American Literature and Composition Exam Review Vocabulary – Flashcards
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Exposition
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the speech primarily intended to convey information or to explain; a detailed or explanation
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Descriptive
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to represent or give in an account of words
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Narrative
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the art of providing spoken commentary
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Persuasion
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to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, a course of education
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Plain
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lacking ornament, free of extraneous matter
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Ornate
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marked by elaborate rhetoric or florid design
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Diction
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the choice of words and their use; particularly for clarity, effectiveness, and precision
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Iambic Couplet
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two successive lines of verse consisting of one short syllable
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Metaphor
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a figurative, implicit, comparison between two essential unlike things nevertheless suggests a similarity between the two
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Conceit
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an elaborate or strained metaphor
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Autobiography
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a biography of a person narrated by themself
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Aphorism
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a concise statement of a principle; a terse memory of a truth or sentiment
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Epitaph
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an inscription on or at a tomb or a grave in memory of the one buried there
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Simile
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a figurative, explicit comparison between two apparently dissimilar things, using like, as as if, seems, than, or resembles
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Repetition
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the acts of repeating or being repeated
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Rhetorical Question
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a question asked merely for effect with no answer; expected
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Stock (characters)
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the original (as a person, race, or language) from which others derive
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Stereotype/Stereotypical
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to repeat without variation: make hackneyed
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Tone
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the attitude a writer takes towards his subject, characters, or audience; the emotional coloring or emotional meaning the author gives his literary
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Allusion
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a brief reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object that enriches or deepens the meaning if a work of literature
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Irony
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a deliberate or contrast between what is said and whit is meant or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. At least three kinds of irony are used in literature.
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Verbal Irony
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the contrast between what is said and what is meant by a speaker's or writer's word
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Dramatic Irony
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the contrast between what a character thinks to be true and what the reader thinks to be true
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Irony of Situation
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the discrepancy between the expected results of an action and the actual results
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Satire
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the use of irony, sarcasm, or the like in exposing denouncing or deriding human vice or folly
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Sarcasm
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a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain
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Farce
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a light, dramatic composition or action marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot
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Grim Humor
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fierce in disposition or action designed to be comical
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Picaro
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bring a type of fiction dealing episodic adventures of a usual roguish protagonist
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Rogue
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broken off; rebellion
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Episode
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a brief unit of action in a dramatic or literary work
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Aristocracy
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government by the best individuals or by a small privileged class
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Antebellum
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existing before a war
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17th Century
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Anne Bradstreet (Century)
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17th Century
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Edward Taylor (Century)
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16th Century
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William Bradford (Century)
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18th Century
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Jonathan Edwards (Century)
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16th Century
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Captain John Smith (Century)
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18th Century
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Patrick Henry (Century)
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18th Century
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Benjamin Franklin (Century)
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18th Century
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Thomas Jefferson (Century)
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18th Century
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Thomas Paine (Century)
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England
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Anne Bradstreet (Country)
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England
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Edward Taylor (Country)
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England
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William Bradford (Country)
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Connecticut (Colonies; United States)
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Jonathan Edwards (State and Country)
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England
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Captain John Smith (Country)
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Virginia
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Patrick Henry (State)
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Albemarle County, Virginia
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Thomas Jefferson (County and State)
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Boston, Massachusetts
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Benjamin Franklin (City and State)
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England
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Thomas Paine (Country)
