AP English Literature Terms Flashcards

4294627498	adage (also aphorism or maxim)	a saying or proverb of a generally accepted truth. (A penny saved is a penny earned.)	0
4294633753	allegory	story in which a second meaning is to be read beneath the surface. Animal Farm, Dante's Inferno, Anthem	1
4294640577	allusion	reference to a well-known person, place, or event	2
4294642701	ambiguity	a lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings and interpretations ("A Rose for Emily")	3
4294648730	analogy	comparison that points out similarities between dissimilar things.	4
4294663122	anaphora	repetition of two or more words or phrases to start successive phrase, etc.	5
4294666656	anecdote	a brief story to illustrate a point	6
4294670058	antithesis	opposition or contrast of words, phrases, ideas. Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country (J.F.K)	7
4294677801	apostrophe	addressing a person or personified thing that is not present (O cruel streets of Manhattan! How I detest you!)	8
4294682427	archetype	an ideal conception of a type; an original model.	9
4294684710	bombast	inflated, pretentious language, especially for trivial subjects; empty rhetoric, windy grandeur of language	10
4294692050	canon	body of works considered most important in a national literature or period	11
4294695099	caricature	grotesque likeness of the striking qualities in persons or things	12
4294699927	carpe diem - "seize the day"	enjoy life while you can, a common theme in literature	13
4294706280	catharsis	a cleaning of the emotions primarily through art; a release of tension by bringing emotion to consciousness and allowing to leave	14
4294711047	cliche	figure of speech that has become lifeless through overuse	15
4294719147	conceit (noun)	an elaborate metaphor; a highly fanciful idea	16
4294724971	denouement	resolution	17
4294726462	deus ex machina	the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem. Sam and Frodo are hopelessly trapped, but giant eagles show up and save them.	18
4294732314	dialect	way of speaking that's characteristic of a certain social group or in certain geographical area	19
4294842830	diction	choice of words	20
4294845335	didactic	writing that teaches a specific lesson or moral	21
4294848880	dramatic irony	circumstance in which the audience knows more about a situation than a character does	22
4294851289	elegy	poem or prose that laments the death of something or someone of value	23
4294861771	elliptical construction	a sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. May was hot and June the same	24
4294872146	epigraph	a quote or aphorism at the beginning of a work that's suggestive of theme	25
4294875135	epithet	adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing	26
4294877442	eponymous	term for the title character of a work of literature. Jane Eyre, Moby Dick	27
4294881038	euphemism	mild or less negative usage for a harsher one	28
4294883923	exegesis	detailed analysis of a work of literature	29
4294887059	farce	type of comedy in which ridiculous characters are involved in far-fetched situations	30
4294889296	foil	a character who acts as a contrast to another character	31
4294891857	genre	term used to categorize literary forms, such as novel, play, essay, etc.	32
4294895352	gothic novel	has supernatural horrors an and atmosphere of unknown terrors	33
4294900063	hubris	excessive pride that often leads to tragic heroes to their deaths	34
4294905499	hyperbole	gross exageration	35
4294906745	litotes	form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used for emphasis	36
4294910098	loose sentence	follows customary word order of subject - verb - object (opposite = periodic sentence - main thought at the end)	37
4294916445	metonymy	figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated	38
4294920306	mock epic	a parody of traditional epic form	39
4294923059	mood	atmosphere created by a writer's diction and the details presented	40
4294925271	motif	phrase, idea, event, or image that through repetition serves to unify the work or convey theme	41
4294932703	non sequitur	statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before	42
4294935237	paradox	a statement that seems self-contradictory but is actually true	43
4294937887	parody	an imitation of a work meant to ridicule its style and subject	44
4294940148	pastoral	a work dealing with rural life	45
4294943463	picaresque novel	an episodic novel about a rogue-like wandered who lives off his wits	46
4294947074	pseudonym	false name or alias by writer; pen name	47
4294954146	pulp fiction	novels written for mas consumption with often exciting plots	48
4294958537	roman a clef	French for a novel in which historical events and actual people appear under the guise of fiction	49
4294961420	romance	extended narrative about improbable events and people in exotic places	50
4294965302	satire	literary style used to ridicule an idea or vice, often to induce change	51
4294975235	stream of consciousness	writing style in which the author tries to reproduce the random flow of thoughts in the human mind	52
4294977738	subtext	the implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of a work	53
4294979308	synesthesia	imagery that appeals to more than one sense. Blue cold air	54
4299836371	style	the distinctive way in which a writer uses language - the use of diction, tone, and syntax	55
4299844746	synecdoche	a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole	56
4299851246	syntax	the organization of language into meaningful structure; the pattern of words	57
4299848218	theme	the insight about human life that is revealed in a work	58
4299855451	tone	the author's attitude toward the subject of a work or the characters, revealed through diction, figurative language, etc.	59
4299860803	tragedy	a story in which a heroic character meets an unhappy end usually because of some character flaw	60
4299869771	verse	poetry	61
4299871521	vernacular	the language spoken by the common people who live in a particular locality, rather than a literary or cultured language; may be used more broadly than dialect	62
4299877938	voice	the real or assumed personality used by a writer. In Huck Finn, Twain uses the voice of a young boy to tell the story.	63