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AP Lit Terms Flashcards

(75 cards)

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1
Q

Allegory

A

The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.

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2
Q

Alliteration

A

The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words

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3
Q

Allusion

A

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art

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4
Q

Ambiguity

A

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage

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5
Q

Anachronism

A

Something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context

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6
Q

Analogy

A

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

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7
Q

Anapest

A

A metrical foot consisting of two unaccented syllables followed by one accented syllable

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8
Q

Anaphora

A

A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences

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9
Q

Anecdote

A

A short account of an interesting or humorous incident

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10
Q

Antagonist

A

Any force in a story or play that is in conflict with the protagonist. Can be a person, the environment, or destructive element in the antagonist’s own nature

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11
Q

Antecedent

A

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

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12
Q

Antihero

A

A protagonist (main character) who is markedly un-heroic: morally weak, cowardly, dishonest, or any number of other unsavory qualities

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13
Q

Antithesis

A

An opposition or contrast of ideas. Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure

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14
Q

Aphorism

A

A terse statement of known authorship, which expresses a general truth or a moral principle

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15
Q

Apostrophe

A

Act of addressing some abstraction or personification that is not physically present, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer

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16
Q

Approximate Rhyme (AKA slant rhyme)

A

Term used for words in a rhyming pattern that have some kind of sound correspondence but are not perfect rhymes

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17
Q

Archaism

A

A word, expression, spelling, or phrase that is out of date in the common speech of an era, but still deliberately used by a writer, poet, or playwright for artistic purposes

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18
Q

Archetype

A

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

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19
Q

Aside

A

A remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience and/or a specific character but unheard by the other characters in the play.

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20
Q

Assonance

A

Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity

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21
Q

Asyndeton

A

The deliberate omission of conjunctions from series of related independent clauses. The effect is to create a tight, concise, and forceful sentence

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22
Q

Ballad

A

Fairly short narrative poem written in song like stanza form

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23
Q

Blank Verse

A

Unrhymed iambic pentameter

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24
Q

Burlesque

A

Ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature; humorous and provocative stage show

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25
Cacophony
(n) Harsh- sounding mixture of words, voices, or sounds
26
Caesura
A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line
27
Catharsis
An emotional cleansing or purging; A purifying or figurative cleansing of the emotions, especially pity and fear, described by Aristotle as an effect of tragic drama on its audience
28
Chiasmus
A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary.")
29
Chorus
A group of characters in Greek tragedy (and in later forms of drama), which comment on the action of a play without participation in it
30
Cliché
A worn-out idea or overused expression
31
Colloquial/Colloquialism
The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing
32
Comedy
Type of drama that starts out with conflict, but by the end of the play all conflicts are resolved and the play ends happily
33
Comic Relief
In a tragedy, a comic scene that follows a scene of seriousness and by contrast intensifies the emotions aroused by the serious scene
34
Connotation
The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning
35
Consonance
Repetition at close intervals of the final consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words (ex: book, plaque, thick)
36
Couplet
Two successive lines, usually in the same meter, that rhyme
37
Dactyl
A metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables
38
Denotation
The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color
39
Developing/Dynamic Character
Character who during the course of work undergoes a permanent change in some distinguishing moral qualities or personal traits or outlook
40
Dialect
A regional speech pattern; the way people talk in different parts of the world
41
Diction
Related to style, refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness
42
Direct Characterization (direct presentation of character)
Method of characterization in which the author directly tells the reader what the character is like or has someone else in the story tell the reader what the character is like
43
Duple meter
Meter in which the majority of the feet contain two syllables
44
Elegiac
Expressing sorrow or lamentation; a work that has a mournful quality
45
Elegy
A sorrowful poem or speech
46
Ellipsis
Three dots that indicate words have been left out of a quotation; They also can be used to create suspense
47
English or Shakespearean Sonnet
Form of poem rhyming ababcdcdefefgg. It usually contains 3 quatrains and a concluding couplet, but is sometimes structured like the Italian sonnet with an octave and sestet, with the principle break in thought coming at the end of the 8th line
48
Enjambment
A line having no pause or end punctuation but having uninterrupted grammatical meaning continuing to the next line
49
Epigram
A concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement
50
Epiphany
A moment of sudden revelation or insight
51
Epistrophe
The ending of a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words. When it appears in speech or essay, it is emotionally potent.
52
Euphemism
From the Greek for "good speech," a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept
53
Euphony
A succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony
54
Extended Metaphor
A comparison developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work
55
Feminine Rhyme
Rhyme in which the repeated accented vowel is in either the 2nd or the 3rd last syllable of the words involved
56
Figurative Language
Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid
57
Figure of Speech
A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things: includes apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, understatement
58
Flat Character
Character whose distinguishing moral qualities or personal traits are summed up in one or two traits
59
Foil
A character that is in most ways opposite to the main character (protagonist) or one who is nearly the same as the protagonist. The purpose of this character is to emphasize the traits of the main character by contrast.
60
Foot
Basic unit in the scansion of or measurement of verse. Usually contains one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables
61
Foreshadowing
A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader
62
Form
External pattern or shape of a poem describable without reference to its content-sonnet, free verse, blank verse, ballad, etc.
63
Genre
The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama
64
Grotesque
Commonly used to denote aberrations from the norm of harmony, balance and proportion. Characterized by distortion, exaggeration, absurd, or the bizarre
65
Homily
This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.
66
Hubris
Excessive pride or self-confidence
67
Hyperbole
A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. (The literal Greek meaning is "overshoot.")
68
Idiom
An expression that cannot be understood if taken literally
69
Imagery
The sensory details of figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, this word uses terms related to the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory
70
Implicit
(adj.) Implied or understood though unexpressed; without doubts of reservations, unquestioning; potentially contained in
71
Indirect Characterization (indirect presentation of character)
Method of characterization in which the author shows us a character in action compelling us to infer what the character is like from what is said by or about the character or done by the character
72
In medias res
A Latin term for a narrative that starts not at the beginning of events but at some other critical point
73
Invective
An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language
74
Irony
The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true. . In general, there are three major types of irony used in language: (1) verbal irony - when the words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) meaning (2) situational irony - when events turn out the opposite of what was expected; when what the characters and readers think ought to happen is not what does happen (3) dramatic irony - when facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work.
75
Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet
Sonnet consisting of an octave rhyming abbaabba and of a sestet using any arrangement of two or three additional rhyme schemes such as cdcdcd or cdecde

AP Lit (2 decks)

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