Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
AP LIT Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abstract (style) | (in writing) this is typically complex, discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points. |
| Academic (style) | Dry and theoretical writing. When a piece of writing seems to be sucking all the life out of its subject with analysis. |
| Accent | In poetry, refers to the stressed portion of a word. |
| Aesthetic | Used as an adjective meaning "appealing to the senses." |
| Allegory | a literary work in which the characters represent abstract ideas; a symbolic representation |
| Alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| Allusion | a reference to another work of literature, person, or event |
| Anachronism | something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred |
| Analogy | a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way |
| Anecdote | a short narrative |
| Antecedent | the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers. |
| Anthropomorphism | the attribution of human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects |
| Anticlimax | A disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events |
| Antihero | a protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero (or her a heroine) |
| Aphorism | A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. |
| Apostrophe | address to an absent or imaginary person |
| Archaism | The use of deliberately old-fashioned language. |
| Aside | a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage |
| Assonance | the repetition of vowel sounds |
| Atmosphere | The emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene. |
| Ballad | Any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric form. |
| Black humor | The use of disturbing themes in comedy. |
| Bombast | speech or writing that sounds grand or important but has little meaning |
| Burlesque | a theatrical entertainment of broad and earthy humor |
| Cacophony | harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance |
| Cadence | rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words |
| Caesura | A pause within a line of poetry |
| Canto | a major division of a long poem |
| Caricature | drawing, imitation, or description that ridiculously exaggerates peculiarities or defects |
| Catharsis | an emotional or psychological cleansing that brings relief or renewal |
| Chorus | In Greek drama, the group of citizens who stand outside the main action on stage and comment on it. |
| Colloquialism | informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing |
| Conceit | a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects |
| Connotation | the implied or associative meaning of a word |
| Consonance | Repetition of consonant sounds |
| Couplet | two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme |
| Decorum | conformity to accepted standards of conduct; proper behavior |
| Denotation | The dictionary definition of a word |
| Diction | a writer's or speaker's choice of words |
| Dirge | a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person |
| Dissonance | harsh or grating sounds that do not go together |
| Doggerel | badly written or trivial verse, often with a singsong rhythm |
| Dramatic Irony | (theater) irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play |
| Dramatic monologue | When a single speaker in literature says something to a silent audience. |
| Elegy | a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme |
| Enjambment | the continuation of a syntactic unit from one line of verse into the next line without a pause |
| Epic | a long narrative poem written in elevated style which present the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation |
| Epitaph | a brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone |
| Euphemism | a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term |
| Euphony | any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds |
| Farce | a comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose |
| Feminine Rhyme | latter two syllables of first word rhyme with latter two syllables of second word (ceiling appealing) |
| Foil | a character whose personality and attitude contrast sharply with those of another |
| Foot | the basic unit of rhythmic measurement in a line of poetry |
| Foreshadowing | the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot |
| Free Verse | unrhymed verse without a consistent metrical pattern |
| Gothic Novel | a novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action |
| Hubris | Excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy |
| Hyperbole | a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor |
| Interior Monologue | a narrative technique that records a character's internal flow of thoughts, memories, and ideas; a longish passage of uninterrupted thought |
| Inversion | the reversal of the normal order of words |
| Irony | a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens |
| Lampoon | ridicule with satire |
| Lyric | of or relating to a category of poetry that expresses emotion (often in a songlike way) |
| Masculine Rhyme | final syllable of first word rhymes with final syllable of second word (scald recalled) |
| Melodrama | A form of cheesy theater in which the hero is very, very good, the villain mean and rotten, and the heroine oh-so-pure. |
| Metaphor | a figure of speech comparing two unlike things without using like or as |
| Metonym | a word that is used to stand for something else that it has attributes of or is associated with |
| Nemesis | The protagonist's arch enemy or supreme and persistent difficulty. |
| Objectivity | an impersonal presentation of events and characters |
| Onomatopoeia | The use of words that imitate sounds |
| Oxymoron | a figure of speech consisting of two apparently contradictory terms |
| Parable | a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson |
| Paradox | a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. |
| Parallelism | the use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similar grammatical form |
| Parody | a work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner |
| Pastoral | a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the life of shepherds) |
| Pathos | a quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow) |
| Persona | the speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing |
| Personification | the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc. |
| Plaint | A poem or speech expressing sorrow |
| Protagonist | the main character in a literary work |
| Pun | a play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings |
| Refrain | the repetition of one or more phrases or lines at definite intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza |
| Requiem | a song of prayer for the dead |
| Rhapsody | An intensely passionate verse or section of verse, usually of love or praise. |
| Rhetorical Question | a statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered |
| Satire | a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision |
| Simile | a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with 'like' or 'as') |
| Soliloquy | in drama, a character speaks alone on stage to allow his/her thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience |
| Stanza | a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem |
| Stock Characters | standard or cliched character types: the drunk, the miser, the foolish girl, etc. |
| Subjectivity | a personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author's feelings and opinions |
| Subjunctive Mood | A grammatical situation involving the words "if" and "were," setting up a hypothetical situation. |
| Summary | a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form |
| Symbolism | a device in literature where an object represents an idea. |
| Theme | The main idea of the story |
| Thesis | The primary position taken by a writer or speaker |
| Tragic Flaw | the character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall |
| Travesty | a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation |
| Truism | an obvious truth |
| Utopia | an imaginary place considered to be perfect or ideal |
| Zeugma | When a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them |
Created by:
jackie.bass
Popular Library Media sets