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AP Literature and Composition > Literary Terms > Flashcards

Literary Terms Flashcards

1
Q

Allegory

A

Story or poem where characters/events/settings stand for other people/events/abstract ideas or qualities

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2
Q

Alliteration

A

Repetition of same/similar consonant sounds in words that are close together

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3
Q

Allusion

A

Reference to someone/something that is known from history/religion/politics/sports/science; an indirect reference to something

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4
Q

Ambiguity

A

Deliberately suggesting two or more, sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work

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5
Q

Analogy

A

Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike

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6
Q

Anaphora

A

Repetition of a word/phrase/clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row

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7
Q

Anastrophe

A

Inversion of the usual/logical parts of a sentence (fancy word for “inversion”)

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8
Q

Anecdote

A

Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something

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9
Q

Antimetabole

A

Repetition of word in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order

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10
Q

Antithesis

A

Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure

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11
Q

Antihero

A

Central character who lacks all usual qualities associated with a hero

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12
Q

Anthropomorphism

A

Attributing human characteristics to animals/inanimate objects (personification)

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13
Q

Aphorism

A

Brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life/a principle/accepted general truth

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14
Q

Apostrophe

A

Calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place/thing/personified abstract idea

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15
Q

Apposition

A

Placing in immediately succeeding order of 2+ coordinate elements, the latter of which is an explanation/qualification/modification of the first

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16
Q

Assonance

A

The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds especially in words that are together

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17
Q

Asyndeton

A

Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus emphasizing the parts equally (instead of X, Y, and Z->X.Y,Z)

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18
Q

Balance

A

Constructing a sentence so that both halves are about the same length and importance

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19
Q

Chiasmus

A

(Poetry): a type of rhetorical balance in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first, but with parts reversed (Prose): antimetabole

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20
Q

Colloquialism

A

A word/phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations

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21
Q

Comedy

A

A story that ends with a happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main character(s)

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22
Q

Conceit

A

An elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different; often an extended metaphor

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23
Q

Confessional Poetry

A

A 20th century term used to describe poetry that uses intimate material from the poet’s life

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24
Q

External Conflict

A

Conflicts can exist between two people, between a person and nature or a machine

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25
Q

Didactic

A

Form of fiction/nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson/moral/provides a model of correct behavior/thinking

26
Q

Elegy

A

A poem of mourning, usually about someone who died. (Eulogy: laudatory speech about someone who died)

27
Q

Epanalepsis

A

Device of repetition in which the same expression is repeated both at beginning and end of line/clause/sentence (“Common sense is not so common”)

28
Q

Epic

A

A long narrative poem, written in heightened language, that recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the value of a particular society

29
Q

Epigraph

A

A quotation/aphorism at the beginning if a literary work suggestive of the theme

30
Q

Epistrophe

A

Device of repetition in which the same expression is repeated at the end of 2+ lines/clauses/sentences (opposite of anaphora)

31
Q

Epithet

A

An adj./adj. phrase applied to a person/thing that is frequently used to emphasize a characteristic quality (“the great Emancipator”)

32
Q

Essay

A

A short piece of nonfiction prose in which the writer discusses some aspect of a subject

33
Q

Causal Relationship

A

Form of argumentation in which the writer claims that one thing results from another, often used as part of a logical argument

34
Q

Farce

A

A type of comedy in which ridiculous, often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched situations

35
Q

Flashback

A

A scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time

36
Q

Hyperbole

A

A figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration/overstatement for effect

37
Q

Hypotactic

A

Sentence marked by the use of connecting between clauses/sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them

38
Q

Inversion

A

The reversal of the normal word order in a sentence/phrase

39
Q

Litotes

A

A form of understatement in which the positive form is emphasized through the negation of a negative form

40
Q

Local Color

A

A term applied to fiction/poetry which tends to place special emphasis on a particular setting (including customs, clothing, dialect, and landscape)

41
Q

Loose Sentences

A

One in which the main clause comes first, followed by further dependent grammatical units

42
Q

Lyric Poem

A

A poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker (Ballad tells a story)

43
Q

Dead Metaphor

A

A metaphor that has been used so often that the comparison is no longer vivid

44
Q

Metonymy

A

A figure of speech in which a person/place/thing is referred to by something closely associated with it (“the crown” used to rep. a monarch)

45
Q

Parable

A

A relatively short story that teaches a moral, or a lesson about how to lead a good life

46
Q

Paradox

A

A statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth

47
Q

Paratactic Sentence

A

Simply juxtaposes clauses/sentences

48
Q

Parody

A

A work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer’s style

49
Q

Periodic

A

Sentence that places the main idea/central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements

50
Q

Polysyndeton

A

Sentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate the items in a series (instead of X, Y, and Z-> X and Y and Z)

51
Q

Refrain

A

A word, phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated several times in a poem

52
Q

Rhythm

A

A rise and fall of the voice produced by the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in language

53
Q

Romance

A

A story in which an idealized hero/heroine undertakes a quest and is successful

54
Q

Satire

A

A type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people/institutions in an attempt to bring about a change

55
Q

Soliloquy

A

A long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stqge

56
Q

Steam of Consciousness

A

A style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character’s mind

57
Q

Synecdoche

A

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole

58
Q

Syntactic Fluency

A

Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length

59
Q

Syntactic Permutation

A

Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved

60
Q

Telegraphic Sentence

A

A sentence shorter than five words in length

61
Q

Tricolon

A

Sentence of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses

62
Q

Vernacular

A

The language spoken by the people who live in a particular locality

AP Literature and Composition (1 decks)

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