AP LITERATURE TERMS Flashcards

8846185823	DICTION	A SPEAKER OR WRITERS CHOICE OF WORDS	0
8846185824	SYNTAX	Syntax is a set of rules in a language. It dictates how words from different parts of speech are put together in order to convey a complete thought.	1
8846185825	TONE	The attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience, revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization	2
8846185826	IMAGERY	the use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience.	3
8846188457	FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE	Words which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, but are used to describe. Similes and metaphors are common forms.	4
8846188458	POINT OF VIEW	the vantage point from which the writer tells the story.	5
8846188501	DETAIL	Details are items or parts that make up a larger picture or story. Chaucer's "Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales is celebrated for its use of a few details to bring the characters to life. The miller, for example, is described as being brawny and big-boned, able to win.	6
8846190963	PACING	In literature, pace, or pacing is the speed at which a story is told. The pace is determined by the length of the scenes, how fast the action moves, and how quickly the reader is provided with information. It is also sometimes determined by the genre of the story.	7
8846190964	SHIFT	A rhetorical shift occurs when speakers or writers alter their style or tone in a piece. It is often accompanied by a shift in focus. These shifts may happen between rhetorical modes -- a term representing in what manner or to what purpose language is used -- or simply from one frame of reference to another.	8
8846190965	CONNOTATION	The implications of a word or phrase, as opposed to its exact meaning (denotation). Both China and Cathay denote a region in Asia, but to a modern reader, the associations of the two words are different.	9
8846192734	DENOTATION	The dictionary meaning of a word, as opposed to connotation.	10
8846192735	THEME	The main thought expressed by a work. Essay questions may ask for discussion of the theme or themes of a work or may use the words "meaning" or "meanings." The open question frequently asks you to relate a discussion on one subject to a "meaning of the work as a whole." When preparing the novels and plays you might use on the open question, be sure to consider what theme or themes you would write about if you are asked to talk about a "meaning of the work." The question is much harder to answer for some works than others. I'm not sure what I would say is the meaning of Hamlet, Wuthering Heights, or Waiting for Godot. But I have much less trouble defining a theme in works like Brave New World or Animal Farm.	11
8846319786	ALLEGORY	a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.	12
8846319787	ALLUSION	an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.	13
8846322111	ALLITERATION	the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.	14
8846322112	ANALOGY	a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.	15
8846324938	EPIPHANY	Epiphany is the point in a work of literature where a character has a sudden insight or realization that changes his or her understanding.	16
8846324939	FOIL	a character who contrasts with another character —usually the protagonist— to highlight particular qualities of the other character.	17
8846324940	HYPERBOLE	exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.	18
8846327354	JUXTAPOSITION	the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.	19
8846327355	IRONY	the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.	20
8846327356	LITOTES	ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary	21
8846328729	METAPHORE	a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.	22
8846330520	OXYMORON	a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction	23
8846330521	PARODY	an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.	24
8846332391	PERSONIFICATION	the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.	25
8846334161	SIMILE	a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid using "like" or "as"	26
8846334162	SYMBOL	a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g., the letter or letters standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation.	27
8846336090	SATIRE	the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.	28