literary elements. allusion the reference to a well-known work of literature, famous person or...
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Literary ElementsLiterary ElementsLiterary ElementsLiterary Elements
Allusion• The reference to a well-known
work of literature, famous person or historical event.
Antagonist• The person of thing working
against the protagonist
Characterization• The method an author uses to
reveal characters and their personalities.
Static Character• One whose personality and values
don’t change in the story
Dynamic Character• One whose personality and values
do change in the story.
Round Character• One who has many dimensions to
his/her personality
Flat Character• A stereotyped character (dumb
blonde, school nerd, etc)• One personality trait
Direct Characterization• The author directly tells about the
character.
Indirect Characterization
• The character is revealed through his/her actions, dialogue, or what others says about him/her
Conflict• The problem or struggle in the
story between the antagonist and the protagonist. It triggers the action in the story
• Man vs man, man vs society, man vs self, man vs nature, man vs supernatural, man vs fate/destiny
Climax• Usually the most intense point in a
story. It is the moment the conflict is resolved
Figurative Language• Language that interprets ideas
beyond the ordinary, literal (real) meaning.
Figurative Language Examples
• Simile – comparison using like or as of two unlike things
• Metaphor – a comparison not using like or as of two unlike things
• Personification – giving human qualities to nonhuman things
Flashback• Returning to an earlier time for the
purpose of making something more clear
Foreshadowing• Giving hints or clues of what is to
come later in the story
Hyperbole• An exaggerated statement
Imagery• Descriptive words or phrases that
create sensory experiences (appealing to the five senses) for the reader.
Irony• Situational – when there is a
contradiction between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. Sometimes the contradiction is an unlikely coincidence.
More Irony• Dramatic – when the reader or the
audience sees a character’s mistakes but the character does not.
• Verbal – when the writer says one thing and means another
Mood• The feeling a text arouses in the
reader: happiness, peacefulness, sadness, gloom, fear, frustration, humor
Plot• The sequence of events in a story
which include an exposition (introduction), rising action, climax, falling action, resolution
Point of View• The Vantage point from which a
story is being told.
1st Person Point of View• the teller of the story is in the
story – uses I, me
3rd Person Point of View• the teller of the story is not in the
story – uses he, she, they– Omniscient – all knowing, the narrator
knows more about the characters and events than any one character can know
– Limited – the narrator tells only the thoughts and feelings of one character
Protagonist• The main character in a story. It is
the character whose story the reader follows.
Repetition• Using the same word or phrase
more than once for impact and effect.
Rhyme Scheme• The pattern of end rhyme in a
poem which can be charted as a, b, c etc.
Setting• The time and place of the story• Includes time of day, year, season,
etc.
Sarcasm• The use of praise to mock
someone or something
Satire• Making fun of human vice or
weakness often using humor, sarcasm, or exaggeration in an attempt to change the weakness
Speaker• The narrator of poetry
Stanza• A grouping of lines that form a unit
of poetry• A stanza is to a poem like a
paragraph is to an essay
Sound Devices• Alliteration – the repetition of the
same consonant sound at the beginning of a word.
• Example: The big, beefy bull.
Sound Devices• Assonances – The repetition of the
same vowel sounds.• Example: The scattering of crabs.
Sound Devices• Consonances – the repetition of
the same consonant sounds within the word.
• Example: The little battle
Sound Devices• Rhyme – the repetition of the
same sounds at the ends of words.• Example: The cat in the hat.
Symbolism• A person, place, thing, or event in
a story used to represent something else.
Theme• A statement of message about life
that the author is trying to teach the reader. When writing the theme, don’t refer to characters in the story.
Tone• The overall feeling or attitude of
the writer about his/her subject. It is the writer’s voice.