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AP English Lang. > Literary Terms > Flashcards

Literary Terms Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
0
Q

alliteration

A

repetition of sounds at the beginning of words

ex. slug in the slime

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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 that 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, using a 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 the 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, named after Thomas Bowdler

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9
Q

burlesque

A

literary from which ridicules or mocks

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10
Q

catharsis

A

therapeutic release of remotion upon identifying with and being moved 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 pilot.

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13
Q

circumlocution

A

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

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14
Q

classicism

A

literary movements of Ancient Greece and Rome, using strict forms, accenting reason, and characterized by restraint. Opposite is romanticism.

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15
Q

cliche

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

fiction writing that has a happy ending for its major characters and humor

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19
Q

conciseness

A

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

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20
Q

concision

A

see conciseness

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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 or characters in a plot

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23
Q

connotation

A

feelings 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 which stop anyone else from using the work without permission

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27
Q

critic

A

person who evaluates literature or other art

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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 the word

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30
Q

denounement

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

doppelganger

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

three 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

A

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

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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 world

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41
Q

essay

A

short prose work expressing author’s views on a subject

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42
Q

euphenism

A

more palatable word for less pleasant subject

ex. “lady of the night” for “prostitute”

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43
Q

fable

A

story with 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 first person point of view, usually using “I”

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47
Q

flashback

A

jumping backward 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/tales

A

stories and legends transmitted by word of mouth, rather than by writing

50
Q

foreshadow

A

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

51
Q

literary genre

A

kind of 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 (includes homonyms)

55
Q

hyperbole

A

use of extreme exaggeration for effect

56
Q

i.e.

A

that is (followed usually by explanatory matter)

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 mental pictures by pertinent word choice and heightened description

60
Q

in medias res

A

beginning 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 of similar-sounding words 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 existance

67
Q

narration

A

telling a story

68
Q

narrator

A

person telling the story

69
Q

n.b.

A

note well (followed by an important point to remember)

70
Q

nom de plume

A

pen name or pseudonym used by an author

71
Q

novel

A

long, fictional prose story

72
Q

novella

A

short novel with fewer characters than a novel

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 plot or setting but including imaginary characters and dialogue

75
Q

picaresque novel

A

novel characterized by a 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 of 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 a 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

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 collections; genre characterized by rhythm, rhyme, and stanzas, as opposed to prose

87
Q

point-of-view

A

perspective from which the story is written; can be omniscient (all-knowing), first person, shifting between characters, or otherq

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 real name

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 wihout 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

repitition 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 in a story

97
Q

rhetoric

A

persuasive writing

98
Q

roman a clef

A

novel 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 movement characterized by emotion, imagination, and 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 conventions, often for the purpose of creating change

103
Q

sequel

A

a subsequent work similar to an original, often with the same characters

104
Q

setting

A

time and place of a story

105
Q

similie

A

comparison of one thing or another using the words like or as

106
Q

short story

A

fictional story shorter than a novel, often having a suprise ending

107
Q

style

A

the way an author characteristically expresses him or herself

108
Q

symbol

A

a word or object that stands for somethign else

109
Q

synonym

A

words meaning the same

110
Q

synopsis

A

summary or condensed statement of a literary work

111
Q

fairy tale

A

fanciful, imaginary story about a hero or heroine overcoming a problem, often involving mystical creatures, supernatural power, or magic; often a type of folktale.

112
Q

theme/thesis

A

main idea in a piece of literature; topic or subject

113
Q

thriller

A

story or movie filled with suspense

114
Q

tone

A

mood brought forth by story or poem

115
Q

tragedy

A

literature, often drama, ending in catastrophe for the protagonists after dealing with a series of problems

116
Q

understatement

A

form of irony where the author intentionally understates the facts

117
Q

verse

A

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

AP English Lang. (20 decks)

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