AP Literature Vocab Flashcards

10561459012	Abstract	this is typically complex, discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points.	0
10561470395	Academic	Dry and theoretical writing. When a piece of writing seems to be sucking all the life out of its subject with analysis.	1
10561483714	Accent	In poetry, refers to the stressed portion of a word.	2
10561485869	Aesthetic	Used a s an adjective meaning "appealing to the senses."	3
10561489977	Allegory	A literary work in which the characters represent abstract ideas; a symbolic representation.	4
10561501241	Alliteration	Repetition of initial consonant sounds.	5
10561505918	Allusion	A reference to another work of literature, person, or event	6
10561513416	Anachronism	Something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred.	7
10561517730	Analogy	A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way.	8
10565804969	Anecdote	A short narrative	9
10565831005	Antecedent	The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers.	10
10565839748	Anthropomorphism	The attribution of human characteristics to animate or inanimate objects.	11
10565844057	Anticlimax	A disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events.	12
10565852781	Antihero	A protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero (or her a heroine)	13
10565864036	Aphorism	A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life.	14
10565872824	Apostrophe	Address to an absent or imaginary person.	15
10565875176	Archaism	The use of deliberately old fashioned language.	16
10565880139	Aside	A line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage	17
10565890377	Assonance	The repetition of vowel sounds	18
10565892698	Atmosphere	The emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene	19
10565902167	Ballad	any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric form.	20
10565909146	Black Humor	The use of disturbing themes in comedy.	21
10565911794	Bombast	Speech or writing that sounds grand or important but has little meaning.	22
10565920450	Burlesque	A theatrical entertainment of broad and earthly humor.	23
10565923786	Cacophony	Harsh, jarring, discordant of sounds or words.	24
10565931994	Canto	A major division of a long poem	25
10565935149	Caricature	Drawing, imitation, or description that ridiculously exaggerates peculiarities or defects.	26
10565945223	Catharsis	An emotional pr psychological cleansing that brings relief or renewal.	27
10565964986	Chorus	In Greek drama, the group of citizens who stand outside the main action on stage and comment on it.	28
10565974077	Colloquialism	Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing.	29
10565985699	Conceit	A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.	30
10566007320	Connotation	The implied or associative meaning of a word.	31
10566017010	Consonance	Repetition of consonant sounds.	32
10566021371	Couplet	Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.	33
10566026464	Decorum	Conformity to accepted standards of conduct; proper behavior.	34
10566081696	Denotation	The dictionary definition of a word.	35
10566084473	Diction	A writer's of speaker's choice of words.	36
10566089330	Dirge	A song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to dead person.	37
10566103950	Dissonance	Harsh or grating sounds that do not go together.	38
10566110772	Doggerel	Badly between or trivial verse, often with a singsong rhythm.	39
10566120235	Dramatic Irony	Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play.	40
10566132435	Dramatic Monologue	When a single speaker in literature says something to a silent audience.	41
10566136299	Elegy	A formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme.	42
10566141597	Enjambment	The continuation of a syntactic unit from one line of verse into the next line without a pause.	43
10566149356	Epic	A long narrative poem written in elevated style which present the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation.	44
10566172421	Epitaph	A brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone.	45
10566516313	Euphemism	A mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term.	46
10566526326	Euphony	Any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds.	47
10566531579	Farce	A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious scornful purpose.	48
10566564216	feminine rhyme	Latter two syllables of first word rhyme with latter two syllables or second word(ceiling appealing)	49
10566597924	Foil	A character whose personality and attitude contrast sharply with those of another	50
10566604950	Foot	The basic unit of rhythmic measurements in a line of poetry.	51
10566620550	Foreshadowing	The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot.	52
10566624355	Free Verse	Unrhymed verse without a consistent metrical pattern.	53
10566633442	Gothic Verse	A novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action.	54
10566635961	Hubris	excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy.	55
10566644296	Hyperbole	A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor.	56
10566670497	interior Monologue	A narrative technique that records a character's internal flow of thoughts, memories, and ideas; a longish passage of uninterrupted thought.	57
10566680759	Inversion	The reversal of the normal order of words.	58
10566684918	Irony	A contrast between what is expected and what actually exists of happens.	59
10566688926	Lampoon	Ridicule with satire.	60
10566694372	Lyric	Of or relating to a category of poetry that expresses emotion (often in a songlike way)	61
10566699232	Masculine Rhyme	Final syllable of first word rhymes with final syllable of second word (scald recalled)	62
10566711965	Melodrama	A form of cheesy theater in which the hero is very, very good, the villain mean and rotten, and the heroine oh-so-pure.	63
10566704758	Metaphor	A figure of speech comparing two unlike things without using like or as.	64
10566720152	Metonym	A word that is used to stand for something else that is has attributes of or is associated with.	65
10566726902	Nemsis	The protagonist's arch enemy or supreme and persistent difficulty.	66
10566732448	Objectivity	An impersonal presentation of events and characters.	67
10566739946	Onomatopoeia	the use of words that imitate sounds	68
10566742579	Oxymoron	A figure of speech consisting of two apparently contradictory terms.	69
10566747273	Parable	a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson	70
10566750045	Paradox	A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.	71
10566759817	Parallelism	The use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similar grammatical form.	72
10566765912	Parody	A work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner.	73
10566770489	Pastoral	a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the life of shepherds)	74
10566773638	Pathos	A quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow)	75
10571500517	Persona	the speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing	76
10571503887	Personification	the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc.	77
10571510615	Plaint	a poem or speech expressing sorrow	78
10571512054	Protagonist	the main character in a literary work	79
10571514170	Pun	a play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings	80
10571526526	Refrain	The repetition of one or more phrases or lines at definite intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza	81
10571529461	Requiem	A song of prayer for the dead.	82
10571531004	rhapsody	an intensely passionate verse or section of verse, usually of love or praise	83
10571551353	Rhetorical Question	a statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered	84
10571536439	Satire	A literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision	85
10571564796	Simile	A comparison using "like" or "as"	86
10571568465	Soliloquy	in drama, a character speaks alone on stage to allow his/her thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience	87
10571575721	Stanza	a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem	88
10571577186	stock character	standard or clichéd character types: the drunk, the miser, the foolish girl, etc.	89
10571589495	Subjectivity	a personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author's feelings and opinions	90
10571594233	subjunctive mood	A grammatical situation involving the words "if" and "were," setting up a hypothetical situation.	91
10571596724	summary	a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form	92
10571607575	Symbolism	A device in literature where an object represents an idea.	93
10571610216	Theme	The main idea of the story	94
10571610217	Thesis	the primary position taken by a writer or speaker	95
10571615423	Tragic Flaw	The character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall.	96
10571638626	Travesty	a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation	97
10571643223	Truism	an obvious truth	98
10571660838	Utopia	an imagined place considered to be everything is perfect or ideal	99
10571672217	zeugma	When a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them.	100