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AP Literature and Composition > Literary Terms > Flashcards

Literary Terms Flashcards

(62 cards)

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1
Q

Allegory

A

Story or poem where characters/events/settings stand for other people/events/abstract ideas or qualities

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2
Q

Alliteration

A

Repetition of same/similar consonant sounds in words that are close together

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3
Q

Allusion

A

Reference to someone/something that is known from history/religion/politics/sports/science; an indirect reference to something

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4
Q

Ambiguity

A

Deliberately suggesting two or more, sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work

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5
Q

Analogy

A

Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike

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6
Q

Anaphora

A

Repetition of a word/phrase/clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row

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7
Q

Anastrophe

A

Inversion of the usual/logical parts of a sentence (fancy word for “inversion”)

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8
Q

Anecdote

A

Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something

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9
Q

Antimetabole

A

Repetition of word in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order

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10
Q

Antithesis

A

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

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11
Q

Antihero

A

Central character who lacks all usual qualities associated with a hero

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12
Q

Anthropomorphism

A

Attributing human characteristics to animals/inanimate objects (personification)

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13
Q

Aphorism

A

Brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life/a principle/accepted general truth

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14
Q

Apostrophe

A

Calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place/thing/personified abstract idea

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15
Q

Apposition

A

Placing in immediately succeeding order of 2+ coordinate elements, the latter of which is an explanation/qualification/modification of the first

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16
Q

Assonance

A

The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds especially in words that are together

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17
Q

Asyndeton

A

Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus emphasizing the parts equally (instead of X, Y, and Z->X.Y,Z)

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18
Q

Balance

A

Constructing a sentence so that both halves are about the same length and importance

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19
Q

Chiasmus

A

(Poetry): a type of rhetorical balance in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first, but with parts reversed (Prose): antimetabole

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20
Q

Colloquialism

A

A word/phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations

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21
Q

Comedy

A

A story that ends with a happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main character(s)

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22
Q

Conceit

A

An elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different; often an extended metaphor

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23
Q

Confessional Poetry

A

A 20th century term used to describe poetry that uses intimate material from the poet’s life

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24
Q

External Conflict

A

Conflicts can exist between two people, between a person and nature or a machine

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25
Didactic
Form of fiction/nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson/moral/provides a model of correct behavior/thinking
26
Elegy
A poem of mourning, usually about someone who died. (Eulogy: laudatory speech about someone who died)
27
Epanalepsis
Device of repetition in which the same expression is repeated both at beginning and end of line/clause/sentence ("Common sense is not so common")
28
Epic
A long narrative poem, written in heightened language, that recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the value of a particular society
29
Epigraph
A quotation/aphorism at the beginning if a literary work suggestive of the theme
30
Epistrophe
Device of repetition in which the same expression is repeated at the end of 2+ lines/clauses/sentences (opposite of anaphora)
31
Epithet
An adj./adj. phrase applied to a person/thing that is frequently used to emphasize a characteristic quality ("the great Emancipator")
32
Essay
A short piece of nonfiction prose in which the writer discusses some aspect of a subject
33
Causal Relationship
Form of argumentation in which the writer claims that one thing results from another, often used as part of a logical argument
34
Farce
A type of comedy in which ridiculous, often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched situations
35
Flashback
A scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time
36
Hyperbole
A figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration/overstatement for effect
37
Hypotactic
Sentence marked by the use of connecting between clauses/sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them
38
Inversion
The reversal of the normal word order in a sentence/phrase
39
Litotes
A form of understatement in which the positive form is emphasized through the negation of a negative form
40
Local Color
A term applied to fiction/poetry which tends to place special emphasis on a particular setting (including customs, clothing, dialect, and landscape)
41
Loose Sentences
One in which the main clause comes first, followed by further dependent grammatical units
42
Lyric Poem
A poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker (Ballad tells a story)
43
Dead Metaphor
A metaphor that has been used so often that the comparison is no longer vivid
44
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which a person/place/thing is referred to by something closely associated with it ("the crown" used to rep. a monarch)
45
Parable
A relatively short story that teaches a moral, or a lesson about how to lead a good life
46
Paradox
A statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth
47
Paratactic Sentence
Simply juxtaposes clauses/sentences
48
Parody
A work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer's style
49
Periodic
Sentence that places the main idea/central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements
50
Polysyndeton
Sentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate the items in a series (instead of X, Y, and Z-> X and Y and Z)
51
Refrain
A word, phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated several times in a poem
52
Rhythm
A rise and fall of the voice produced by the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in language
53
Romance
A story in which an idealized hero/heroine undertakes a quest and is successful
54
Satire
A type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people/institutions in an attempt to bring about a change
55
Soliloquy
A long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stqge
56
Steam of Consciousness
A style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind
57
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole
58
Syntactic Fluency
Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length
59
Syntactic Permutation
Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved
60
Telegraphic Sentence
A sentence shorter than five words in length
61
Tricolon
Sentence of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses
62
Vernacular
The language spoken by the people who live in a particular locality

AP Literature and Composition (1 decks)

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