AP English Lit terms – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
abstract words
answer
words used to discuss intangible qualities like good and evil
question
accent
answer
the stressed portion of a word in poetry
question
ad hominem argument
answer
argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason; may attack the messenger rather than the message
question
aesthetic
answer
appealing to the senses (adj.), a coherent sense of taste (n.), the study of beauty (n.)
question
aestheticism
answer
devotion to the idea of beauty in art
question
aleatory
answer
an alogical poem seems composed by chance
question
allegory
answer
a story in which each aspect has symbolic meaning outside the story
question
alliteration
answer
repetition of initial consonant sounds
question
allusion
answer
reference to a famous work or figure outside the poem
question
amplification
answer
repeating a word, and adding more modifiers each time
question
anachronism
answer
an object misplaced in time
question
anacoluthon
answer
finishing a sentence with different grammatical structure from that with which it began
question
analogy
answer
a comparison, involving two or more symbolic parts, employed to clarify an action or a relationship
question
anapestic
answer
metrical measurement of two unstressed syllables and then one stressed one (u u ')
question
anaphora
answer
repetition of the same words at the beginning of successive sentences or clauses
question
anecdote
answer
a short story
question
antagonist
answer
one that contends with or opposes another
question
antecedent
answer
a word, phrase, or clause that determines what a pronoun refers to
question
anthropomorphism
answer
inanimate objects are given human characteristics, but no human shape
question
anticlimax
answer
an action produces far smaller results than one had led to expect, comic
question
antihero
answer
a protagonist who is markedly unheroic
question
antimetabole
answer
reversing the order of repeated words/clauses to intensify the sentence, present alternatives, or show contrast
question
antiphrasis
answer
one word irony (calling a beautiful girl "ugly)
question
antistrophe
answer
repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive lines
question
antithesis
answer
juxtaposition of opposites, e.g., heaven and hell
question
aphorism
answer
a short and witty saying
question
apocopated rhyme
answer
a cut-off rhyme; last syllable of one of the rhymes is missing (pain/gainless)
question
apologia
answer
a defense of one's opinions, actions, or life (Think Socrates' The Apology)
question
apologue
answer
moral fable using animals to comment on human condition
question
aporia
answer
expression of doubt about conclusions
question
aposiopesis
answer
stopping abruptly and leaving statement unfinished
question
apostrophe
answer
speech is directed to a nonhuman object or one that is not present
question
appositive
answer
a noun or phrase placed next to another noun, for the purpose of further describing
question
archaism
answer
use of deliberately old-fashioned diction
question
archetype
answer
the original pattern or model of which all things of a similar nature are copies
question
ars poetica
answer
a poem written on the subject of poetic art, usually explaining poet's reasons for writing
question
aside
answer
a speech made by an actor to the audience as though momentarily stepping outside the action on stage
question
assonance
answer
the repeated use of internal vowel sounds
question
atmosphere
answer
the emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene
question
aubade
answer
a love song or poem greeting the dawn
question
ballad
answer
a long narrative poem in regular meter and rhyme
question
bathos
answer
writing that strains for grandeur it can't support
question
blank verse
answer
unrhymed iambic pentameter
question
bildungsroman
answer
a novel of self-development or personal formation
question
bombast
answer
pretentious, exaggeratedly learned language
question
burlesque
answer
broad parody that takes on a specific style and makes fun of it
question
cacophony
answer
using deliberately harsh, awkward sounds
question
cadence
answer
the beat or rhythm of poetry
question
caesura
answer
a pause in a line of poetry (indicated or not)
question
camera eye narrator
answer
third-person narrator who describes what would be visible to a camera; objective
question
canto
answer
a section division in a long work of poetry
question
caricature
answer
a portrait that exaggerates a facet of personality
question
carpe diem
answer
the enjoyment of the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future
question
catalogue
answer
a complete enumeration of items, arranged systematically, with descriptive details
question
catharsis
answer
cleansing of emotion an audience member experiences, having lived through the experiences on stage
question
Chaucerian stanza
answer
7 lines, rhyme ababbcc
question
chorus
answer
the group of citizens who stand outside the main action on stage and comment on it
question
classicism
answer
a tendency to reflect he principles manifested in the art of ancient Greece and Rome
question
climax
answer
the point of highest tension, or a major turning point in a play
question
coinage
answer
a new word, usually invented on the spot
question
colloquialism
answer
a word or phrase used in everyday conversational English
question
conceit
answer
an extended metaphor, developed and expanded upon over several lines
question
concrete poetry
answer
a poem wherein shape of words and lines conveys the meaning
question
confessional poetry
answer
makes frank, explicit use of incidents in the poet's life
question
connotation
answer
the association with a word; the word suggests/implies meaning beyond the literal
question
consonance
answer
repetition of consonant sounds within words
question
continuous form
answer
a poem in which lines follow each other without stanza breaks
question
couplet
answer
a pair of lines ending in rhyme
question
dactylic
answer
a metrical measurement of one accented syllable and two unaccented (' u u)
question
decorum
answer
the attitude one should display according to his social/economic status
question
denotation
answer
a word's literal meaning
question
denoument
answer
conclusion, the outcome of a plot
question
determinism
answer
belief that man is fated to defeat under indifferent natural forces; emphasizes vanity of free will
question
deus ex machina
answer
"god from the machine" - conflicts quickly resolved at end of last act, often by sudden introduction of a power who solves all
question
diacope
answer
repetition of words before and after syntactical break (We will do it, I tell you, we will do it.)
