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AP Literature > Lit Terms > Flashcards

Lit Terms Flashcards

1
Q

adage

A

A familiar proverb or wise saying.

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2
Q

allegory

A

a story in which people, things, and events have another meaning

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3
Q

alliteration

A

the repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds, normally at the beginning of words

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4
Q

allusion

A

reference to a well-known historical or literary event, person, or work

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5
Q

ambiguity

A

multiple meanings a literary work may communicate

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6
Q

analogy

A

the comparison of two things, which are alike in several respects, for the purpose of explanations or clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult idea or object by showing how the idea or object is similar to some familiar one.

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7
Q

anaphora

A

The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences.

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8
Q

anecdote

A

A brief narrative tale that focuses on a particular event or incident.

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9
Q

antecedent

A

The word, phrase or clause to which a pronoun refers.

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10
Q

antithesis

A

A statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced. Ex-sink or swim

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11
Q

aphorism

A

a brief sometimes clever saying that expresses a principle, truth or observation about life. examples; “a man is God in ruins” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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12
Q

apostrophe

A

direct address, usually to someone or something not present or nonhuman

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13
Q

assonance

A

the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds

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14
Q

attitude

A

a speaker’s, author’s, or character’s disposition toward or opinion of a subject

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15
Q

cacophony

A

Harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage of a literary work.

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16
Q

chiasmus

A

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed. (“Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary.”

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17
Q

clause

A

a grouping of words containing a subject and a verb

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18
Q

cliche’

A

An expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness or meaning has worn off.

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19
Q

colloquial

A

conversational, slang expressions

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20
Q

conceit

A

An elaborate metaphor, using elements of science or mathematics to point to a striking parallel between two seemingly dissimilar things; used by the metaphysical poets.

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21
Q

connotation

A

associations & implications that go beyond a word’s literal meaning

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22
Q

controlling metaphor

A

comparisons at work throughout poem

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23
Q

convention

A

a device of style or subject matter so often used that it becomes a recognized means of expression

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24
Q

conventional symbol

A

recognized by many people

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25
Q

cumulative sentence

A

A sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases.

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26
Q

denotation

A

literal, dictionary meanings of a word

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27
Q

devices of sound

A

techniques of deploying the sounds of words, especially in poetry, such as rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia

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28
Q

diction

A

word choice –any word that is important to the meaning and the effect of a passage

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29
Q

didactic

A

explicitly instructive

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30
Q

digression

A

the use of material unrelated to the subject of the work

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31
Q

dramatic irony

A

reader knows more than the character

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32
Q

ellipsis

A

the omission of words (…)

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33
Q

epigraph

A

A saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work.

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34
Q

epiphany

A

a sudden realization by the reader and/or a character of the true nature of a person, place, object, or situation (near end of work

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35
Q

epithet

A

A term used to point out a characteristic of a person. (Swift-footed Achilles) Can be abusive, or offensive, but are not so by definition. (The Rock, Jake “the Snake”)

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36
Q

eulogy

A

A formal speech praising a person who has died.

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37
Q

euphemism

A

the substitution of a mild or less negative word or phrase for a harsh or blunt one, as in the use of “pass away” instead of “die” . the basic psychology of this type of language is the desire to put something bad or embarrassing in a positive or at least neutral light. thus many terms referring to death, sex, crime, and excremental functions are expressed using this device. since this device is often chosen to disguise something horrifying, it can be exploited by the satirist through the use of irony and exaggeration

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38
Q

fable

A

A simple symbolic story usually employing animals as characters. Aesop and LaFontaine are authors who excel at this form.

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39
Q

figurative language

A

figures of speech, such as metaphor, simile, and irony etc.

40
Q

flat character

A

A character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of the story.

41
Q

hubris

A

Excessive pride or arrogance that results in a downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy.

42
Q

hyperbole

A

deliberate exaggeration, overstatement without the intention of being accepted literally

43
Q

imagery

A

sensory details such as visual, auditory, or tactile images evoked by the words of a literary work; also used to apply to figures of speech

44
Q

imperative

A

the mood of a verb that gives an order

45
Q

implied metaphor

A

subtle & not explicit (terms compared are not so specifically explained)

46
Q

indicative

A

the mood that makes a factual statement

47
Q

inductive reasoning

A

Deriving general principles from particular facts or instances. (“Every cat I have ever seen has four legs; cats are four-legged animals.)

48
Q

informal diction

A

plain language or everyday use; includes idioms, sayings, simple words

49
Q

jargon

A

Specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession.

50
Q

juxtaposition

A

Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast.

51
Q

limited narrator

A

A narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, heard, thought or felt by that one character.

52
Q

literal

A

not figurative; accurate to the letter

53
Q

litotes

A

a particular form of understatement, is generated by denying the opposite or contrary of the word which otherwise would be used. depending on the tone and context of the usage, this device either retains the effect of understatement or becomes an intensifying expression

54
Q

lyrical

A

songlike;characterized by emotions

55
Q

malapropism

A

The mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar. (“The doctor wrote a subscription.”)

