AP Literature: Quiz 3

plot

the careful arrangement by an author of incidents in a narrative to achieve a desired effect

point of view

the vantage point, or stance, from which a story is told

polysyndeton

the opposite of asyndeton. the use of many conjugations has a slowing effect.

pun

a form of wit, not necessarily funny, involving a play on a word with two or more meanings

quatrain

a verse stanza of four lines, rhymed or unrhymed

rhetoric

the art of persuasion, in speaking or writing

rising action

the part of a plot that leads through a series of events of increasing interest and poe to the climax or turning point

sarcasm

harsh, cutting, personal remarks to or about someone, not necessarily ironic

satire

any form of literature that blends ironic humor and wit with criticism directed at a particular folly, vice or stupidity. satire seeks to correct, improve, or reform through ridicule

setting

the general locale, time in history, or social milieu in which the action takes place

simile

a less direct metaphor, using like or as

situational irony

the contrast between what is intended or expected and what actually occurs

slant rhyme

inexact rhyme between two words

soliloquy

a speech by one character while alone on the stage or under the impression of being alone

sonnet

a fourteen-line lyric poem in iambic pentameter

speaker's attitude

the speaker's viewpoint regarding his subject matter

stanza

a section or division of a poem, resembling paragraphs in prose

stock character

a stereotyped character; one familiar to use from examples in previous fiction

stream of consciousness

a technique in which the reader sees the continuous, chaotic flow of a character's thoughts

structure

the pattern of organization

style

how the author's word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement all work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in the text

symbol

anything that stands for or represents something else beyond it

synesthesia

a blending or intermingling of differents sense modalities

synecdoche

figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of a whole

syntax

the rules or patterns of grammatical language

theme

an abstract idea that emerges from a literary work's treatment of its subject matter

title character

a character who gives his/her name to the work

tone

the reflection in a work of the author's attitude toward his or her subject

tragedy

a drama in which the protagonist, a person of high position, suffers a fall in fortune due to some error of judgement or flaw in his or her nature

tragic flaw

the defect of a character that brings about the protagonist's downfall in a tragedy

trope

any literary or rhetorical device, as metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and irony, that consists in the use of words in other than their literal sense

verbal irony

a contrast between what is said and what is actually meant

voice

how a written work conveys to a reader of the writer's attitude, personality, and character

wit

ingenuity in connecting amusingly incongruous ideas; intellect, humor