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apl > apl literary terms > Flashcards

apl literary terms Flashcards

1
Q

act

A

drama pr play smaller actions or scenes

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2
Q

allegory

A

people things actions/ idea has strong moral/ lesson

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3
Q

alliteration

A

repetition of consonants (tongue twisters)

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4
Q

allusion

A

well-known characters/ events in history (indirect/ brief references)

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5
Q

analogy

A

comparison of obj. alike in certain respects will be alike in others ways too

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6
Q

anecdote

A

interesting incident/ event to entertain/ make a point

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7
Q

antagonist

A

works against main character/ protagonist

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8
Q

aside

A

actors speech directed to audience not heard by other actors on stage

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9
Q

assonance

A

repetition of vowels sounds in poetry

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10
Q

audience

A

group of readers/ views writer addresses when deciding on subj.

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11
Q

author

A

writer of a text

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12
Q

authors purpose

A

their reason for creating a work

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13
Q

autobiography

A

person telling & writing the story of their life

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14
Q

ballad

A

poem tells story meant to be sung or recited

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15
Q

biography

A

story of person’s life written by someone else

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16
Q

blank verse

A

unrhymed iambic pentameter

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17
Q

caesura

A

pause/ sudden break in line of poetry

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18
Q

cause and effect

A

2 related events. first to happen is the cause one that follows is the event

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19
Q

character

A

person responsible for thoughts & actions in literature

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20
Q

caricature

A

exaggerated imitation of persons physical appearance in comic or absurd way

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21
Q

foil

A

character who serves as contrast or conflict to other character

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22
Q

hero/ heroine

A

characters actions inspiring/noble main character of story

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23
Q

main characters

A

central to the plot of story dynamic and round

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24
Q

minor characters

A

less important interacts with main characters helping to move plot static and flat

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25
Q

protagonist

A

novel story play or poem he or she may be the hero of a work

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26
Q

characterization

A

all the techniques that writers use to create characters

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27
Q

character trait

A

personality not a physical description of a character

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28
Q

direct characterization

A

comments about a character nature states a characters traits

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29
Q

dynamic characters

A

changes throughout the story

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30
Q

flat character

A

little character is provided

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31
Q

indirect characterization

A

not directly stated character traits reader draws conclusions that are provided

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32
Q

round character

A

fully described several character traits background information

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33
Q

static character

A

does not change or will change very little in a story

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34
Q

chorus

A

see reform

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35
Q

chronological order

A

order in which events happen in time

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36
Q

clarifying

A

reader process of pausing occasionally reading to quickly review what they understands able to draw conclusions as to what is suggested

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37
Q

cliche

A

figurative language overused expressions or sayings no longer considered original

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38
Q

climax

A

see plot

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39
Q

comedy

A

dramatic work light and often humorous in tone ends happy with peaceful resolution of main conflict

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40
Q

comparison

A

process of identifying similarities

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41
Q

concrete poetry

A

type of poetry that uses physical or visual form to present its message

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42
Q

conflict

A

tension or problem in a story a struggle between opposing forces

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43
Q

central conflict

A

dominant or most important conflict in the story

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44
Q

external conflict

A

problem or struggle exists between main character and an outside force person vs. person person vs. nature person vs. society

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45
Q

internal conflict

A

problem or struggle takes place in main characters person vs. self

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46
Q

connecting

A

readers process of relating content of literary work to his or her own knowledge and experience

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47
Q

connotation

A

idea and feeling associated with a word as opposed to its dictionary meaning `

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48
Q

consonance

A

repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry alliteration is a type of consonance

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49
Q

context clues

A

hints or suggestions that may surround unfamiliar words or phrases

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50
Q

contrast

A

process of pointing out differences between things

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51
Q

couplet`

A

rhymed pair of lines in a poem one of William Shakespeare s trademarks was to end it in a sonnet

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52
Q

denotation

A

opposite of connotation i it is exact dictionary meaning of a word

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53
Q

denouement

A

see plot

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54
Q

dialect

A

form of language that is spoken in particular place or by a particular group of people

55
Q

dialogue

A

conversation between characters in drama or narrative in most works of literature

56
Q

drama

A

also known as a play meant to be performed by actors before an audience written form is called the script

57
Q

drawing conclusions

A

combining several pieces of information to make an inference

58
Q

dramatic monologue

A

when a character reveals his/her innermost thoughts and feelings

59
Q

elegy

A

defined as a song/ poem expresses sorrow/ lamentation usually from one wio has died

60
Q

enjambment

A

in poetry an incomplete syntax at the end of a line meaning running over into next line w/o terminal punctuation ex.: Shakespeare

61
Q

epigram

A

shor poem/ verse that seeks to ridicule a thought/ event witticism/ sarcasm

62
Q

external conflict

63
Q

fable

A

a brief that teaches a lesson about human nature often features animals as characters

64
Q

fact and opinion

A

fact is a statement that can be proven opinion is contrast a statement that reflects writers or speakers belief cannot be supported by proof or evidence

65
Q

falling action

66
Q

fantasy

A

work of literature that contains at least one fantastic or unreal event

67
Q

foil

A

see character

68
Q

folklore

A

traditions customs and stories passed down a culture various types are: legends myths folktales and fables

69
Q

folktale

A

simple story passed down from generations by word of mouth and told primarily to entertain rather explain/ teach a lesson

70
Q

foot

A

unit of meter within a line of poetry

71
Q

foreshadowing

A

writer provides clues or hints that suggest/ predict future events in a story

72
Q

free verse

A

poetry w/o regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm of ordinary speech

73
Q

generalization

A

broad statement about entire group

74
Q

genre

A

type/ category of literature four main genres are: fiction nonfiction poetry and drama

