Literary Terms & Devices

Literary Terms & Devices Ms. HuntENG 4UO

Third-person observant narrator • This type of narrative mode, outside of fiction, is often employed by newspaper articles, biographical documents, and scientific journals. This point of view can be described as a "fly on the wall" or "camera lens" approach that can only record the observable actions, but does not interpret these actions or relay what thoughts are going through the minds of the characters.

Conflict • The struggle of opposing forces in a story. It is what creates the drama and action that moves the story from beginning to conclusion. • Man v Self Man v Supernatural Man v Man Man v Machine/Tech Man v Society Man v Destiny Man v Nature

Third-person omniscient narrator • This is a tale told from the point of view of a storyteller who plays no part in the story but knows all the facts, including the characters' thoughts. This mode enhances the sense of objective reliability (i.e. truthfulness) of the plot. This narrator is the least capable of being unreliable—although it can have its own personality, offering judgments and opinions on the behaviour of the characters.

Protagonist • The main characteraround whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify.

Denouement • The falling action that occurs after the climax. The settlement of the conflict for the protagonist. This settlement shows the reader something about human nature and behaviour.

Situational irony • A situation in which the actions taken have an effect exactly opposite from what was intended. • Ex. The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy travels to a wizard and fulfills her challenging demands to go home, before discovering she had the ability to go back home all the time. The Scarecrow longs for intelligence, only to discover he is already a genius, and the Tin Woodsman longs to be capable of love, only to discover he already has a heart. The Lion, who at first appears to be a whimpering coward, turns out to be bold and fearless. The people in Emerald City believed the Wizard to be a powerful deity, only to discover that he is a bumbling, eccentric old man with no special powers at all.

Theme • A broad idea, message, or moral of a story. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. • There can be many of these in a narrative.

First-person narrative • A narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. It may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the writing.

Antagonist • A character, group of characters, or an institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend.

Setting • The time, place, physical details, and circumstances in which a situation occurs.

Inciting Incident • Follows the introduction and begins the rising action of the story by introducing the conflict.

Crisis • A special complication which alters the direction of the action. At this point, the action seems to go against the protagonist.

Simile • A comparison between two unlike things using like, as or than. • “Smart as a whip” • “She ran like the wind” • “Her lies were sweeter than sin”

Climax • The highest point of interest or suspense in the story. It always involves the protagonist and comes before the main conflict is resolved.

Connotation • An association that comes along with a particular word. They relate not to a word's actual meaning, or denotation, but rather to the ideas or qualities that are implied by that word. A good example is the word "gold." The denotation of gold is a malleable, ductile, yellow element. The connotations, however, are the ideas associated with gold, such as greed, luxury, or avarice.

Foreshadowing • Hinting at future events to create suspense.

Motif • A recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature. It may also be two contrasting elements in a work, such as good and evil.

Mood • The atmosphere of a narrative. The feelings (pity, terror, sadness, shame…) aroused in the reader by the events of the story.

Symbol • An image that represents something else, often an idea or something intangible.

Metaphor • A direct comparison between two unlike things. • Ex. The moon was a pearl in the black velvet sky.

Personification • Human qualities and human forms are directly attributed to inanimate objects, animals, etc. • Ex. The trees watched and listened.

Pun • A play on words. • Ex. “Make like a banana and split.” • Ex. “How was your camping trip?” “It was intense.”

Short story • A prose narrative that is brief in nature. Also has many of the same characteristics of a novel including characters, setting and plot.

Oxymoron • Afigure of speech that combines contradictory terms. • Ex. Jumbo shrimp, bittersweet

Euphemism • A substitution for an expression that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the receiver, using instead an agreeable or less offensive expression. • Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others are created to mislead. • Ex. “He passed away”, “It fell off the back of a truck”, “The birds and the bees”

Rhetorical Question • A question asked by the writer that the reader is not expected to answer

Allusion • A figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, a place, event, literary work, myth, or work of art, either directly or by implication.

Alliteration • The repetition of the initial consonant sound in a series of words. It adds rhythm or emphasizes emotion. • Ex. The menacing moonlight created mystery

Dramatic Irony • The device of giving the spectator an item of information that at least one of the characters in the narrative is unaware of (at least consciously), thus placing the spectator a step ahead of at least one of the characters. • Ex. Romeo finding Juliet “dead”

Cliché • An expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, rendering it a stereotype, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel.

Onomatopoeia • The sound of a word resembles its meaning. • Ex. Buzz, hiss, zip

Pathetic fallacy • The broad, allusive attribution of human emotions or characteristics to inanimate objects or to nature. • Ex.Angry clouds, a cruel wind.

Hyperbole • An exaggeration to show intensity of feeling. • Ex. “My heart is broken”

Literary Terms & Devices