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AP Lit Terms Flashcards

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1
Q

Abstract

A

in writing; typically complex, discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points

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2
Q

Academic

A

adj; describing style; dry and theoretical writing

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3
Q

Accent

A

in poetry; refers to stressed portion of a word; to BE or NOT to be

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4
Q

aesthetic

A

adj; something that is appealing to the senses; artistic judgement; the study if beauty

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5
Q

allegory

A

a story that has a symbolic meaning outside the tale itself

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6
Q

alliteration

A

the repetition of initial consonant sounds

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7
Q

allusion

A

a reference to another work or famous figure

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8
Q

anachronism

A

Greek; misplaced in time; a wristwatch in Julius Caesar

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9
Q

analogy

A

a type of comparison

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10
Q

anecdote

A

a short narrative

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11
Q

antecedent

A

word, phrase, or clause that a pronoun refers to or replaces

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12
Q

anthropomorphism

A

when something is given human like characteristics

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13
Q

anticlimax

A

when an action produces far smaller results than anticipated

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14
Q

antihero

A

protagonist that is unheroic; weak, cowardly, dishonest or any undesirable qualities

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15
Q

aphorism

A

a short and witty saying

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16
Q

apostrophe

A

when a speaker speaks directly to something that is non-human; Wilson the volleyball

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17
Q

archaism

A

deliberate use of old-fashioned language to create a feeling of antiquity

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18
Q

aside

A

speech made by an actor to the audience as though momentarily stepping outside of the action of the play; Myer’s time outs

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19
Q

assonance

A

the repeated use of vowel sounds; Old King Cole was a merry old soul

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20
Q

atmosphere

A

emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene

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21
Q

ballad

A

long narrative poem with regular meter and rhyme; has a naive folksy quality; distinguishes it from epic poetry

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22
Q

bathos

A

trying to elicit tears from every hiccup

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23
Q

pathos

A

evoking feelings of sympathy and pity

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24
Q

black humor

A

use of disturbing themes in humor/comedy; suicide jokes

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25
bombast
using pretentious language to sound smarterer
26
burlesque
a broad parody, takes style, form drama, and exaggerates it into ridiculousness
27
cacophony
in poetry; harsh awkward sounds which are difficult to pronounce
28
cadence
the beat or rhythm of poetry in a general sense
29
canto
name for a section dividing a long work of poetry; poem into parts like the chapters of a book
30
caricature
a portrait that exaggerates a facet of personality or appearance
31
catharsis
from Aristotle; the cleansing of emotions an audience member experiences, having lived vicariously through the experiences on stage
32
chorus
Greek drama; a group of citizens who stand outside the main action on stage and comment on it
33
classic
"typical" or an accepted masterpiece
34
coinage
a neologism (new word or phrase) invented on the spot; often people's names; that's such a Macy thing to do
35
colloquialism
common everyday language; almost slang (non academic)
36
complex; dense
two terms carrying similar meaning, suggesting a multitude or a variety of layers and meanings
37
conceit
a startling or unusual metaphor, or a metaphor expanded over several lines
38
controlling image
when a metaphor dominates the entire work
39
connotation
the implied meaning of a word
40
denotation
the literal meaning of a word
41
consonance
harmony/agreement among components; repetition of consonants (ends of stressed syllables)
42
couplet
pair of lines that end in rhyme or two consecutive lines that rhyme
43
decorum
related to behavior, speech, according to occasion; Rules of decorum; decorum delegates!
44
diction
the choice of words in a work
45
syntax
the order of words in a work
46
dirge
a song for the dead; sung slowly; melancholy
47
dissonance
disagreement among sounds or ideas
48
doggerel
cruel, simplistic verse, often in sing-song rhyme
49
dramatic irony
when the audience knows something that the characters on stage don't; Oedipus
50
dramatic monologue
when a speaker in a play directly says something to a silent audience; breaking the 4th wall
51
elegy
poem for the dead; or to mourn the loss of something
52
enjambment
the continuation of a syntactic unit from one line or couplet of a poem to the next with no pause
53
epic
a long narrative poem on a serious theme in a dignified style; deals with glorious or profound subject matter
54
epitaph
lines that commemorate the dead at their burial place; on a tombstone
55
euphemism
a word or phrase to sugar coat a harsh one; passed away instead of died
56
euphony
when sounds blend harmoniously together
57
explicit
to say something directly or clearly
58
farce
modern; extremely broad humor | traditional; funny play/comedy
59
feminine rhyme
when the last lines rhyme by their final two syllables
60
foil
a secondary character whose purpose is to highlight a characteristic of the main character; usually by contrast
61
implicit
to say or write something that is implied, but is never stated directly
62
in medias res
in the midst of things
63
interior monologue
in novels and poetry; refers to writing that records the mental talking that goes on inside a character's head
64
inversion
switching the customary order of elements in a sentence or phrase; Yoda
65
verbal irony
saying the opposite of what you mean/intend
66
situational irony
a direct opposite result of what was expected
67
lament
a passionate expression of grief or sorrow
68
lampoon
to publicly criticize someone or something by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm; Ratatouille
69
lyric
poetry; explores the poet's personal interpretation and feelings about the world
70
masculine rhyme
a rhyme on the final stressed syllable
71
melodrama
cheesy theater; where the good guy is GOOD and the bad guy is BAD; ProZD and Antman
72
metaphor
directly comparing two things by saying that one thing IS the other
73
simile
comparing two things by using LIKE or AS
74
metonymy
a word that substitutes another word, while sharing similar attributes

Ap Lit (2 decks)

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