Literary Devices [Definitions]

Question 1

Antagonist [n.]

Answer 1

Definition: a person who opposes another person

Question 2

Protagonist [n.]

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Connotation [n.]

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Denotation [n.]

Answer 4

Definition: the meaning of a word or phrase [dictionary definition NOT including additional connotation]

Question 5

Diction [n.]

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

Exposition [n.]

Answer 6

Definition: The beginning of a story where the initial situation and characters are laid out but the main action hasn’t yet begun.

Question 7

Rising Action [n.]

Answer 7

Definition: the majority of a story starting with the moment the main action/conflict begins and continuing through all the way until the climax.

Question 8

Climax [n.]

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

Falling Action [n.]

Answer 9

Definition: a gradual decrease of excitement as things return to [a new] normal following the climax. Not all stories contain this.

Question 10

Resolution/Denouement [n.]

Answer 10

Definition: the new “normal” as characters resume their regular lives. The final outcome of how things will continue on in the future.

Question 11

External Conflict [n.]

Answer 11

Definition: a character struggling with an outside force such as

• nature
• another character
• society
• etc

Question 12

Internal Conflict [n.]

Answer 12

Definition: a character struggling with themselves in their own mind.

• making a decision
• facing uncertainty
• summoning will power

Question 13

Imagery [n.]

Answer 13

Definition: sensory details that contribute to “paint a picture” in the story. May include”

• Sound
• Scent
• Taste
• Touch
• Sight

Question 14

Allusion [n.]

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Simile [n.]

Answer 15

Definition: a comparison of two similar things using like or as.

Question 16

Metaphor [n.]

Answer 16

Definition: a directly stated or implied comparison. Something IS something.

Question 17

Extended Metaphor [n.]

see also: Conceit [n.]

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

Personification [n.]; Personify/Personifies [v.]

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

Hyperbole [n.]

Answer 19

Definition: deliberate exaggeration for effect. Consider the effect being accomplished by the exaggeration.

Question 20

Juxtaposition [n.]; Juxtapose [v.]

Answer 20

Definition: deliberate positioning of contradicting things to show the contrast and emphasize their differences.

Examples: black/white; bright/dark; fat/thin; smart/dumb

Question 21

Situational Irony [n.]

Answer 21

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].

Question 22

Dramatic Irony [n.]

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Verbal Irony [n.]

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

Theme [n]; Thematic [adj]

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

Motif [n.]

Answer 25

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]

Question 26

Symbol [n.]; Symbolism [n.]

Answer 26

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.

Question 27

Onomatopoeia [n.]

Answer 27

Definition: the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named

Examples: cuckoo; sizzle; buzz, snap.

Question 28

Repetition [n.]

Answer 28

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.

Question 29

Suspense [n.]

Answer 29

Definition: a state or feeling or excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen

Question 30

Syntax [n.]

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

Understatement [n.]

Answer 31

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.