so often in fiction that we recognize them at once.	11
3681736000	Static	Remains the same person from the beginning of story to the end.	12
3681737440	Dynamic	Undergoes some distinct change of character, personality, or outlook. The change may be a large or a small one; it may be positive or negative; but it is something significant and basic, not some minor change of habit or opinion.	13
3682898301	Epiphany	A moment of spiritual insight into life or into the character's own circumstances.	14
3682932234	Theme	A piece of fiction is it's controlling idea or its central insight.	15