Rony Nguyen - AP Literature Literary Devices Flashcards

AP Literature Literary Devices Flashcards

Allegory

A narrative with a second meaning beneath the surface, often moral or political.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known work, person, or event.

Ambiguity

Use of language where the meaning is unclear or has multiple interpretations.

Anachronism

Something out of its proper historical time.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Anecdote

A short, personal story used to illustrate a point.

Antagonist

A character or force in conflict with the protagonist.

Antithesis

Contrasting ideas in parallel structure.

Apostrophe

Direct address to an absent or imaginary person or thing.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within words.

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions between phrases or words.

Caesura

A pause in a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation.

Catharsis

Emotional release experienced by the audience.

Characterization

Methods an author uses to develop characters.

Chiasmus

A reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases.

Cliche

An overused, unoriginal expression.

Connotation

The implied or associated meaning of a word.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.

Couplet

Two consecutive rhyming lines in poetry.

Denotation

The literal or dictionary meaning of a word.

Denouement

The resolution of the plot after the climax.

Diction

Word choice, especially regarding tone or style.

Didactic

Intended to teach or convey a moral.

Elegy

A mournful, melancholic poem, often for the dead.

Enjambment

Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond a line of poetry.

Epiphany

A sudden realization or insight.

Epistrophe

Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.

Euphemism

A polite or mild word used to replace a harsh or blunt one.

Euphony

Pleasant, harmonious sound.

Flashback

A scene set in a time earlier than the main story.

Foil

A character who contrasts with another to highlight traits.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about what will happen later.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for emphasis or effect.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality; includes verbal, situational, and dramatic.

Juxtaposition

Placing two elements side by side to present contrast or comparison.

Litotes

Understatement using double negatives (e.g., not bad).

Lyric

A short poem expressing personal emotion.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things.

Meter

The rhythmic pattern of a poem.

Metonymy

Substituting the name of one thing with something closely associated (e.g., the crown for royalty).

Mood

The atmosphere or emotional feeling of a work.

Motif

A recurring image, idea, or symbol in a literary work.

Narrator

The voice that tells the story.

Non sequitur

A conclusion or statement that doesn't logically follow from the previous argument.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates a natural sound.

Oxymoron

A combination of contradictory terms (e.g., jumbo shrimp).

Paradox

A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a truth.

Parallelism

The use of similar grammatical structures in writing.

Parody

A humorous imitation of a serious work.

Personification

Giving human traits to non-human things.

Plot

The sequence of events in a story.

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told.

Protagonist

The main character in a story.

Refrain

A repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for effect, not meant to be answered.

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhymes in a poem.

Rising Action

Events leading up to the climax.

Satire

A work that criticizes through humor or irony.

Setting

The time and place of a story.

Simile

A comparison using like or as.

Situational Irony

When the opposite of what is expected occurs.

Soliloquy

A speech given by a character alone on stage.

Stanza

A grouped set of lines in a poem.

Stream of Consciousness

Narrative that mimics the flow of thoughts.

Symbolism

The use of objects or events to represent abstract ideas.

Synecdoche

A part representing the whole (e.g., all hands on deck).

Theme

The central idea or message in a work.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject.

Tragic Flaw

A character's weakness leading to their downfall.

Verbal Irony

Saying the opposite of what is meant.