AP English Literature and Composistion Key Terminology – Flashcards
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antithesis
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the juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words "To err is human, to forgive divine."
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aphorism
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a concise statement designed to illustrate a commonly held belief
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assonance
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the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds (not always at beginning)
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asyndeton
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a structure without conjunctions in a series (I came, I saw, I conquered)
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attitude
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the sense expressed by the tone of voice or the mood of a piece of writing; the author's feelings toward his or her subject
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begging the question
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argumentative strategy where the arguer sidesteps the question or the conflict
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canon
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that which has been accepted as authentic
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chiasmus
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syntactical structure wherein the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed int he second (Pleasure's a sin, and sin is a pleasure)
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claim
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in argumentation, an assertion of something as fact
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colloquial
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the diction of the common, ordinary folks especially in a specific area (Coke vs. pop)
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comparison and contrast
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mode of discourse; two or more things are compared, contrasted, or both
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conceit
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a comparison of two unlikley things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; usually extended metaphor in a poem
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connotation
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the underlying, implied meaning of a word or phrase
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denotation
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the dictionary definition of a word
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consonance
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the repetition of 2+ consonants with a change in intervening vowels
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convention
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an accepted manner, model, or tradition (Aristotle's conventions of persuasion)
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critique
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analysis of something for the purposes of determining its limitations and how it fits in its genre
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deductive reasoning
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movement from the general to the specific
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dialect
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language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area
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diction
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word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect
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didactic
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writing with an instructive purpose or lesson
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elegy
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poem that lements the death of a person
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epistrophe
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repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences (opposite of anaphora)
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epitaph
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writing in praise of a dead person on a headstone
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ethos
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appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker
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eulogy
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speech in praise of a person (elegy laments, eulogy praises)
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euphemism
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an indirect or less harsh way of expressing unpleasant information
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exposition
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the interpretation or analysis of a text
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extended metaphor
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series of comparisons within a piece of writing
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figurative language
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levels of meaning expressed through figures of speech (metaphor, hyperbole, irony, etc.)
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flashback/retrospection
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an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narration
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genre
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type or class of literature
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homily
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sermon, but more contemporary
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hyperbole
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overstatement characterized by exaggerate language
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imagery
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any sensory detail or evocation in a work
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inductive reasoning
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movement from the specific to the general
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inference
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a conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or data
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irony
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contrast between what is stated and what is really meant
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verbal irony
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what the author says is actually the opposite of what is meant
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situational irony
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when events end up the opposite of what is expected
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dramatic irony
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facts or situations are known to the reader or audience but not to the characters
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isocolon
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parallel structure in which the parallel elements are similar not only in grammatical structure, but also in length
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jargon
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specialized language of a trade or profession
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juxtaposition
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location of one thing adjacent to another to create an effect or reveal an attitude
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litote
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figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by conscious understatement
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loose sentence
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long sentence that starts with its main clause followed by several dependent clauses
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metaphor
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one thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy
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metonymy
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a figure of speech in which an attribute is used to name something (Congress said today...)
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mode of discourse
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the way in which information is presented in written or spoken form
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mood
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feeling resulting from the tone of a piece as wel as the writer's attitude and point of view
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narrative
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mode of discourse that tells a story of some port and is based on sequences of connected events
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onomatopoeia
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word capturing the sound of what it describes
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oxymoron
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figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements
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paradox
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statement that seems contradictory but may probably be true
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parallel structure
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the use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts
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pathos
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element that simulates pity or sorrow
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periodic sentence
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a long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end
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personifcation
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treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person
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point of view
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the relation in which a narrator stands to a subject of discourse
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prose
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the ordinary form of written language without metrical structure in contrast to verse and poetry
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realism
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attempting to describe nature and life without idealization
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rebuttal/refutation
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an argument technique wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and countered
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rhetoric
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the art of using words to persuade in writing or speaking
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rhetorical question
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a question that is asked simply for the sake of stylistic effect
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sarcasm
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a form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually critical
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satire
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literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure
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simile
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a direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, usually with like or as
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style
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the manner in which a writer combines and arranges word, shapes ideas, and utilizes syntax and structure
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symbolism
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use of a person, place, thing, event, or pattern that figuratively represents or "stands" for something else
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synecdoche
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a figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole (100 head of steer, 50 masts)
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syntax
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the way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences
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theme
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central or dominant idea or focus of a work
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tone
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the attitude the narrator/writer takes toward a subject and theme
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voice
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acknowledged or unacknowledged source of the words of the story; the speaker's take on an idea
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zeugma
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grammatically correct construction in which a word is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated
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anecdote
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short, personal story
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apostrophe
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invocation to an inanimate object
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epiphany
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sudden revelation
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pun
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sharply contrasting meanings using words with the same sound
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argumentum ad ignorantiam
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a position mst be true since no one can prove it is false
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argumentum ad hominem
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attacks on character about the claimant that are not relevant to the argument
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bandwagon
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suggesting that large numbers can give credibility to a product, cause, or assertion
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circular reasoning
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an argument that takes as evidence what it claims to prove
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either/or
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refers to the fact that a third, often a middle, position is missing (for us or against us)
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false analogy
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an analogy in which the dissimilarities between 2 things are so much greater than their similarities that their connection by analogy is unjustified (oversimplifying)
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hypothesis contrary to fact
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an argument; writer begins with a premise that is not true and then draws conclusions therefrom (starts with fantasy_
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ipse dixit
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appeal to an unqualified expert (not a doctor, but I play one on TV)
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non sequitur
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any argument whose conclusion does not follow from its remises (She would make a good senator because she knows Washington)
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post hog; ergo propter hoc
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sequential relationship is misinterpreted as a causal one
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red herring
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introduces an irrelevant point to distract the audience from the main or current argument
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simple cause
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assumes one reason alone is sufficient to explain a situation
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straw-man
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writer denounces an easier, less defensible argument than the one at hand
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undistrubted middle
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first premise and conclusion are said to be related because they share a common property (think syllogy)
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anapestic
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In poetry- two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed Twas the night before christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse
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antagonist
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force that is in opposition to the main character
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archetype
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recurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature
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ballad
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poem that was meant to be sung
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ballad stanza
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4 lines (quatrain) that alternates 4 and 3 beats, with lines 2 and 4 rhyming.
