AP Literature Vocab Flashcards

5386570785	Ambiguity	a vague meaning; intentional lack of clarity to create multiple meanings or interpretations	0
5386572503	Antagonist	The person/force that opposes the protagonist, usually producing tension or conflict	1
5386572504	Archetype	the typical example of a person or thing; an original model or form of a character (i.e. the lover, the ruler, the jester)	2
5386574887	Aside	a soliloquy with other people on stage, directed towards a noticeable audience; usually a brief statement from the character to the audience	3
5386574888	Blank Verse	Poetry written in iambic pentameter, used by Milton and Shakespeare; lines usually don't rhyme	4
5386577057	Catharsis	The cleansing of the spirit initiated by pity and terror or a dramatic tragedy; the cleansing of the emotions of a character	5
5386577058	Climax	The high point of action or the turning point in a play	6
5386578559	Comic Relief	comedic portions of a drama or literary work placed to offset the serious sections	7
5386580251	Coming of Age Story/Novel	A story in which the protagonist experiences an introduction to adulthood caused through education, doses of reality , or other experiences that alter the character's emotional/intellectual maturity	8
5386580252	Dramatic Irony	When the audience/reader knows more about the scenario than the character	9
5386582206	Falling Action	The action in the play following the climax that leads to the resolution	10
5386582207	Iambic Pentameter	5 metric feet per line, each meter consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable; 10 syllables per line, used by Shakespeare in his plays	11
5386584501	Motif	A phrase, idea, or thought that is repeated throughout a story to show or consolidate the theme/moral of the story	12
5386584502	Narrative	A form of prose writing that tells the story	13
5386586326	Pathos	A literary element stimulating pity and/or sorrow in the reader; plays to the emotions	14
5386586327	Protagonist	The character whose actions drive the plot or the character forward; the main character	15
5386587758	Roman a clef	Novel in which actual events and people are placed in the story under a guise (characters undergo name changes)	16
5386587759	Soliloquy	a solo in the play when only the actor is on the stage; often speaks their thoughts so audience can hear what the character is thinking	17
5386589343	Situational Irony	When the actual outcome of a series of events is different from what the audience had expected it to be or what the story implied it to be	18
5386591270	Verbal Irony	when a character says something which has a literal meaning different/contradictory to what the situation or author imply or meant to convey (sarcasm, over/understatement, etc.)	19
5694110644	Theme	The main idea or meaning that a work of literature is built off of, often an abstract idea	20
5694110645	Symbol	an object that invokes meanings and ideas not literally part of the object	21
5694110646	Hamartia	the fatal flaw of a tragic hero that usually leads to their downfall	22
5694114183	Hubris	excessive pride that leads to a tragic hero's downfall	23
5694118372	Classical/Classicism	Derived from the orderly qualities of the Ancient Greek and Romans, gives a meaning of formality, objectivity, simplicity, restraint	24
5694124212	Denouement	Resolution that occurs at the end of a play or fictional work	25
5694127472	Deus ex machina	using an artificial device/gimmick to solve a problem; an unexpected power that solves a seemingly hopeless situation	26
5694132851	Extended Metaphor	a series of comparisons between two unlike objects; the metaphor runs for a series of clauses/sentences	27
5694132852	Harangue	a forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade; lengthy and agressive speech	28
5694136890	Hegemony	a dominant cultural trend; the dominance of one culture over another	29
5694141533	In media res	a narrative that doesn't start at the beginning of an event, but rather at a critical point in the event	30
5694141534	Invective	direct verbal assault or denunciation	31
5694147345	Verisimilitude	the amount of realism in a work; how believable it is that the work happened/could happen in real life	32
5694147346	Eponymous	the title character of a choice of literature; when the character's name influences the title (The Odyssey was named after the main character Odysseus)	33
5694152450	Flashback	A part of the story where the audience is brought back in time, usually for clarification of a point	34
5694152451	Foil	A minor character who has a personality opposite of the main character, to juxtapose/emphasize both character's traits	35
