Literary Devices and Elements of Literature

Mr. Carter This is a list of important words, which I want you to know, be able to use critical literary discussions, and eventually be able to implement in your essay writing. Many of these literary terms and devices are present in novels you are reading now and will become useful for when you are analyzing literature in the future. These words and ideas will enable you to access any piece of literature in new ways and will allow you to uncover ideas which are not blatant or obvious. SLTR HSE= Slaughter House by Richard Matheson 1. Plot: A sequence of related events that make up a story. In a typical plot, an exposition that introduces the characters and establishes the main conflict. Example: Basically, a timeline showing the order of events in a story. In SLTR HSE it starts with the two brothers buying a house that theyve always wanted, then they find out the house is haunted, and concludes with the death of the brother and burning of the house. 2. Theme: The message about life or human nature that is conveyed by a literary work. A work may have more then one theme, and in many cases readers must infer the writers message. One way to infer a fictional works theme is to decide what general statement could be supported by the experiences of the main character. However, this is not the only way. 3. Setting: The time and place where a story occurs. 4. Symbol: A person, place, or action that can be represented as something else. Example: In SLTR HSE the locked cupboard symbolizes the unknown, terrible secrets of the house. 5. Protagonist: A central character or hero in a narrative or drama, usually the one

the audience tends to identify, such a character. He or she does not have to be good. Example: The Protagonist in SLTR HSE is the brother that is telling the story from his point of view. 6. Antagonist: A force working against the main character. It can be another character, society, a force of nature, or even a force inside the main character. Example: The Antagonist in SLTR HSE is the lady in the portrait that controls everything in the house and drives the brothers insane. 7. Character: A person animal, or imaginary creature that takes part in the action of literary work. Major Character- The main character or the character the work of literature focuses on. Minor Character- Characters who are less important than the main character. A. Static Character- Characters who change very little or not at all. B. Dynamic Character- Characters who change significantly.

8. Characterization: The techniques the author uses to create and develop characters. The four ways of developing characters are (1) Presenting the characters words and actions (2) Presenting the characters thoughts (3) Describing the characters appearance (4) Showing what others think about the character. Example: In SLTR HSE, the main character is developed by his thoughts and feelings portrait in the journal he wrote about his experiences.

9. Conflict: A struggle between two opposing forces.

Internal- Mental struggle resulting from in compatible, or opposition of one person needs, drives, wishes, external or internal demands. External- Competitive or opposing action of incompatible antagonist state or action. Example: The conflict in SLTR HSE internally is the mental struggle to keep sane when all of the strange events around them are occurring. The external struggle was the brother battling to get out of the burning house. 10. Comparison: An estimate or statement of related likeness or unlikeness, or to show similarities. This shows the similarities between two or more ideas, characters, or literary aspects. 11. Contrast: To place or set an opposition so as to show dissimilarities. How are characters, themes, plots, ect different from one book to another? Or how are they different within the same book? 12. Genre: A type of category within literature is called a genre; the main genres are fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Example: SLTR HSE is a fiction because it is not a true story. 13. Foreshadowing: The writer uses clues or hints to indicate events that will occur later in the narrative. This technique often creates suspense and prepares the reader for what is to come. 14. Imagery: Its any of the five senses (sight, hearing, feeling, touch, and taste) used create a picture in the readers head. Example: There was eerie blue light I had dreamed or actually seen beneath my door. And, finally, the most obvious of evidence, there was Sauls statement that he had felt a hand on his cheek. A cold, damp hand!

15. Irony: (Situational, Verbal, and Dramatic): A contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens. A. Situational Irony- Occurs when one character or the reader expects something entirely Different occurs. It describes a situation in which something that is expected with a great deal of certainty doesnt happen, or in which something that is intended fails to materialize. B. Verbal Irony- Is irony in the form of language. Verbal iron is when something is said, but the meaning of the dialogue is different or the opposite of what is said. (You say something, but mean something else) C. Dramatic Irony- Refers to the contrast between what the character knows and what the reader and the audience knows. It is the knowledge that the narrator makes available to the reader, but not the character. Example: Situational Irony- A stunt man successfully goes down Niagara Falls in a barrel. He then goes home, takes a shower, and slips and breaks his leg. Example: Verbal Irony- Sarcasm. Example: Dramatic Irony- He was a suspect in the robbery of a local convenience store. The reader knows that he did not commit the crime, but the detective thinks otherwise. 16. Metaphor: A form of figurative language that makes a comparison between things that dont have something in common. Unlike a simile, a metaphor does not use the words like or as. The comparison in a metaphor is often suggested rather than directly expressed. Example: Love is an open door. His eyes were bug-like. 17. Idiom: An idiom is an expression whose meaning is different than the sum of the

meaning of the its individual words. Example: Break a leg does not mean break your, but instead it means to start working or good luck. Other examples include: less is more, profits are up, and not all that glitters is gold. 18. Mood: A mood or atmosphere is a feeling that a literary work conveys to the readers or writers use of a variety technique including word choice, dialogues, description, and plot complications to establish moods. Example: The mood in SLTR HSE is very tense, mysterious, or heart-stopping. 19. Simile: A stated comparison between two things that are actually unlike, but have something in common. Like metaphors, similes are figures of speech, but where as a metaphor implies a comparison, a simile expresses the comparison clearly by the words like, as, than, and resembles. Example: It was as slick as ice. 20. Tone: The tone of a work is the writers attitude towards his/her subject; words such as amused, objected, and angry can be used to describe different moods. Example: If Martin Luther King Jr. was writing about the lack of civil rights, he would have had an angry tone. 21. Personification: A figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to a non-human object. Writers use personification to make images and feeling concentrate to the reader. Example: In Charlottes Web, the animal are attributed human qualities such as the ability to speak human language and express complex emotion. Almost every single cartoon by Disney contains personification.