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blank verse
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verse form that most resembles common speech
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caesura
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a pause in a line of verse indicated by natural speech patterns rather than metrical patterns
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caricature
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depiction of character's characteristics as deliberately exaggerated. Like in political cartoons (big ears)
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couplet
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two rhyming lines of iambic pentameter that together present a single idea
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dactylic
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two stressed syllables followed by one unstressed
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dramatic monologue
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monologue set ina specific situation and spoken to an imaginary audience. Same as soliloquy.
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enjambment
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the continuation of a sentence from one line to the next
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epic
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a poem that celebrates, in a continuous narrative, the achievements of mighty heroes and heroines, often concerned witht the founding of a nation or developing of a culture
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fable
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a legend or a short moral story often using animals as characters.
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falling action
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part of the plot structure in which the complications of the rising action are untangled. Same as denouement
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farce
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a play or scene in a play or book that is characterized by broad humor, wild antics, and often slapstick and physical humor
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foreshadowing
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to hint at or to present an indication of the future beforehand.
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formal diction
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language that is lofty, dignified, and impersonal.
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free verse
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poetry that is characterized by varying line lengths, lack of traditional meter and non rhyming lines
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iambic
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metrical foot in poetry that consists of unstressed and stressed syllables
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informal diction
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language that is not lofty
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in medias res
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"in the midst of things"; refers to opening a story in the middle of the action
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limited point of view
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perspective confined to a single character
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lyric
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any short poem in which the speaker expresses intense personal emotion rather than describing a narrative or dramatic situation
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message
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misleading term for theme; the central idea or statement of a story; misleading because it suggests a simple, pakcaged statement that pre-exists and for the simple communication of which the story is written
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meter
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the more or less regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
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motif
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recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the appearance of a character or event.
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occasional poem
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a poem written about or for a specific occasion, public or private (like a wedding)
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ode
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a lyric poem that is somewhat serious in subject and treatment. Written to praise and exalt a person, characteristic, quality or object
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omniscient point of view
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unlimited point of view
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overstatement
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exaggerated language; hyperbole
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parable
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a short fiction that illustrates an explicit moral lesson through the use of analogy.
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paradox
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contradictory statement that can be true "fight for peace"
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parody
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imitates another work for comic effect by exageration "Scary Movie"
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pastoral
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describes the simple life of country folk
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persona
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the voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story
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petrarchan sonnet
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aka italian sonnet. Sonnet that divides the poem into one section of eight lines and a second section of six lines
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plot
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the arrangement of the narration based on the cause-effect relationship of events
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protagonist
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main character
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quatrain
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poetic stanza of four lines
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realism
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attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail. Mark Twain.
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refrain
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a repeated stanza or lines in a poem or song
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rising action
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the development of action in a work
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rhetorical question
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question asked simply for stylistic effect. No answer needed.
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rhythm
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modulation of weak and strong elements in the flow of speech
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scansion
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the analysis of verse to show its meter
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setting
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time and place of the action of the story
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Shakespearean sonnet
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four lines, four lines, 2 lines
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shaped verse
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poetry that is shaped like an object
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soliloquy
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character alone and speaking to himself
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speaker
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the person who is the voice of a poem
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stanza
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couplet, tercet, quatrain, cinquain, sestet, heptatich, octave
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stereotype
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characterization based on assumptions. Wicked Which in snow white
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stock character
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one who appears in a number of stories or plays. Cruel stepmother
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structure
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organization or arrangement of the various elements in a work
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terza rima
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3 stanza structure, ababcb
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tragedy
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character is brought to disastrous end
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trochaic
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opposite of iambic, first syllable is stressed second is not
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turning point
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climax
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villanelle
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19 lines, abaacaada....xyaa
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