literary techniques Flashcards
framing devices
how a story is structured within another
unreliable narration
how a narrator distorts the truth
cyclical structure
parallels with an earlier moment, creating finality and inevitability
peripeteia
sudden reversal of fortune from which there is no return
anagnorisis
moment of realisation, often too late
tragic irony
dramatic irony
dark irony
proleptic irony
tragic when the information withheld from that character leads them to their downfall
dramatic when
dark when it deals with dark content
Ironic because of something in the past
pathetic fallacy
weather reflects emotions
non-/diegetic elements
n-d: things outside the story world
eg
- the green lights deeper meaning
- nicks narration; how sees the characters and judges/reflects
- cyclical structure
- asides and soliloquies
- dramatic irony
d: within
- handkerchief
- daisys voice
- setting
metatextuality
when a text references its own construction eg nick as a self-conscious narrator
chiasmus
reversal of structure
antithesis
Opposing ideas placed together
epizeuxis
intense rep
hendiadys
Two nouns joined by ‘and’ instead of an adjective-noun pairing
Parataxis vs Hypotaxis –
Short, abrupt clauses vs long, complex ones
prolepsis
flashforward
eg nicks reflections at the start
analepsis
flashback
ex of time manipulation / temporal distortion
parallelism
When events, characters, or structures mirror each other
eg (Tom and Gatsby’s competition over Daisy mirroring class struggle).
idiolect
characters unique speech style
- othello’s music
- toms blunt speech
register shift
When a character changes their way of speaking depending on situation
eg (Othello moves from eloquent verse to broken prose as he falls into madness).
aposiopesis
Breaking off mid-sentence for dramatic effect
bathos
A sudden drop from the serious to the trivial (mixing high tragedy with absurdity).
proxemics
The physical spacing of characters on stage (Iago whispering in Othello’s ear).
catharsis
The audience’s emotional release at the end of a tragedy (Othello’s downfall).
stichomythia
Rapid, back-and-forth dialogue to create tension
eg (Othello and Iago’s exchange as Iago fuels Othello’s jealousy).
semantic shift
how words meanings change over time
contextual thing to look at how language evolves within society, or evolves within a text
narrative distance
Internal vs External Conflict
Internal vs External Conflict – Internal (emotional/psychological struggles), External (against other characters, society, nature).
allegory
A story that functions on multiple levels; a narrative that uses character and plot to depict abstract ideas and themes. things represent more than they appear to be
diction
Word choice (formal, informal, poetic, archaic, modern).
syntax
Sentence structure (long vs short, fragmented vs flowing).
stream of consciousness
A character’s unfiltered, flowing thoughts.
internal monologue
character’s private thoughts
anacoluthon
shift in unfinished sentence from one syntactic construction to another
autonomasia
use of an epithet
cacophany
harsh words or sounds
synecdoche
referencing a whole by a part
anecdote
short story within the story to add a character’s perspective, knowledge or experience to a situation
deus ex machina
some crazy unusual unlikely thing happens that fixes everything and grants a happy resolution. lazy writing
in media res
starting a narrative without exposition or contextual information
soliloquy
character speaking their thoughts aloud at length, they reflect independently, may be alone or not
tone
overall mood and message of novel, established by characterisation, voice, symbolism and themes
archetype
universal symbol for a characterm setting, theme, or action
they represent feelings and situations shared across cultures and time periods, so instantly familiar to an audience
eg theme of death’s inevitability
motif
recurs throughout novel and develops themes
non sequitur
statements that dont logically follow what precedes them
can be
- for humour
- to highlight missing info or miscommunication
- dramatic effect
paradox
statement that seems illogical but is true
