AP Literature Literary Terms Flashcards

13854798264	Absolute	A word free from limitations or qualifications ("best"/"all"/"unique"/"perfect")	0
13854807164	Adage	A familiar proverb or wise saying	1
13854808878	Allegory	A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions	2
13854845158	Alliteration	The repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words	3
13854848326	Allusion	A reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize	4
13854853130	Anaphora	The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences	5
13854859893	Anecdote	A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event	6
13854865423	Antithesis	A statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced	7
13854868647	Apostrophe	A figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or some abstraction	8
13854874747	Aphorism	A concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance	9
13854879661	Archetype	A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response	10
13854890913	Asyndeton	A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjuction	11
13854895614	Bathos	Insincere or overly sentimental quality or writing/speech intended to evoke pity	12
13854904602	Chiasmus	A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary")	13
13855025678	Cliche	An expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off	14
13855030602	Colloquialism	Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing	15
13855034946	Conceit	A fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor	16
13855039396	Connotation	The implied or associative meaning of a word	17
13855043316	Denotation	The literal meaning of a word	18
13855047118	Dialect	A variety or speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region	19
13855057689	Didactic	Having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing	20
13855064121	Dissonance	Harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds	21
13855068981	Elegy	A formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme	22
13855072939	Ellipsis	The omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context ("Some people prefer cats; others, dogs")	23
13855083391	Epigram	A brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying	24
13855086085	Epigraph	A saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work	25
13855091182	Epiphany	A moment of sudden revelation or insight	26
13855094998	Epitaph	An inscription on a tombstone or burial place	27
13855100388	Epithet	A term used to point out a characteristic of a person; it sometimes can be compound adjectives ("swift-footed Achilles") or can be offensive or abusive but are not so by definition	28
13855115344	Eulogy	A formal speech praising a person who has died	29
13855120984	Euphemism	An indirect, less offensive way or saying something that is considered unpleasant	30
13855126090	Expletive	An interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity	31
13855133208	Hubris	Excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy	32
13855138350	Hyperbole	Intentional exaggeration to create an effect	33
13855141668	Idiom	An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression or a regional dialect or speech	34
13855152942	Imagery	The use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses	35
13855158759	Inference	A conclusion one draws based on premises or evidence	36
13855162967	Invective	An intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack	37
13855176346	Jargon	The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession	38
13855180999	Juxtaposition	Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast	39
13855186656	Literary License	Deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect	40
13855193240	Litotes	A type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite	41
13855200671	Malapropism	The mistaken substitution of one word for another that sounds similar	42
13855205473	Maxim	A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage	43
13855211062	Metaphor	A direct comparison of two different things	44
13855215561	Metonymy	Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it ("The pen is mightier than the sword")	45
13855226300	Mood	The emotional atmosphere of a work	46
13855226343	Motif	A standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works	47
13855234737	Non-sequitur	An inference that does not follow logically from the premises	48
13855238101	Onomatopoeia	A word formed from the imitation of natural sounds	49
13855243991	Oxymoron	An expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined	50
13855248052	Paradox	An apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth	51
13855253480	Parody	A humorous imitation of a serious work	52
13855257694	Pathos	The quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity	53
13855261418	Pedantic	Characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship	54
13855266770	Personification	Giving non-human objects or creatures human qualities or characterisitics	55
13855273800	Polysyndeton	The use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions that is necessary or natural	56
13855288850	Pun	A play on words, often acheived through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings	57
13855293840	Rhetoric	The art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner	58
13855297325	Sarcasm	Harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule	59
13855301089	Simile	A comparison of two things using "like" or "as" or other specifically comparative words	60
13855309613	Solecism	Nonstandard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules	61
13855313540	Syllepsis	A construction in which one word is used in two different senses ("After he threw the ball, he threw a fit")	62
13855320819	Syllogism	A three-part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise (All men are moral; Socrates is a man; therefore, Socrates is moral)	63
13855338536	Synecdoche	Using one part of an object to represent the entire object ("wheels referring to a car")	64
13855348844	Synesthesia	Describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color/ a sweet sound")	65
13855356559	Tautology	Needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding ("widow woman/ free gift")	66
13855364983	Tone	The attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience	67
13855368854	Trite	Overused and hackneyed	68