AP Literary Terms Quiz II Flashcards
Inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. Purpose is rhythm or emphasis or euphony. It is a fancy word for inversion. (Yoda)
Anastrophe
Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus emphasizing the parts equally: instead of X, Y, and Z…, the writer uses X, Y, Z…
Asyndeton
Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike
Analogy
Repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order.
Moliere (Master of French Comedy) : “One should eat to live, not live to eat.”
Antimetabole
Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something, often shows character of an individual.
Anecdote
two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry.
Couplet
a twentieth century term used to describe poetry that uses intimate material from the poet’s life.
Confessional poetry
the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition
Connotation
in general, a story that ends with the happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main character or characters.
Comedy
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point more coherent.
Anaphora
a word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations. (“He’s out of his head if he thinks I’m gonna go for such a stupid idea.” (out of his head and gonna go for))
Colloquialism
story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people or events or abstract ideas or qualities (EXAMPLE: Animal Farm; Dante’s Inferno; Lord of the Flies)
Allegory
deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work. An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way– this is done on purpose by the author, when it is not done on purpose, it is vagueness, and detracts from the work.
Ambiguity
Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure.
Antithesis
the repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds especially in words that are together
Assonance
reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture. An indirect reference to something (usually from literature, etc.).
Allusion
In poetry, a type of rhetorical balance in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first, but with the parts reversed. Coleridge: “Flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike.”
Chiasmus
Central character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes. may lack courage, grace, intelligence, or moral scruples.
Antihero
repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together
Alliteration
Placing in immediately succeeding order of two or more coordinate elements, the latter of which is an explanation, qualification, or modification of the first (often set off by a colon).
Paine: “These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will end this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it Now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. “
Apposition
Constructing a sentence so that both halves are about the same length and importance.
Balance
calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea.
If the character is asking a god or goddess for inspiration it is called an invocation
(“O happy dagger!”)
Apostrophe
an elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different. Often an extended metaphor.
Conceit
is a word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse.
Cliche
brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or accepted general truth. Also called maxim, epigram. (“Actions speak louder than words.”)
Aphorism
