AP LANGUAGE LITERARY TERMS: 2019 Flashcards

14005429889	allegory	The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.	0
14005429892	anaphora	Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines in a poem.	1
14005429891	ambiguity	When an author leaves out details/information or is unclear about an event so the reader will use his/her imagination to fill in the blanks.	2
14005429893	anecdote	A short story or joke told at the beginning of a speech to gain the audience's attention.	3
14005429895	anti-climatic	When the ending of the plot in poetry or prose is unfulfilling or lackluster.	4
14005429896	apostrophe	When a character speaks to a character, concept or object that is not present or is unable to respond	5
14005429898	blank verse	unrhymed iambic pentameter.	6
14005429900	colloquial language	Informal, conversational language. Colloquialisms are phrases or sayings that are indicative of a specific region.	7
14005429901	connotation	An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing, ie. Bat=evil.	8
14005429902	convention	An understanding between a reader and a writer about certain details of a story that does not need to be explained.	9
14005429904	couplet	Two rhyming lines in poetry.	10
14005429905	deus ex machina	Term that refers to a character or force that appears at the end of a story or play to help resolve conflict. Word means "god from a machine." In ancient Greek drama, gods were lowered onto the stage by a mechanism to extricate characters from a seemingly hopeless situation. The phrase has come to mean any turn of events that solve the characters' problems through an unexpected and unlikely intervention.	11
14005429908	doppelganger	The alter ego of a character-the suppressed side of one's personality that is usually unaccepted by society.	12
14005429910	elegy	A poem or song composed especially as a lament for a deceased person.	13
14005429912	enjambment	The continuation of reading one line of a poem to the next with no pause, a run-on line.	14
14005429913	epic	An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero	15
14005429914	epilogue	A short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion of a play, or in a novel a short explanation at the end of the book which indicates what happens after the plot ends.	16
14005429915	epiphany	Sudden enlightenment or realization about the world	17
14005429916	epistolary	Used to describe a novel that tells its story through letters written from one character to another.	18
14005429917	euphemism	The act of substituting a harsh, blunt, or offensive comment for a more positive one.	19
14005429918	euphony	A succession of words which are pleasing to the ear.	20
14005429924	flat character	A literary character whose personality can be defined by one or two traits and does not change over the course of the story. Flat characters are usually minor or insignificant characters.	21
14005429925	foil	A character that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another.	22
14005429934	Gothic novel	A genre of fiction characterized by mystery and supernatural horror, often set in a dark castle or other medieval setting	23
14005429935	heroine	A woman noted for courage and daring action or the female protagonist.	24
14005429936	hubris	Used in Greek tragedies, refers to excessive pride that usually leads to a hero's downfall.	25
14005429938	illocution	Language that avoids meaning of the words. When we speak, sometimes we conceal intentions or side step the true subject of a conversation expressing two stories, one of which is not apparent to the characters, but is apparent to the reader. For example, if two characters are discussing a storm on the surface it may seem like a simple discussion of the weather, however, the reader should interpret the underlying meaning relationship is in turmoil, chaos, is unpredictable. As demonstrated the story contains an underlying meaning or parallel	26
14005429941	in medias res	A story that begins in the middle of things.	27
14005429863	cosmic Irony	When a higher power toys with human expectations	28
14005429948	metonymy	The use of a word or phrase to stand in for something else which it is often associated. Example: the town of Hollywood usually means the movie business.	29
14005429949	motif	A dominant theme, symbol or phrase that is repeated throughout a work of literature.	30
14005429952	neutral language	Language opposite from emotive language as it is literal or even objective in nature.	31
14005429954	ode	A lyric poem of some length, usually of a serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal structure: usually celebrates something	32
14005429957	parody	A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule.	33
14005429959	poetic justice	The rewarding of virtue and the punishment of vice in the resolution of a plot. The character, as they say, gets what he/she deserves.	34
14005429961	prologue	An introduction or preface, especially a poem recited to introduce a play.	35
14005429968	rites of passage	An incident which creates tremendous growth signifying a transition from adolescence to adulthood.	36
14005429969	round character	A character who is developed over the course of the book, round characters are usually major characters in a novel.	37
14005429971	satire	A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit; the goal is to change the behavior/issue.	38
14005429974	soliloquy	A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener - usually a dramatic convention	39
14005429975	sonnet	A poem with fourteen lines. An Italian sonnet subdivides into two quatrains and two tercets; while an English sonnet subdivides into three quatrains and one couplet.	40
14005429978	tragedy	A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances	41
14013891882	tercet	a stanza in poetry of three lines	42
14013900590	quatrain	a stanza in poetry of four lines	43
14030463424	ellipsis	three periods (...) indicating the omission of words in a thought or quotation	44
14030464836	antithesis	A device used to create contrast by placing two parallel but opposite ideas in a sentence	45
14030483080	alter-ego	A character that is used by the author to speak the author's own thoughts; when an author speaks directly to the audience through a character.	46
14030489197	invective	A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.	47
14030492656	paradox	A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true."You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without getting a job."	48
14030531784	stock character	A stereotyped character	49