Literary Techniques (Art of Smart) Flashcards
Allegory
A story or narrative with two meanings; the obvious or literal meaning that is immediately clear,
and a second, usually hidden meaning. The second meaning often acts as a commentary on real world events or issues or relates to a specific topic/theme being dealt with.
Example: Many people claim Lord of the Rings is an allegory for the World War I because it portrays war (and especially industrialisation for war production) negatively.
Alliteration
Repetition of consonants at the beginning of successive words or within sentences/phrases to
create a sense of rhythm, though they can be overdone (as in tongue twisters). Also common in
poetry.
Example: “Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
Allusion
A subtle or passing reference to an event, person, place, other text, etc. that is intended to be
noticed by readers (though isn’t always picked up on). Religious allusions are some of the
easiest to spot, especially Christian religious allusions due to the oversaturation of Christian
imagery in texts and media.
Example: Remus Lupin in Harry Potter is named for Remus of ‘Remus and Romulus’, twins in Greek mythology who were raised by a wolf. This is a mythological allusion that ties into his being a werewolf.
Ambiguity
When something is left to the reader’s imagination. Often this involves the author not stating explicitly what is happening, what has been said, etc. This boosts reader interest as they are encouraged to make up their own mind about what is happening, or they become suspicious of what they have not been explicitly told. Common in poetry.
Example: The ending of Inception (Christopher Nolan) is incredibly ambiguous. In the film audiences are shown that the main character’s spinning top will continue to spin if he’s in a dream and topple if he’s in reality – however the final shot cuts just as the spinner begins to
wobble, leaving audiences to wonder if he’s in reality or still dreaming.
Analogy
Uses two similar concepts or ideas to create a relationship or draw comparisons between the two. Can also be used to contrast two ideas, however it’s most commonly used to prove how something is similar or use one idea to explain another. Often features the phrase “is to”, though not always.
Example: “A sword is to a warrior as a pen is to a writer.”
Antithesis
Using two sentences with contradictory or contrasting meanings close to one another, sometimes even in immediate succession. This creates strong contrast, however the two sentences are usually designed to balance each other out through opposite connotations and then represent a whole idea. Antitheses often show how a character or idea may be contradictory but still whole.
Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities).
Archetype
An archetype is an immediately recognisable character, concept or object that makes it easy for audiences to categorise them based on what they resemble in literature. Character archetypes are most common, with popular ones including: the femme fatale, the average joe, the class clown, the anti-hero, the bad boy, etc. Most characters fit into at least one archetype.
Example: Hagrid (Harry Potter) and Hodor (Game of Thrones) fit the ‘gentle giant’ archetype, while Batman is the ultimate ‘lone vigilante’ archetype.
Assonance
Similar to alliteration, however in this case it is vowel sounds that are repeated. This may be at the beginning of words/phrases, or within the words themselves. Very common in poetry.
Example: “A long song.” has a repeated long ‘o’ sound in the last two words that creates assonance, however the name “Rita Skeeter” from Harry Potter also features assonance, as the ‘i’ and ‘ee’ create the same sound.
Atmosphere
Atmosphere and mood are often used interchangeably, as they are similar but used in different
ways and have different results. Atmosphere refers to the feeling or mood created by a place, situation or text – it usually changes from scene to scene and is built by sensory imagery and word choices. This is what makes dark, stormy nights in novels feel eerie and foreboding.
Example: “The floorboards creaked in time with the wind whistling around the houses’ jagged edges, and waves crashed angrily against the rocky cliffs below. She clutched her coat tighter around her and stepped into the flickering light of the fire.”
Characterisation
The process by which characters are introduced, described and then fully formed through their
choices, interactions, etc. Characterisation is what makes characters feel like real people, and is often based in their morals, values and personality traits. If a character has strong characterisation it is easy to imagine how they would react in any given situation. It also makes
it harder to believe situations where characters do things that go against their usual traits, creating audience suspicion or disbelief.
Example: Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) is characterised as being independent,
resourceful, focused on survival and having poor social skills. These traits determine how she
interacts with people and makes choices, as seen in her initially being vocal in her hatred for the
Capitol, but then doing as the Capitol tells her if it means protecting her family and surviving.
Cliche
A common and/or overused expression, often found in similes and metaphors. While they can sometimes be used ironically or to symbolise a character themselves being unoriginal, clichés are often a sign of lazy or unimaginative writing. Clichés should only be used if there’s a reason for them.
Example: “He ran like the wind.”
Connotations
The ideas, feelings or concepts associated with specific words, phrases or situations that go
beyond their literal meaning. Word choices are often made with the connotations of each word in mind to create a particular atmosphere or tone. In some instances an interaction or situation may have underlying connotations as well.
Example: ‘Beautiful’ and ‘cute’, while both describing how something is visually appealing, have
different connotations. ‘Beautiful’ creates a sense of grace, elegance and maturity, while ‘cute’ is
more associated with youth, pettiness and the colour pink.
Contrast
Any situation wherein two different or opposing things are presented together in order to highlight their differences. This can occur with ideas, settings, characters, objects, concepts, themes, etc. and often serve to make the audience more aware of the individual parts of the two things that make them different.
Example: Timon and Pumbaa (The Lion King) are visually contrasting, with Timon being small, angular and lightly coloured, while Pumbaa is large, rounded and a darker colour. This emphasises their differences and the unlikeliness of their friendship.
Context
The time, place and social setting within which a text was created, including the values of the time, the world events, major topics of discussion, key figures, etc. There are three kinds of context; literary (what was happening in the literary world at the time), historical (what year it was and what major world events were occurring) and personal (who the author was, their experiences and values). These all influence the text, leading to the text often reflecting the authors own ideas and values as based on their context.
Example: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley explores the idea of science being used to create life, reflecting Shelley’s own interest in science and the actual reanimation experiments of the time period.
Dramatic irony
Any situation wherein the audience is privy to some sort of information that the characters do not know, building audience tension, suspense, etc. This is usually achieved by cutting away
from the main character to see what another character is doing/planning, then returning to the uninformed character and watching the results play out, all the while knowing what the second character has done/planned.
Example: Romeo and Juliet uses dramatic irony to create audience tension and emotional reactions when Romeo believes Juliet to be dead and kills himself, as audiences know she’s actually alive and will wake up any moment.
