AP Literature: Literary Terms Flashcards

5355350473	accent	rhythmically significant stress on the syllables of a verse usually at regular intervals	0
5355350474	allegory	a work of art, such as a story or painting, in which the characters, images, and/or events act as symbols; the symbolism in an allegory can be interpreted to have a deeper meaning	1
5355350475	alliteration	the occurrence of the same letter/sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words	2
5355350476	allusion	used to reference another object outside of the work of literature	3
5355350477	annotation	a note of explanation or comment added to a text or diagram	4
5355350478	antagonist	a character, group of characters, or other force that presents an obstacle or is in direct conflict with the protagonist	5
5355350479	apostrophe	when a speaker breaks off from addressing one party and instead addresses a third party; this third party may be an individual, either present or absent in the scene	6
5355350480	archetype	a reoccurring symbol or motif throughout literature that represents universal patterns of human nature	7
5355350481	aside	when a character's dialogue is spoken but not heard by the other actors on the stage	8
5355350482	assonance	repetition of a vowel sound or diphthong in non-rhyming words	9
5355350483	bildungsroman	a coming-of-age story, which focuses on a narrative of a young adult growing morally and psychologically into an adult	10
5355350484	blank verse	a type of poetry written in a regular meter that does not contain rhyme; most commonly written in iambic pentameter	11
5355350485	caesura	a complete stop in a line of poetry; formed by the rhythms of natural speech	12
5355350486	carpe diem	common moral/theme in classical literature that the reader should make the most out of life and should enjoy it before it ends	13
5355350487	catharsis	the release of emotions such as pity, sadness, and fear; involves the change of extreme emotion to lead to internal restoration and renewal	14
5355350488	dynamic character	a literary character who undergoes an important inner change	15
5355350489	static character	a literary character who undergoes little or no inner change	16
5355350490	flat character	a literary character who is relatively uncomplicated and does not change throughout the course of a work	17
5355350491	round character	a literary character who is complex and undergoes development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader	18
5355350492	chorus	group of people that sang, danced, and made comments about the action on stage; gave you key information about events happening off stage	19
5355350493	cliche	an expression that has been overused to the extent that it loses its original meaning or novelty	20
5355350494	colloquial	use of informal words, phrases, or slang in a piece of writing	21
5355350495	conflict	a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces	22
5355350496	connotation	the emotional or cultural association with that word rather than its dictionary definition; not the explicit meaning of the word, but rather the meaning that the word implies	23
5355350497	consonance	a literary device in which a consonant sound is repeated in words that are in close proximity	24
5355350498	convention	defining features of particular literary genres; features or practices of certain genres that readers or audiences understand, recognize and accept as techniques to facilitate the plot	25
5355350499	couplet	a successive pair of lines in a poem; generally rhyme with each other and contain the same meter	26
5355350500	crisis	literary work moment of greatest intensity - thereafter resolved	27
5355350501	denotation	the actual definition of the word rather than the nuances of its meaning or the feelings it implies	28
5355350502	dialect	the variety of a language that a group of people speak, separated either by geography, class, or ethnicity; most often applied to the different speech patterns of people from different regions	29
5355350503	diction	the choice of words and style of expression that an author makes and uses in a work of literature	30
5355350504	dramatic monologue	type of poem in which speaker is directly addressing and talking to some other person	31
5355350505	elegy	a mournful poem, usually written in remembrance of a lost one for a funeral or as a lament; tells the traffic story of an individual, or an individual's loss, rather than the collective story of a people	32
5355350506	end-stopped line	a poetic device in which a pause comes at the end of a syntactic unit	33
5355350507	enjambment	a term used in poetry to refer to lines that end without punctuation and without completing a sentence or clause	34
5355350508	epic	long narrative poem in which heroes of great historical or legendary importance perform valorous deeds	35
5355350509	epigram	a metaphorical device that is a memorable, brief, interesting, and surprising satirical statement	36
5355350510	epiphany	moment in story where character achieves realization or awareness of something important	37
5355350511	fixed form	verse follows a fixed way of being written	38
5355350512	flashback	interruptions that writers do to insert past events	39
5355350513	foil	a character who contrasts with another to highlight particular qualities of another character	40
5355350514	foot	combination of stressed and unstressed syllables	41
5355350515	foreshadowing	a literary device in which the author gives clues about events that will happen later in the story	42
5355350516	form	an arrangement of the elements in a composition	43
5355350517	free verse	free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm in poetry	44
5355350518	genre	category of literary composition	45
5355350519	hamartia	the fatal flaw in a protagonist or hero that leads to this character's downfall	46
5355350520	hubris	an extreme expression of pride or self-confidence in a character	47
5355350521	hyperbole	the use of obvious and deliberate exaggeration	48
