CH. 24: Literary Devices: Definition & Examples

Question 1

Literary Devices

Answer 1

narrative techniques that add texture, energy, and excitement to the narrative, grip the reader’s imagination, and convey information

Question 2

Epigraph

Answer 2

quotation from some other work / reference to another work the author helps the reader will help understand their own work

Question 3

Euphemism

Answer 3

describe some graphic or offensive event using milder imagery or phrasing

Question 4

Confusion with Irony

Answer 4

often confusing irony with bad luck or coincidence, popular culture and media are quick to label things as ironic when sometimes they simply aren’t

Question 5

Verbal Irony

Answer 5

use of language to express the opposite sentiment than what is expected / the most recognizable form of verbal irony is sarcasm, where the speaker says the opposite of what they mean, often for comedic effect

Question 6

Dramatic Irony

Answer 6

when a playwright or a novelist creates an ironic situation that only the viewer or reader knows about / a type of situational irony that the characters aren’t in on yet, which can create Tension

Question 7

Situational Irony

Answer 7

when the exact opposite of what you expect to happen happens / powered by the incongruity between the expectation and the actual outcome

Question 8

Ambiguity

Answer 8

[shakespeare is a prime example of this]

• happens when writing can have more than one interpretation
• can be found in everyday conversation and literature
• most common form of ambiguity is found in word choice

Question 9

Ambiguous Sentences

Answer 9

• can become ambiguous just by a single word or misplaced statement

Question 10

Ambiguity in Literature

Answer 10

• may be used in literature through wording, symbol, or action
• author may use it as a literary device
• one way to strengthen the relationship between the reader and the author is to allow for more than one interpretation

Question 11

Sensory Details

Answer 11

[no sense is more important than the other]
sight
smell
touch
sound
taste

Question 12

Sensory Details Characteristics

Answer 12

gives a “Universal Feel”: personally connecting with the readers