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AP Junior English > Literary Terms > Flashcards

Literary Terms Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
0
Q

alliteration

A

Repetition of sounds at the beginnings of words

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1
Q

allegory

A

Writing that has a deeper meaning hidden beneath the obvious one

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2
Q

allusion

A

Reference, without explanation, to a work of literature, a character, a principle, and so on, assuming the reader is familiar with its implications

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3
Q

analogy

A

Comparison of two dissimilar things that are alike in some way, often using simile or metaphor

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4
Q

antagonist

A

Person who opposes or competes with the main character, hero, or heroine; often the villain

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5
Q

antihero

A

Character, usually the protagonist, who faces a series of problems and events in a story, but often is going against traditional societal standards

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6
Q

aphorism

A

Wise saying, usually brief, reflecting a general truth

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7
Q

bildungsroman

A

Fiction depicting the moral and intellectual growth of a protagonist, often intended for the education and guidance of others

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8
Q

bowdlerize

A

To excise material deemed objectionable from a piece of writing

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9
Q

burlesque

A

Literary form which ridicules or mocks

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10
Q

catharsis

A

Therapeutic release of emotion upon identifying with and being moved by a piece of literature

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11
Q

catastrophe

A

Final event of a dramatic work, usually ruin or death

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12
Q

characterization

A

The process of developing a character in a narrative or drama, often through the conflict of the plot

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13
Q

circumlocution

A

Writing or speaking that goes around the subject instead of getting directly to the point

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14
Q

classicism

A

Literary (and other artistic) movements of Ancient Greece and Rome, using strict forms, accenting reason, and characterized by restraint. Opposite of romanticism.

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15
Q

cliché

A

Trite, overused idea or statement

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16
Q

climax

A

High point in the plot where the reader is most intrigued and does not yet know the outcome

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17
Q

coherence

A

Clarity in connecting ideas

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18
Q

comedy

A

Fictional writing that has a happy end for its main characters and contains humor

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19
Q

conciseness

A

“Tight” writing; use of only the necessary words to express thoughts

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20
Q

concision

A

Same as conciseness:”Tight” writing; use of only the necessary words to express thoughts

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21
Q

concrete

A

opposite of abstract; refers to specific people and things that can be perceived with the five senses

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22
Q

conflict

A

Opposing elements of characters in a plot

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23
Q

connotation

A

Feelings and associations added to specific word meaning

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24
Q

consonance

A

Repetition of similar consonant sounds, with changes in intervening vowel sounds

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25
Q

convention

A

Accepted literary form of the past

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26
Q

copyright

A

Legal rights to published works to stop anyone else from using the work without permission

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27
Q

critic

A

Person who evaluates literature and other arts

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28
Q

criticism

A

Essays and critiques evaluating a writer or his work, based on set standards, according to the philosophy of the critic

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29
Q

denotation

A

Dictionary meaning of a word

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30
Q

denouement

A

Outcome, resolution, solution of a plot

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31
Q

dialogue/dialog

A

Speaking and conversation between characters in stories, plays, and in person

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32
Q

didactic

A

Describes literary works meant to teach a moral or lesson

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33
Q

doppelgänger

A

Personification of a character’s darker side; ghost

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34
Q

double entendre

A

Double meaning of word, phrase, or sentence; often raucous or sexual in implication

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35
Q

editorial

A

Newspaper or magazine article expressing opinion of an editor or publisher

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36
Q

ellipsis

A

3 dots (…) to show words have been left out of a quotation or to indicate the passage of time

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37
Q

envoy/envoi

A

Brief postscript to a book, essay, or poem; often the concluding stanza to a ballade, summarizing the quote

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38
Q

epigram

A

Witty, often paradoxical, saying or brief poem

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39
Q

epitaph

A

Inscription on tombstone or marker for the dead

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40
Q

eponym

A

Person whose name is the source of a new word

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41
Q

essay

A

Short prose work expressing author’s views on a subject

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42
Q

euphemism

A

More palatable word for a less pleasant subject

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43
Q

fable

A

Story with a moral or lesson about life, often with animal characters possessing human characteristics

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44
Q

popular fiction

A

Fiction aimed at the mainstream population

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45
Q

science fiction

A

Fiction concerning advanced technology, usually imagined, not actual scientific advancements

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46
Q

first-person narration

A

Story told from the first person point of view, usually using “I”

47
Q

flashback

A

Jumping backwards in the chronology of a narrative, often through a dream or musing sequence

48
Q

foil

A

Character opposite or different from the protagonist, used to highlight the protagonist’s traits; incidents or settings may also be used as foils

49
Q

folklore/folktales

A

Stories and legends transmitted by word of mouth, rather than in writing

50
Q

foreshadow

A

Hints during the narrative about what will happen later; can be literal or symbolic hints

51
Q

literary genre

A

Kind or type of literature; literary classification

52
Q

hero

A

Character, usually the protagonist, who rises above and conquers a series of problems and events in the story

53
Q

homonyms

A

Words that sound alike, are spelled alike, but have different meanings

54
Q

homophones

A

Words that sound alike (also includes homonyms and words that are spelled differently)

55
Q

hyperbole

A

Use of extreme exaggeration for effect

56
Q

i.e.