5694152452	Humanism	a belief emphasizing faith and optimism in human potential and creativity; a secular movement where humans are seen as being in control and more important	36
5694157371	Strophe/Antistrophe	meaning "turn" and "turn again", they are elements of the ode (lyrical and choral portions of greek plays where the chorus provides commentary); the strophe is sung by one half of the chorus one one side of the stage, the antistrophe sung by the other half	37
5694157372	Prologue	an introduction separate of a literary work, precedes the work and provides needed background information	38
5694161219	Setting	the environment that the action of the play occurs in; includes time, place, events, circumstances, etc.	39
5860255667	Anaphora	The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses	40
5860255668	Malapropism	mistakenly placing a word with a similarly-sounding one (using flamingo instead of flamenco)	41
5860257822	Oxymoron	When two contradicting words are placed together (jumbo shrimp, a new classic)	42
5860257823	Ellipsis	three periods (...) indicating omission of words in a thought or quotation	43
5860259607	Non-Sequitor	A statement that fails to logically follow the one before	44
5860259608	Analogy	A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things	45
5860261243	Maxim	A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth	46
5860261244	Interjection	an exclamation (ah!, oh my!); an abrupt remark	47
5860262940	Apostrophe	When the speaker addresses a person or personified thing not present	48
5860262941	Personification	when objects or animals are given human characteristics	49
5860262942	Inference	a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning	50
5860264803	Imagery	visually descriptive or figurative language in a literary work	51
5860266325	Euphemism	a mild/indirect word replacing one considered too harsh or blunt (saying "he passed away" instead of "he died")	52
5860266326	Hyperbole	overstatement; large exaggeration for rhetorical effect	53
5860266327	Paradox	a statement that is self-contradictory but nevertheless true	54
5860268205	Synecdoche	a figure of speech where part of something refers to the whole thing (saying wheels, referring to cars)	55
5860268206	Epithet	an adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing	56
5860270354	Caesura	a pause somewhere in the middle of a verse, often marked by punctuation (marked by \|\|)	57
5860271537	Ode	A complex lyric poem that develops a serious and dignified theme; commemorate events or people	58
5860271538	Lyric	a short poem in which a speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings	59
5860295174	Ballad	A narrative poem that was originally meant to be sung; usually depicts ordinary people in the midst of tragic events and adventures of love and bravery; written in quatrains with ABCB rhyming scheme	60
6379338693	Anachronism	A person, scene, or other event in literature that does not correspond with the time or era in which the work is set	61
6379343581	Apollonian	Referring to the most noble godlike qualities of human nature and behavior	62
6379343582	Apotheosis	The glorification of a subject to a divine level; the highest point of development	63
6379345894	Empathy	A feeling of association or identification with an object or person; felling another's pain or emotion	64
6379345895	Dialect	a particular form of a language tied to a region or social group	65
6379345896	Dialogue	conversation between two or more people	66
6379348229	Denotation	The dictionary definition of the word; the literal or primary meaning of a word	67
6379348230	Connotation	The suggested or implied meaning of a word	68
6379349815	Gothic	a work in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action	69
6379349816	Grotesque	an affect of artistic means to convey grief and pain to the audience	70
6379352036	Auditory Imagery	form of imagery that uses sounds	71
6379354798	Gustatory Imagery	form of imagery that uses taste	72
6379357404	Olfactory Imagery	form of imagery that uses smell	73
6379357405	Tactile Imagery	form of imagery that uses touch	74
6379359294	Romance	an extended narrative about improbable events and extraordinary people in exotic places	75
6379359295	Diction	the choice of words in oral and written discourse	76
6379359296	Syntax	The organization of language into meaningful structure; every sentence has a particular pattern of words	77
6379362744	Point of View	The relation in which a narrator or speaker stands to the story or subject matter of a poem.	78