75
Q

haiku

A

traditional form of Japanese poetry usually dealing with nature has three lines and describes a single moment feeling/ thing 1st & 3rd contain 5 syllables & 2nd has 7 syllables

76
Q

heroic couplet/ closed couplet

A

consisting of successive rhyming lines contain a complete thought

77
Q

historical fiction

A

expalins pat time period may contain references to actual people & events of the past

78
Q

horror fiction

A

mysterious & often supernatural events to create sense of terror

79
Q

humor

A

provide laughter? amusement writer creates through exaggeration sarcasm amusing descriptions irony and witty dialogue

80
Q

hyperbole

A

figure of speech truth id exaggerated

81
Q

polysndeton

A

use of coordinating conjunction “and” is overly used as means of stressing a sort of urgency

82
Q

idiom

A

phrase or expression means something different from what the words actually say “over his head” means he is confused

83
Q

imagery

A

words & phrases appeal to the senses writers use to help readers imagine how things look feel smell sound and taste

84
Q

inference

A

logical guess based on the text

85
Q

antithesis

A

emphasizes the idea of contrast by parallel structures of contrasted phrase or clauses opposites patience is bitter but has a sweet fruit. ex. speech is silver but silver is gold

86
Q

anachronism

A

against time chron- time

87
Q

anadiplosis

A

“when i give i give myself” refers to repeating a phrase from of alliteration to begin another idea

88
Q

anagram

A

form of word play rearranging of words dormitory-dirty room

89
Q

interview

A

meeting in which one person asks another about personal matters professional matters or both

90
Q

irony

A

contrast between whats expected and what actually happens/ exists more involved with characters and plot

91
Q

verbal irony

A

speaker means something totally diff. than what he/she is saying often the opposite of what’s said is true

92
Q

dramatic irony

A

occurs when facts are not known to the characters in a work of lit. but by audience

93
Q

cosmic irony

A

unknown force brings about dire & dreadful events

94
Q

irony of situation

A

diff. between whats expected to happen & the way the events actually work out

95
Q

legend

A

story handed down from the past about a specific person usually someone from heroic accomplishments

96
Q

limerick

A

short humorous 5 lines rhyme scheme aabba two rhyming couplets 5th lines rhyme 1st couplet sing-song rhyme

97
Q

literal meaning

A

actual meaning of word or phrase

98
Q

lyric

A

song-like poem written to express feelings or emotions of a single speaker

99
Q

main idea

A

most important point writer wishes to express

100
Q

memoir

A

type of autobiography about authors personal experiences but not entire life

101
Q

metaphor

A

figurative language comparison made between 2 things essentially unalike may have 1 quality in commontsuch as:like or as

102
Q

meter

A

regular pattern of accented & unaccented syllables poems have rhythm not all have regular meter each is a unit (x/u) the metrical foot is basic unit of meter most common stressed & unstressed syllables

103
Q

monometer

A

1 foot per line

104
Q

dimeter

A

2 feet per line

105
Q

trimeter

A

3 feet per line

106
Q

tetrameter

A

4 feet per line

107
Q

pentameter

A

5 feet per line

108
Q

hexameter

A

6 feet per line

109
Q

heptameter

A

7 feet per line

110
Q

octameter

A

8 eet per line

111
Q

metonymy

A

metaphorical substitution of 1 word/ phrase for another related word/ phrase

112
Q

mode

A

atmosphere feeling being conveyed created through plot cahracter authors purpose

113
Q

moral

A

lesson a story teaches often stted at the end of a fable

114
Q

motif

A

recurring obj. concept structure in work of lit. may be 2 contrasting elements such as good/evil allows one to see main points & themes that author is trying to express in order to interpret work more accurately

115
Q

motivation

A

reason why a charc. acts feels or thinks in a certain way

116
Q

myth

A

stories passed on from generation to generation & are of unknown authorship

117
Q

narrative

A

any writing that tells a story novels & short stories are placed into categories of first & third person based on who is tellin gthe story & from what perspective

118
Q

narrative poetry

A

tells a story come from many froms & styles complex & simple short/ long as long as it tells a story contains charac. settings & plots

119
Q

narrator

A

one who tells a story the speaker or “voice” not usually same person as author

120
Q

unreliable narrator

A

one who gives his/ her own understanding of a story instead of explanation & interpretation

121
Q

nonfiction

A

writing that represents & explains ideas/ tells about real people, objects, places/ events ex. autobiographies

122
Q

novel

A

work of fiction longer & more complex than a short story developed in great detail

123
Q

ode

A

lyric poem lenght usually of serious/ meditative nature & having an elevated style formal structure

124
Q

onomatopoeia

A

use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning ex. buzz, bang, hiss

125
Q

oral history

A

stories of people’s lives related by worth of mouth factual material & personal reactions

126
Q

oxymoron

A

form of figurative language combining contrdictory words/ ideas ex. jumbo shrimp

127
Q

paradox

A

statement that seems to contradict itself but is nevertheless true

128
Q

parallelism

A

similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related/ equal in importance ex. the sun rises, the sun sets

129
Q

paraphrasing

A

restatement of text by readers in their own words/ another form

130
Q

parody

A

literary/ artistic work imitates the characteristic style of an authors work for comic wffect. ridicule

131
Q

personification

A

figure of speech where animals ideas or inanimate obj. are given human characteristics

132
Q

persuasion

A

writing meant to sway reader’s feelings, beliefs/ actions normally appeals to both the mnd & emotions of readers

133
Q

plot

A

the sequence of related events that make up a story

134
Q

plot

A

the sequence of related events that make up a story

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