Literary Devices [Definitions] Flashcards
Antagonist [n.]
Definition: a person who opposes another person
Protagonist [n.]
1st Definition: : the main character in a novel, play, movie, etc.
2nd Definition: an important person who is involved in a competition, conflict, or cause
Connotation [n.]
1st Definition: an idea or quality that a word makes you think about in addition to its meaning
2nd Definition: something suggested by a word or thing : implication
Denotation [n.]
Definition: the meaning of a word or phrase [dictionary definition NOT including additional connotation]
Diction [n.]
Definition: the way in which words are used in speech or writing. How the author’s specific word choice contributes to the overall effect of a work.
Exposition [n.]
Definition: The beginning of a story where the initial situation and characters are laid out but the main action hasn’t yet begun.
Rising Action [n.]
Definition: the majority of a story starting with the moment the main action/conflict begins and continuing through all the way until the climax.
Climax [n.]
Definition: the last [very exciting] moment where the outcome of the primary conflict remains unclear. This is what all of the rising action has been building toward.
Falling Action [n.]
Definition: a gradual decrease of excitement as things return to [a new] normal following the climax. Not all stories contain this.
Resolution/Denouement [n.]
Definition: the new “normal” as characters resume their regular lives. The final outcome of how things will continue on in the future.
External Conflict [n.]
Definition: a character struggling with an outside force such as
- nature
- another character
- society
- etc
Internal Conflict [n.]
Definition: a character struggling with themselves in their own mind.
- making a decision
- facing uncertainty
- summoning will power
Imagery [n.]
Definition: sensory details that contribute to “paint a picture” in the story. May include”
- Sound
- Scent
- Taste
- Touch
- Sight
Allusion [n.]
Definition: a reference to something famous or well known that readers are expected to recognize [at the time it is written]. 9/11 is a historical allusion. Allusions become tricky as time passes and expected knowledge becomes less common.
Allusions are commonly made to
- the Bible
- famous literature
- famous works of art
- famous historical/cultural figures
Simile [n.]
Definition: a comparison of two similar things using like or as.
Metaphor [n.]
Definition: a directly stated or implied comparison. Something IS something.
Extended Metaphor [n.]
see also: Conceit [n.]
Definition: a metaphor that continues throughout an entire piece or across an extended section of the text [generally across more than a paragraph or stanza]
A conceit is a clever extended metaphor made between two things that are very unlike and which people generally wouldn’t compare.
Personification [n.]; Personify/Personifies [v.]
Definition: giving human characteristics to something non-human. These can’t be characteristics that the thing could do naturally.
Bees don’t generally dance, but they do fly. “The bees flew through the air in spinning circles” would not be personification.
Hyperbole [n.]
Definition: deliberate exaggeration for effect. Consider the effect being accomplished by the exaggeration.
Juxtaposition [n.]; Juxtapose [v.]
Definition: deliberate positioning of contradicting things to show the contrast and emphasize their differences.
Examples: black/white; bright/dark; fat/thin; smart/dumb
Situational Irony [n.]
Definition: irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended [so the outcome is contrary to what was expected].
Dramatic Irony [n.]
Definition: irony in which the full significance of a character’s words or actions is clear to the audience or reader while remaining unknown to the character.
Verbal Irony [n.]
Definition: irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning. This includes sarcasm.
Theme [n]; Thematic [adj]
Definition: a main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work. This is a key point or lesson being conveyed by a text and cannot just be a single word.
Motif [n.]
Definition: an object or idea which reoccurs throughout a work of literature. Through repetition and placement, motifs can contribute to an author’s thematic statement.
Examples: repetition of imagery of contrasting light/dark could build toward a theme of “light shining through the darkness” or something along those lines. The individual contrast would be juxtaposition, but the repeated use of that specific juxtaposition would be a motif building toward that theme [or main idea] of the text. Another example would be repetition of a significant symbol throughout a text [the “green light” in The Great Gatsby][“roses/thorns” in Sleeping Beauty]
Symbol [n.]; Symbolism [n.]
Definition: the use of an object, person, situation, or word to represent something else, like an idea. A repeated symbol becomes a motif which helps build up to the theme of the text.
Examples: White can symbolize purity; a flag can symbolize patriotism; doves can symbolize peace; a rose can symbolize love; a rose’s thorns can symbolize love hurting or something that appears beautiful but is really damaging.
Onomatopoeia [n.]
Definition: the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named
Examples: cuckoo; sizzle; buzz, snap.
Repetition [n.]
Definition: a deliberate choice to repeat a word, phrase, symbol, or other element in the text to create an effect.
Repetition is the key to developing a motif which can help the reader identify a theme. Repetition may also add rhetorical strength by creating deliberate emphasis.
Suspense [n.]
Definition: a state or feeling or excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen
Syntax [n.]
Definition: the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences. Specific choices made in regard to word order, grammar, and sentence formation.
Syntax may be deliberately made unusual to direct attention or otherwise create an effect. Yoda’s unusual speech patterns are an example of deliberately unusual syntax to catch the observer’s attention.
Understatement [n.]
Definition: the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.
Example: “It’s just a flesh wound” the soldier exclaimed just moments after a cannon ball blew off his leg.