5355350522	iambic pentameter	a line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable	49
5355350523	imagery	description that appeals to the five senses	50
5355350524	dramatic irony	irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood only by the audience	51
5355350525	tragic irony	the use of dramatic irony in a tragedy, so that the audience is aware that a character's words or actions will bring about a tragic or fatal result, while the character himself is not	52
5355350526	sarcasm	meant to mock with satirical remarks	53
5355350527	juxtaposition	two or more things placed together to compare/contrast	54
5355350528	line	unit of language in which a poem/play is divided	55
5355350529	controlling metaphor	dominates an entire literary piece; a symbolic story, where the whole poem may be a metaphor for something else; motif	56
5355350530	extended metaphor	introduced and further developed throughout all or part of a work	57
5355350531	implied metaphor	compares two unlike things without mentioning them	58
5355350532	metonymy	replaces name of a thing with name of something closely associated with it	59
5355350533	synecdoche	a metaphor that uses a part of an object to represent the whole thing	60
5355350534	metaphysical conceit	sets up an analogy between two entities that would not usually invite comparison, often drawing connections between the physical and the spiritual	61
5355350535	meter	unit of rhyme in poetry	62
5355350536	mood	evokes certain feelings or vibes in reader through words; atmosphere	63
5355350537	motif	any recurring element that has symbolic significance in the story	64
5355350538	narrative frame	a plot device in which the author places the main narrative of his or her work within another narrative	65
5355350539	narrative poem	form of poetry that tells a story	66
5355350540	first-person narrator	point of view where story is narrated by one character	67
5355350541	omniscient narrator	narrator knows thoughts and feelings of every character	68
5355350542	unreliable narrator	credibility has been compromised	69
5355350543	octave	verse consisting of 8 lines of iambic pentameter	70
5355350544	onomatopoeia	word that imitates sounds	71
5355350545	oxymoron	a figure of speech in which two seemingly opposing and contradictory elements are juxtaposed; often reveal a paradox	72
5355350546	paradox	contrary to expectations, beliefs, opinions - but may include a latent truth	73
5355350547	parallel structure	repetition of same patterns of words/phrases within a sentence or passage	74
5355350548	anaphora	deliberate repetition of first part of sentence for artistic effect	75
5355350549	personification	figure of speech in which a thing, an idea, or animal is given human attributes	76
5355350550	Freytag's Triangle	plot structure of a literary work - exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution	77
5355350551	exposition	sets scene	78
5355350552	rising action	story builds	79
5355350553	climax	moment of greatest tension in a story	80
5355350554	falling action	events happen as a result of climax - story coming to a close	81
5355350555	resolution	solves conflict	82
5355350556	denouement	occurs just after the climax and is the final moment in which there is resolution for any remaining conflicts in the plot; all the loose ends of the plot are tied up in this last scene, secrets are revealed, and there may be a sense of catharsis for the reader or audience member at this point	83
5355350557	point of view	position from which something is observed	84
5355350558	objective point of view	no emotions; just facts	85
5355350559	prose poem	poetry written in prose instead of verse but with poetic qualities	86
5355350560	protagonist	main character	87
5355350561	quatrain	stanza of four lines - alternate rhymes	88
5355350562	reversal	observable change in direction	89
5355350563	romanticism	style of literature in 18th and 19th centuries that emphasized imagination and emotions	90
5355350564	eye rhyme	similarity in spelling	91
5355350565	end rhyme	end with words that sound the same	92
5355350566	internal rhyme	rhyme involving a word in a middle of a line, at end, in middle	93
5355350567	near rhyme	rhyming in which words sound the same but not perfectly	94
5355350568	rhyme scheme	ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines	95
5355350569	rhythm	pattern of stressed and unstressed beats	96
5355350570	satire	use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize people	97
5355350571	sestet	last six lines of a sonnet	98
5355350572	setting	time and place	99
5355350573	simile	comparison using "as" or "like"	100
5355350574	soliloquy	used in drama to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character; act of speaking one's thoughts	101
5355350575	Petrarchan Sonnet	octave with rhyme scheme "abbaabba" and of a sestet with one of several rhyme schemes	102
5355350576	Shakespearean Sonnet	three quatrains and a terminal couplet in iambic pentameter with "abab cdcd efef gg"	103
5355350577	speaker	voice behind poem	104
5355350578	stanza	division of four or more lines a fixed length, meter, rhyming scheme	105
5355350579	stream of consciousness	method of narration that describes in words the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters	106
5355350580	stress	emphasis on certain syllables	107
5355350581	subplot	plot subordinate to main plot of literary work	108
5355350582	symbol	signifies ideas/qualities by giving them meanings	109
5355350583	syntax	how words form a sentence; style of writing structure	110
5355350584	theme	concept and moral of story	111
5355350585	thesis	summarizes main point/claim of essay and is developed throughout work	112
5355350586	tone	attitude of author toward subject/audience	113
5355350587	tragedy	presents a serious subject about human suffering and corresponding terrible events	114
5355350588	tragic flaw	trait in character leading to his/her downfall	115
5355350589	verse	single line of poetry	116