21. Point of View (First and third*): The perspective from which a story is told. A. First Person- The narrator is a character in the story and is involved in the action. Uses first person pronouns such as: I, me, and we. B. Third Person- The perspective from which the story is told by a narrative voice outside the action, not by one of the characters. Uses pronouns such as he, she, it, and they. C. Third Person Omniscient- The narrator is all knowing. This point of view allows the narrator to relate the thoughts and feelings of all of the storys characters. D. Third Person Limited Point of View- The narrator tells us what one character thinks, feels, and observes. * Do not ask me about second person point of view. 23: Alliteration: The recurrence of initial consonant sounds. The repetition is usually limited to two words, but can be continued on indefinitely. Example: Dr. Shoells shoe soles. 24. Flashback: A literary device in which the writer presents events that happened before the time of the current narration or current events. 25. Hyperbole: Exaggeration used for emphasis. Hyperboles can be used to heighten effect or to create humorous perception. Example: He has a brain the size of a pea. or Im so hungry, I could eat a horse. 26. Onomatopoeia: The use of words which in their pronunciation suggest their meaning. Example: Sound effects Buzz! Bang! Kapowee! 27. Oxymoron: A paradox reduced to two words, usually in an adjective- noun or

adverb- adjective relationship and is used for effect. Example: Pretty ugly, jumbo shrimp, deafening silence, living dead. 28. Parody: An imitation of work of an author with the idea of ridiculing his ideas, or work. The parodist exploits the peculiarities of an authors expression- his tendency to use too many parentheses, favorite words, or whatever makes the author unique. Example: Any song by Weird Al Yankovic, a Saturday Night Live skit, Mad TV 29. Persona: Persona is a social role or a character played by the actor or the person created by an author to tell a story. Example: Lemony Snicket in The Series of Unfortunate Events. 30. Pseudonym: A false name used by the writer who does not want to use his/her real name. Example: Richard Bachman a.k.a Stephen King, Mark Twain a.k.a Samuel Clemens. 31. Sarcasm: A form of verbal irony, expressing sneering, personal disproval in the guise of praise. Often used casually between friends or by a Jr. High students on a regular basis. Example: When something bad happens: This is just wonderful. Or This is perfect. 32. Satire: A manner of writing that mixes a critical attitude with wit and humor in an effort to improve mankind and human institution. Example: Jon Stewart, political cartoons, or Sr. Dr. Stephen Colbert. 33. Style: The manner of expression of a particular writer, produced by choice of words, grammatical structure, use of literary devices, and all the possible parts of language use. Example: Poem have words all over the place, in different fonts and sizes. E.E. Cummings has an erratic and original poetic style.

34. Subplot: A subordinate or minor collection of events in a novel or drama. Most Subplots have some connection with the main plot, acting as foils to, commentary on, complications of, or to support the theme of the main plot. Sometimes multiple opening subplots merge into a main plot. 35. Understatement: Expressing an idea with less emphasis or in lesser degree then is the actual case. The opposite of hyperbole. Understatement is employed for ironic emphasis. Example: Saying someone is just a bit upset, when they are absolutely furious. 36. Allusion: A reference to famous event, character, setting, or idea from a past literary work or different era. Literary Allusion- A reference to a commonly known story or piece of literatures famous attributes. Example: Let him fix his own cocoa; you dont need to indulge in his Peter Pan syndrome by smothering him. Historical Allusion- When an author refers to a historical event or person in their writing. The reader will have to understand the historical event or person in order to comprehend the point the author is making. Example: When we talk of someone who is physically short and desires power, we often speak of the Napoleon complex. 37: Analogy: The comparison of two things which are alike in several aspects, for the purpose of explaining or clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult idea or object by showing how the idea or object is similar to a familiar one. Example: The rock is to hard as the pillow is too soft.

38. Coming-of-age story: A type of novel where the protagonist is initiated into adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after dropping of preconceptions, a destruction of a false sense or security, or in some ways, the loss of innocence. Example: The book Old Yeller or the movie Titanic. 39. Meter: The repeated pattern of musical beats in a measure. The rhythmic pattern that emerges when words are arranged in such a way that their stressed and unstressed syllables fall into a more or less regular sequence; established by the regular recurrence of similar accent patterns (called feet). 40. Novel: A novel is an extended prose fiction of 50,000 words or more, broadly realistic-concerning the everyday events of ordinary people and concerned with character. Example: People in significant action is one way of describing it. 41. Rhyme: The similarity between syllable sounds at the end of two or more lines. Example: Their was a goat that would float on a boat around moat.
Standards Covered Reading 1.1 Analyze idioms, analogies, metaphors, similes Reading 1.3 Use word meanings with context clues Reading 2.2 Analyze text for literary elements. Reading 3.3 Evaluate the structural elements of plot and conflict. Reading 3.2 Identify events that advance the plot and explain how these events foreshadow future action.

Writing application 2.1 Write narrative with a plot line, conflict, rising action, climax, and point of view. Develop complex characters and use a range of literary devices.