question
dialect
answer
the characteristic speech of a particular region or group
question
diction
answer
the author's choice of words
question
didactic
answer
primary purpose is to teach
question
dirge
answer
a song for the dead
question
dissonance
answer
the grating of incompatible sounds
question
doggerel
answer
crude, simplistic verse, often in sing-song rhyme
question
dramatic monologue
answer
single speaker in literature talks to silent audience
question
dramatic poem
answer
a poem that has a conflict
question
dualistic
answer
two-valued, e.g., good/evil
question
dystopia
answer
opposite of utopia, society where social and technological advances have served to aid corruption
question
elegy
answer
poem on death or mortality
question
encomium
answer
a laudatory poem for a legendary or real person
question
enjambment
answer
continuation of syntax over line break
question
enumeratio
answer
listing parts, cause, effect, for added emphasis
question
epic
answer
a long narrative poem on a serious theme in a dignified style; often describes glorious or profound subject
question
epigram
answer
a short poem intended to impart wisdom
question
epigraph
answer
a quotation that is placed at the start of a work or section that expresses what will be said
question
epiphany
answer
a sudden realization or comprehension of the meaning of something
question
epistle
answer
a letter directed or sent to a group of people
question
epistrophe
answer
repeat of same word(s) at the end of sentences
question
epitaph
answer
lines that commemorate the dead at the burial place
question
epithalamium
answer
a poem that is written for the bride; celebration of a wedding
question
epithet
answer
a word preceding or following a name which serves to describe (fleet-footed Achilles or wine-dark sea)
question
epizeuxis
answer
repetition of the same word for emphasis
question
eponym
answer
substituting the name of a famous person for a description (He's a real Einstein)
question
eulogy
answer
formal expression of praise, usually given at a funeral
question
euphemism
answer
a word that takes the place of a more harsh or inappropriate word (physically challenged rather than crippled)
question
euphony
answer
sounds blending harmoniously
question
euphuism
answer
elegant Victorian prose style (filled with alliteration and similes)
question
exemplum
answer
citing an example
question
expletive
answer
word interrupting syntax to give emphasis to words around it
question
expressionism
answer
emphasizes the life of the mind and feelings rather than the realistic external details of everyday life
question
eye of the poem
answer
the central focus of the poem
question
eye rhyme
answer
words that look similar, but pronounced differently (wind/find)
question
falling rhyme
answer
feminine rhyme; ending with unaccented last syllable
question
farce
answer
a comedy of unlikely, but possible situations
question
feminine rhyme
answer
falling rhyme; ending with unaccented last syllable
question
figurative image
answer
representation of one thing by another
question
first person narrator
answer
character in the story who tells the tale from his/her point of view
question
flashback
answer
scene that interrupts the action to show an event that happened earlier
question
foil
answer
a secondary character whose purpose is to highlight the characteristics of a main character
question
foot
answer
basic rhythmic unit of a line of poetry, formed by two or three syllables, stressed or not
question
foreshadowing
answer
an event or statement that, in miniature, suggests a larger event that comes later
question
free verse
answer
poetry without regular rhyme or meter
question
genre
answer
a sub-category of literature; categorizes literature by types
question
gothic
answer
use of eerie themes and images (shrieking women, ghosts)
question
haiku
answer
Japanese poetry with 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables
question
half rhyme
answer
words that almost rhyme; slant rhyme (dizzy/easy)
question
hamartia
answer
tragic flaw or error which brings down the protagonist of a tragedy
question
Harlem Renaissance
answer
flowering of African American art and music in the 1920s; center was in Harlem, New York
question
head rhyme
answer
another word for alliteration
question
heptameter
answer
poem of seven metrical feet
question
heroic couplet
answer
a rhyming couplet in iambic pentameter
question
hexameter
answer
poetic form of six metrical feet
question
homonyms
answer
words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings (sale/sail)
question
hubris
answer
excessive pride/ambition which leads to character's downfall
question
hyperbaton
answer
departure from normal word order; a form of inversion (a personality indescribable)
question
hyperbole
