AP Literature Common Literary Terms Flashcards

6746545542	Allegory	A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these things is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth.	0
6746545543	Alliteration	The repetition at close intervals of initial identical consonant sounds. Or vowel sounds in successive words or syllables that repeat.	1
6746545544	Allusion	An indirect reference to something with which the reader is expected to be familiar. Allusions are usually literary, historical, biblical, or mythological.	2
6746545545	Anaphora	Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row.	3
6746545546	Apostrophe	An address to the dead as if living; to the inanimate as if animate; to the absent as if present; to the unborn as if alive.	4
6746545547	Archetype	Hero or villain or other type of character.	5
6746545548	Assonance	Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity. "Fake" and "lake" denote rhyme. "Lake" and "fate" demonstrate assonance.	6
6746545549	Cacophony	The use of inharmonious sounds in close conjunction for effect. Opposite of euphony.	7
6746545550	Characterization	The method an author uses to develop characters in a work. Can be direct or indirect.	8
6746545551	Conceit	Unusual or surprising extended comparison between two very different things. A special kind of metaphor or complicated analogy.	9
6746545552	Connotation	Rather than the dictionary definition, the associations associated by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning or denotation.	10
6746545553	Consonance	Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity	11
6746545554	Diction	Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types and arrangements have significant effects on meaning.	12
6746545555	Dramatic Irony	When the reader is aware of an inconsistency between a fictional or nonfictional character's perception of a situation and the truth of that situation.	13
6746545556	Elegy	A formal sustained poem lamenting the death of a particular person.	14
6746545557	Epigraph	A quotation of aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of a theme.	15
6746545558	Epiphany	A major character's moment of realization or awareness.	16
6746545559	Euphemism	The use of a word or phrase that is less direct, but it is also considered less distasteful or less offensive than another. "He is at rest" instead of "He is dead."	17
6746545560	Euphony	The use of compatible, harmonious sounds to produce a pleasing, melodious effect.	18
6746545561	Figurative Language	A word or words that are inaccurate literally, but describe by calling to mind sensations or responses that the thing described evokes. Can be metaphors or similes.	19
6746545562	Figure of Speech	A form of expression in which words are used out of the usual sense in order to make the meaning more specific.	20
6746545563	Flat Character	A character constructed around a single idea or quality; a flat character is immediately recognizable.	21
6746545564	Foil	A character whose trains are the opposite of another and who thus points up the strengths and weaknesses of the other character.	22
6746545565	Denotation	The literal meaning of a word.	23
6746545566	Hyperbole	Conscious exaggeration used to heighten effect. Often humorous.	24
6746545567	Image	A word or group of words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the senses.	25
6746545568	Imagery	The use of images, especially in a pattern of related images, often figurative, to create a strong unified sensory impression.	26
6746545569	Irony	When a ready is aware of a reality that differs from a character's perception of reality. The literal meaning of a writer's words may be verbal irony. It is a discrepancy between expectation and reality.	27
6746545570	Litotes	Opposite of hyperbole; understatement.	28
6746545571	Metaphor	A comparison of two things, often unrelated.	29
6746545572	Synecdoche	using one part of an object to represent the entire object	30
6746545573	Extended Metaphor	One developed at length and involves several points of comparison.	31
6746545574	Mixed Metaphor	When two metaphors are jumbled together, often illogically.	32
6746545575	Metonymy	Designation of one thing with something closely associated with it. Calling the king the CROWN.	33
6746545576	Mood	An atmosphere created by a writer's word choice (diction) and the details selected. Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length, and complexity affect pacing.	34
6746545577	Motif	A frequently recurrent character, incident, or concept in literature.	35
6746545578	Onomatopoeia	The use of a word whose pronunciation suggests its meaning. "Buzz."	36
6746545579	Oxymoron	A rhetorical antithesis. Juxtaposing two contradictory terms like "wise fool" or "deafening silence."	37
6746545580	Parable	A short story from which a lesson may be drawn.	38
6746545581	Paradox	A seemingly contradictory statement or situation which is actually true. This rhetorical device is often used for emphasis or simply to attract attention.	39
6746545582	Parody	An exaggerated imitation of a usually more serious work for humorous purposes. The writer of a parody used the quirks of style or the imitated piece in extreme or ridiculous ways.	40
6746545583	Persona	A writer often adopts a fictional voice to tell a story. Persona or voice is usually determined by a combination of subject matter and audience.	41
6746545584	Personification	Figurative language in which inanimate objects, animals, ideas, or abstractions are endowed with human traits or human form.	42
6746545585	Point of View	The perspective from which a fictional or nonfictional story is told. First-person (reliable or unreliable), second-person, and third-person (omniscient, objective, limited) point of view are commonly used.	43
6746558090	Asyndeton	the omission of conjunctions. Ex. He has provided the poor with jobs, with opportunity, with self-respect.".	44