AP lit terms (D-L) Flashcards
Denotation
the literal meaning of a word, independent of any emotional effect
Diction
The Author’s word choice
Didactic
any literature that is meant to instruct or to teach
Dramatic irony
When the reader or audience is aware of something that the characters in the story are not. The reader/audience waits anxiously to find out what will happen when the characters discover what we already know
Dramatic monologue
a type of lyric poem in which a character (the speaker) addresses a distinct but silent audience in which the speaker reveals some hidden aspect of his or her personality
Dynamic character(round character)
a character who changes during the course of a
story or novel.
Elegy
a poem of mourning
End rhyme
rhyme that occurs at the ends of verse-lines
End-stopped line
A poetic line in which the end of the line coincides with the end of the grammatical unit, usually the sentence. (The opposite of enjambment.)
Example: This blank verse line is not enjambed but end-stopped.
Enjambment
the continuation of a sentence from one line into the next; “run-on line”
Example: Enjambment makes the reader read beyond the end of any given line of verse.
Epiphany
a sense of sudden radiance and revelation
Euphony
“good sound”, refers to language that is smooth and musically pleasant to the
ear
Exposition
a narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work, that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances
Feminist literary theory
Seeks to correct or supplement what may be regarded as a predominantly male-dominated critical perspective with a [female] consciousness.
First person point of view
The narrator participates in the action of the story.
Foil
A character that is used to enhance another character through contrast.
Foot
- a unit used to measure the meter and rhythmic pattern of a line in poetry
Formalism literary theory
Focuses on the elements of a work, such as its language, structure, and tone.
foreshadowing
hints and clues in a narrative that suggest what is about to happen
Free Verse
unrhymed verse that has no metric pattern or an irregular pattern
Hubris
from the Greek meaning “wanton insolence,” it is a shortcoming or defect in the classical tragic hero that leads him to ignore the warnings of the gods and to bring about his own downfall
hyperbole
a deliberate, extravagant and often outrageous exaggeration; an extravagant exaggeration of fact
Iambic pentameter
the most common verse line in English and American poetry consisting of five verse feet, with each foot an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
Imagery
words or phrases that create pictures or images in the reader’s mind
In medias res
a piece of literature that begins in the middle of the action
Irony
the discrepancy between appearance and reality
Denouement
the “unraveling” of the plot; resolution of plot following the climax