answer
exaggeration or deliberate overstatement
question
hypophora
answer
raising a question then proceeding to answer it
question
iambic
answer
a metrical foot with an unstressed first syllable and a stressed second syllable
question
in media res
answer
a piece of writing that begins in the middle of the action
question
incongruity
answer
the joining of opposites to create an unexpected situation
question
interior monologue
answer
recording of mental talk in character's head
question
invective
answer
speech/writing that abuses, denounces, attacks
question
inversion
answer
switching the customary order of elements in a sentence or phrase
question
irony
answer
events turn out exactly the opposite of how they might be expected; saying the opposite of what is meant
question
lament
answer
a poem of sadness or grief over the death of a loved one or some intense loss
question
lampoon
answer
a satire
question
linked rhyme
answer
first syllable of a line echoes the last syllable of the previous line (on the rooftop/Stops the light of the cop)
question
literal image
answer
concrete replication in words of an object or experience
question
litotes
answer
type of understatement achieved by denying the opposite (Heat waves are not rare in summer.)
question
local color
answer
use of specific details describing dialect, dress, customs, and scenery associated with a particular region
question
loose sentence
answer
a sentence complete before its end (Jack loved Barbara despite her irritating laugh.)
question
lyric
answer
poetry that explores the poet's personal interpretation of and feelings about the world
question
madrigal
answer
a short lyric on love or pastoral themes
question
masculine rhyme
answer
rhyme ending on the final stressed syllable
question
melodrama
answer
cheesy theater; often emphasizes plot and action over character development
question
metabasis
answer
brief summary of what has been said and what will follow
question
metanoia
answer
modifies a statement by recalling it and expressing it in a better way (Max is the best of all bichons, nay of all dogs.)
question
metaphor
answer
comparison or analogy that states that one thing IS another
question
meter
answer
rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that make up feet
question
metonymy
answer
a single characteristic used to describe something outside itself (Victory crossed the finish line)
question
mixed metaphor
answer
combination of incompatible comparisons; trying to compare objects too dissimilar to carry off a comparison
question
mood
answer
prevailing atmosphere created by language, tone, setting
question
motif
answer
a recurring feature (e.g., name, image, phrase) in a work of literature
question
narrative
answer
a story poem
question
naturalism
answer
emphasis on man as animal, behaving strictly according to dictates of nature; emphasizes lack of free will; emphasizes sordid
question
neo-classicism
answer
sees man as flawed and his institutions are flawed. Nature is neither good nor evil. Man needs to seek harmony with what is.
question
neologism
answer
coinage; forming a new word, usually spontaneously
question
nonce
answer
open form poem (shape is unique to poem) written for a special occasion
question
novel of manners
answer
novel describing social habits/customs of a social group
question
octave
answer
eight line stanza
question
ode
answer
long poem on a serious subject that develops its theme with dignified language, intended to be sung
question
omniscient narrator
answer
a third-person narrator who sees into character's heads
question
onomatopoeia
answer
words that sound like what they mean
question
opposition
answer
a pair of elements that contrast sharply
question
oxymoron
answer
a phrase composed of opposites; a contradiction (sweet vinegar)
question
palinode
answer
a poem retracting a regretted derogatory statement
question
parable
answer
a story told in prose or verse that illustrates a religious or ethical idea
question
paradigm
answer
a formal plan or sequence of changes which acts as a model
question
paradox
answer
a statement that seems contradictory, but is not
question
parallelism
answer
repeated syntactical similarities used for effect
question
parenthetical
answer
a phrase set off by commas that interrupts the flow of a sentence
question
parody
answer
exaggerating a specific work so that it appears ridiculous
question
pastoral
answer
a poem set in tranquil nature (ideally around shepherds)
question
pathetic fallacy
answer
a cliched personification of nature (rain weeps)
question
pentameter
answer
a line of verse containing five metrical feet
question
periodic sentence
answer
a sentence that is grammatically incomplete until its final phrase (Despite Barbara's irritation, she cut Jack's hair.)