56
Q

metonymy

A

A figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea.Ex. “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

57
Q

monologue

A

A speech given by one character. EX. Hamlet’s “To be or not to be…”

58
Q

mood

A

The emotional atmosphere of a work.

59
Q

narrative techniques

A

methods involved in telling a story such as point of view, manipulation of time, manipulation of pace, dialogue, or interior monologue, etc.

60
Q

ode

A

A formal, lengthy poem that celebrates a particular subject.

61
Q

omniscient narrator

A

A narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feeling of the characters.

62
Q

oxymoron

A

a combination of opposites; the union of contradictory terms into a single expression ie. sweet sorrow

63
Q

palindrome

A

a word, verse, or sentence or number that reads the same backwards and forwards

64
Q

parable

A

a story designed to suggest a principle, illustrate a moral or answer questions also an allegorical story

65
Q

paradox

A

a statement that seems to be self-contradicting but, in fact, is true ie. The more you know, the more you you don’t know

66
Q

parallel plot

A

A secondary story line that mimics and reinforces the main plot. (Hamlet loses his father as does Ophelia.)

67
Q

parallel structure

A

a similar grammatical structure within a sentence or within a paragraph

68
Q

parallelism

A

a recurrent syntactical similarity. in this structural arrangement several parts of a sentence or several sentences are developed and phrased similarly to show that the idea is the parts or sentences are equal in importance. this structural arrangement also adds balance and rhythm and, most importantly, clarity to the sentence

69
Q

parody

A

a composition that imitates the style of another composition, normally for comic effect

70
Q

persona

A

a speaker created by a poet

71
Q

personification

A

a figurative use of language which endows the nonhuman with human characteristics

72
Q

poetic diction

A

use of elevated language over ordinary language

73
Q

point of view

A

any of several possible vantage points from which a story is told: 1st person, 3rd person objective, limited omniscient Persona: the mask or voice of the author or author’s creation in a work when the narrator is in the 1st person

74
Q

reliability

A

a quality of some fictional narrators whose word the reader can trust; there are both reliable and unreliable narrators

75
Q

resources of language

A

a general phrase for the linguistic devices or techniques that a writer can use such as style, rhetoric, diction, syntax, figurative language, imagery, etc.

76
Q

rhetoric

A

the science of literary composition, especially prose; the combination of syntax and diction to create effective writing

77
Q

rhetorical techniques

A

the devices used in effective or persuasive language; some of the many techniques include: contrast, repetition, parallelism, paradox, understatement, sarcasm, rhetorical question etc.

78
Q

round character

A

A character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work.

79
Q

satire

A

writing that seeks to arouse a reader’s disapproval of an object by ridicule with an eye to correcting vice and folly

80
Q

simple sentence

A

A sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause.

81
Q

soliloquy

A

A speech in a play which is used to reveal the character’s inner thoughts to the audience. (Hamlet’s “To be or not to be…” speech is an example.)

82
Q

structure

A

the arrangement of materials within a work; the relationship of the parts of a work to the whole; the logical divisions of a work. The most common principles are series (A,B,C,D,E), contrast (A vs. B, C vs. D, E vs. A), and repetition (AA, BB, AB)

83
Q

Style

A

the characteristic manner of expression of an author; examples of elements to discuss include diction, syntax, figurative language, imagery, selection of detail, sound effects, and tone

84
Q

subplot

A

A secondary plot that explores ideas different from the main story line. In Hamlet the main story line has Hamlet avenging the death of his father, while this has Hamlet dealing with his love for Ophelia.)

85
Q

syllepsis

A

A construction in which one word is used in two different senses. (“After he threw the ball, he threw a fit.”)

86
Q

syllogism

A

a form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them

87
Q

synecdoche

A

A figure of speech that utilizes a part as a representative of the whole. (“All hands on deck” is an example.)

88
Q

synesthesia or synaesthesia

A

Describing one kind of sensation in terms of another. (“A loud color,” “a sweet sound”)

89
Q

syntax

A

the structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence; elements to be considered include: length or brevity; kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations etc.; periodic or loose sentences; simple complex, compound etc.)

90
Q

theme

A

the main thought expressed by a work; sometimes the questions ask for the “meaning of the work”

91
Q

tone

A

the manner in which an author expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning. Tone is described by adjectives. The tone may shift within the selection, and the student is expected to note the shift. Tone is the result of allusion, diction, figurative language, imagery, irony, symbol, syntax, style etc.

92
Q

trite

A

Overused and hackneyed.

93
Q

understatement

A

expressing an idea with less emphasis or in a lesser degree than is the actual case. the opposite of hyperbole. this literary device is employed for ironic emphasis

94
Q

vernacular

A

The everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage.

95
Q

voice

A

the use of active or passive voice

AP Literature (5 decks)

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