AP Lit Terms - Test 3 Flashcards
An atmosphere created by a writer’s diction and the details selected.
Mood
A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work (or in several works by one author), unifying the work by tying the current situation tp previous ones, or new ideas to the theme.
Motif
The reasons for a character’s behavior.
Motivation
The use of words whose sounds echo their sense.
Onomatopoeia
A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.
Oxymoron
A relatively short story that teachs a moral, or lesson, about how to lead a good life.
Parable
A statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth.
Paradox
A paradox used in Zen Buddhism to gain intuitive knowledge.
Koan
The repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures.
Parallel Structure
Simply juxtaposes clauses or sentences.
Paratactic Sentence
A work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer’s style.
Parody
Sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentance, after all introductory elements.
Periodic
A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes.
Personification
The series of related events in a story or play, sometimes called the storyline.
Plot
Introduces characters, situation and setting.
Exposition
Complicates in conflict and situations (may introduce new ones as well).
Rising Action
That point in a plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest. Also called “turning point.”
Climax
The conclusion of a story, when all or most of the conflicts have been settled; often called the denouement.
Resolution
The vantage point from which the writer tells the story.
Point of View
An all knowing narrator tells the story, also using the third person pronouns. This narrator, instead of focusing on one character only, often tells us everything about many characters.
Omniscient Point of View
A narrator who is totally impersonal and objective tells the story, with no comment on any characters or events.
Objective Point of View
One of the characters tells the story.
First Person Point of View
An unknown narrator tells the story, but this narrator zooms in to focus on the thoughts and feelings of only one character.
Third Person Point of View
Sentance which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate the items in a series. Instead of X, Y, and Z…one would write X and Y and Z.
Polysyndeton
The central character in a story, the one who intitates or drives the action.
Protagonist