A

That is (followed usually by explanatory manner)

57
Q

ibid

A

Used in footnotes and bibliographies to refer to the source mentioned directly above

58
Q

idiom

A

Phrase in common use that does not literally mean what it says

59
Q

imagery

A

Creation of a mental picture by pertinent word choice and heightened description

60
Q

in medias res

A

Starting in the middle of events

61
Q

irony

A

Phrases or words with meanings quite different from what is actually stated

62
Q

malapropism

A

Confusion with similar-sounding which often ends up sounding humorous

63
Q

metaphor

A

Comparison of unlike things without using the words like or as

64
Q

moral

A

A lesson the literature is teaching; fables usually teach a lesson about life

65
Q

literary motif

A

Recurrent words or phrases

66
Q

mythology

A

Traditional tales about goddesses, gods, heroes, and other characters, often telling about the creation of the universe, talking about death, or otherwise philosophically explaining human existence

67
Q

narration

A

Telling a story

68
Q

narrator

A

Person telling the story

69
Q

n. b.

A

Note well (followed by important point to remember)

70
Q

nom de plume

A

Pen name or pseudonym used by author

71
Q

novel

A

Long, fictional prose story

72
Q

novella

A

Short novel with fewer characters

73
Q

gothic novel

A

Novel with medieval setting suggesting mystery and/or horror

74
Q

historical novel

A

Full-length fiction book using historical facts as its basis for the plot or setting, but including imaginary characters and dialogue

75
Q

picaresque novel

A

Novel characterized by young hero of lower-class, unrespectable background, who leaves home and is faced with a harsh, cruel world, and eventually conforms to its realities

76
Q

nuance

A

Slight shade in meaning or detail

77
Q

op cit.

A

Used in footnotes/bibliographies to refer to work previously cited or quoted

78
Q

oxymoron

A

Use of paradoxical or opposite words for effect

79
Q

paradox

A

Contradictory statement that makes sense

80
Q

paraphrase

A

Restatement of writing, keeping the basic meaning, but telling it in one’s own words

81
Q

literary parody

A

Satire imitating an author or work with the aim of mockery

82
Q

purple passage

A

Writing that contains flowery, ornate language, often in the midst of otherwise dull passages

83
Q

personification

A

Literary device where writer attributes human qualities to objects or ideas

84
Q

plagiarism

A

Using other people’s work as one’s own without crediting the true author (This is illegal and punishable in court of law)

85
Q

plot

A

Structure of the literature; the way it is put together; the unfolding or sequence of events

86
Q

poetry

A

Poem collection; genre characterized by rhythm, rhyme (sometimes), and stanzas, as opposed to prose

87
Q

point-of-view

A

Perspective from which a story is written; may be omniscient (all-knowing), first person (“I”), switching between characters, or other

88
Q

prose

A

Literature written in sentences and paragraphs, as opposed to poetry or verse

89
Q

protagonist

A

Main character, hero, or heroine, in a written work

90
Q

proverb

A

Saying, adage, or maxim, usually short and generally believed to be true

91
Q

pseudonym

A

Name author uses instead of his/her own name; nom de plume

92
Q

pun

A

Play on words; words put together in such a way as to be humorous

93
Q

rhetorical question

A

Question asked without expecting an answer; used for effect

94
Q

literary realism

A

Literature reflecting real life rather than imaginary or idealistic life

95
Q

redundancy

A

Repetition that is unnecessary and awkward, as contrasted with intentional repetition for a particular effect

96
Q

resolution

A

Clarification, solution, or outcome of the conflict of a story

97
Q

rhetoric

A

Persuasive writing

98
Q

roman à clef

A

Literature based on actual people and places, but written as fiction instead of fact

99
Q

romance

A

Story about heroic deeds, mysterious settings, or love

100
Q

romanticism

A

Literary moment characterized by emotion, imagination, and the goodness of people; little emphasis on reason. Opposite of classicism

101
Q

sarcasm

A

Form of irony which seems to praise, but really criticizes

102
Q

satire

A

Literature that makes fun of social conditions or convention, often done for the purpose of creating change

103
Q

sequel

A

A subsequent work similar to the original, often with the same characters

104
Q

setting

A

Time and place of a story

105
Q

simile

A

Comparison of one thing to another using like or as

106
Q

short story

A

Fiction story shorter than a novel; often has a surprise ending

107
Q

style

A

The way am author characteristically expresses him/herself

108
Q

symbol

A

Word or object that stands for something else

109
Q

synonym

A

Words meaning the same thing

110
Q

fairy tales

A

Fanciful, imaginative story about a hero or heroine overcoming a problem, often involving mystical powers, supernatural power, or magic; often a type of folk tale

111
Q

theme/thesis

A

Main idea in a piece of literature; topic or subject

112
Q

thriller

A

Story or movie filled with suspense

113
Q

tone

A

Mood brought forth by story or poem

114
Q

tragedy

A

Literature, often drama, ending in catastrophe for it protagonists after dealing with a series of problems

115
Q

understatement

A

Form of irony where an author intentionally understates the facts

116
Q

verse

A

Writing with rhyme and meter, as opposed to prose; often verse refers to poetry of a less serious nature

AP Junior English (9 decks)

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