question
persona
answer
the character created by the author to narrate
question
personification
answer
inanimate objects or animals take on human shape
question
Petrarchan sonnet
answer
14 lines/abba abba cde cde
question
picaresque novel
answer
novel about a picara or rogue and vagabond
question
prelude
answer
an introductory poem to a longer work of verse
question
private symbol
answer
an author's personal symbol that the reader understands through context
question
protagonist
answer
the main character of a novel or play
question
public voice
answer
a writer who is speaking for all people
question
pun
answer
humorous use of a word in a way to suggest two or more meanings
question
pure rhyme
answer
initial sounds of a word differ, and rest of the sound is identical (sing/wing)
question
pyrrhic
answer
a metrical foot with two unstressed syllables
question
quatrain
answer
four-line stanza
question
quintet
answer
five lines of poetry with no prescribed rhyme
question
realism
answer
nature is benign and there is optimism that man can rise above his own animal nature if he wills to
question
refrain
answer
a line or a set of lines repeated several times in a poem
question
requiem
answer
a song of prayer for the dead
question
rhapsody
answer
passionate verse or section of verse, usually addressing love or praise
question
rhetorical question
answer
a question that suggests an answer, and therefore doesn't need to be answered
question
rhetorical shift
answer
a change in tone or attitude; key words include "but," "however," "even though," "although," "yet"
question
rhyme royal
answer
ababbcc: sounds are staggered (abab) in first lines, then closely linked (bcc). First used by Chaucer.
question
ridicule
answer
words intended to belittle and generate contempt/laughter
question
rising rhyme
answer
masculine rhyme; rhyme ending on the final stressed syllable
question
romanticism
answer
man is good by institutions and their imposed orders are evil; nature is good; man can live in harmony with nature.
question
saga
answer
generally long novels, often about several generations
question
sarcasm
answer
ridicule expressed in ironic praise
question
satire
answer
work in which human vice or folly is attacked with irony, derision, or wit
question
scansion
answer
analysis of a poem's rhythm and meter
question
second intensity
answer
weak poems that could have been better
question
septet
answer
7 lines of poetry
question
sestet
answer
a stanza or poem of six lines, e.g., the last six lines of a sonnet
question
sestina
answer
6 six-line stanzas ending with tercet; last words of each line in 1st stanza are repeated as last words in next stanza
question
Shakespearean sonnet
answer
14 lines in iambic pentameter, ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
question
simile
answer
comparison using "as" or "like"
question
slant rhyme
answer
half rhyme (home/bone)
question
soliloquy
answer
speech spoken by single character on stage
question
sonnet
answer
14 rhymed lines of verse in iambic pentameter
question
Spenserian sonnet
answer
14 lines: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE
question
spondee
answer
a metrical foot with two stressed syllables (' ')
question
stanza
answer
a unit within a longer poem
question
stock character
answer
standard or cliched character types
question
stream of consciousness
answer
reader sees inside main character's head and is privy to all character's conscious, random thoughts
question
subjunctive
answer
setting up a hypothetical situation
question
surrealism
answer
allowing the subconscious or dream-like imagery to guide the poem; leaps from image to image
question
suspension of disbelief
answer
demand of audience to accept stage limitations and believe
question
syllogism
answer
deductive reasoning
question
synecdoche
answer
a type of metaphor wherein a part stands for the whole (He asked for her hand in marriage.)
question
synesthesia
answer
a mixing of senses (a blue smell)
question
tautology
answer
a repetition so redundant as to be frozen with obvious foolishness
question
technique
answer
styles, devices, and diction used by the author
question
tetrameter
answer
a poetic line with four metrical feet
question
texture of poem
answer
the sound of the poetic words in a piece
question
theme
answer
general idea or insight about life that the writer wishes to convey
question
tone
answer
the attitude of the poet
question
transcendentalism
answer
holds that basic truths can be reached through intuition; transcends reason; the divine is in nature and people
question
travesty
answer
grotesque parody
question
trochaic
answer
a metrical measurement of one stressed syllable and one unstressed (' u)
question
trope
answer
any figurative language
question
truism
answer
a way-too obvious truth
question
understatement
answer
ironic minimalizing of fact
question
unreliable narrator
answer
first person narrator is crazy, very young, or not entirely credible
question
utopia
answer
an idealized place
question
verisimilitude
answer
how precisely the characters/events in fiction match reality
question
vernacular
answer
everyday spoken language of people in a particular region
question
villanelle
answer
19 lines: 5 tercets (aba) and a quatrain (abaa)
question
voice
answer
associated with the basic vision of a writer, her general attitude toward the world
question
weak specification
answer
imprecise, abstract language
question
wit
answer
words that are intellectually amusing; delight that surprises
question
zeugma
answer
word modifies two or more words for different meanings (The dance floor was square as was his personality.)
