Literary Techniques + Devices Flashcards
The mood, emotional tone or feeling of a literary work. Specific settings often have a certain mood/(…….) associated with them.
Atmosphere
The reader feels what the character feels. It is much more than simply sympathy which is an understanding or acknowledgement of the feelings of a character.
Empathy
The interruption of a story’s narrative in order to present an earlier scene or episode. It may come in the way of a memory recollection or a scene inserted into the piece fiction. It is NOT simply a character remembering something form the past.
Flashback
It is a device by means of which the author hints at something to follow. This helps make unexpected endings believable. It increases the reader’s feeling of suspense. It also serves to give readers just enough information to keep them interested and reading until the end of a piece.
Foreshadowing
It is a term which refers to some contrast or discrepancy between appearance and reality. It takes on a number of special forms…
Irony
Words that are intended to mean the exact opposite of what is stated (not to be confused with sarcasm, which is a tone of voice often accompanying it). There is a contrast between what is literally said and what is actually meant.
(EX.: A forest is destroyed to create paper and that paper is used to criticize deforestation)
Verbal Irony
An unexpected turn of events, the opposite of what would be a conventional or appropriate outcome. A set of circumstances turns out to be the reverse of what is expected or is appropriate.
Situational Irony
An awareness of information by the audience and one character or more on a stage not shared by another character. The state of affairs known to the audience (or reader) is the reverse of what its participants suppose it to be.
Dramatic Irony
The quality in a literary work that evokes a feeling of pity, tenderness and sympathy from the reader or audience. It is an element within a story which appeals to our emotions rather than our minds. It make us care about a character or situation (tugs at our heartstrings).
Pathos
The psychological tension or anxiety resulting from the reader’s uncertainty of just how a situation or conflict is likely to end. It makes the reader want to find out what happens.
Suspence
The attitude the writer takes toward the subject he or she is writing about. Just as we reveal our attitude by our tone of voice when we are speaking, so writers show their attitude by the style in which they write.
(EX.: humorous, critical, bitter, ect.)
Tone
The point in a literary work at which the action turns for or against the main character.
Turning Point
The repetition of similar or identical sounds found in the beginning of two or more words.
EX.: Peter picked a peck of pickled peppers…
Alliteration
A brief reference to a person, event or thing that the writer assumes the reader will recognize. Such events may come from history, the bible, mythology or literature.
Allusion
Repetition of vowel sounds.
EX.: Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn”
Assonance
The attribution of human form or behavior to anything other than a human being
Anthropomorphism
Repetition of consonant sounds
EX.: Live-love
Consonance
The quoted conversation of two or more people providing details about the character and their situation.
Dialogue
In poetry, the continuation of a sentence from one line to the next.
Enjambmentn
To say harsh things gently.
Ex.: He passed away instead of he died.
Euphemism
The deliberate exaggeration in order to emphasize a fact or feeling.
Ex.: The movie bored me to death.
Hyperbole
The references the author make that relates to our five senses.
Ex.: The crisp wind sent a chill through her body.
Imagery
A figure of speech in which two things are compared without the use of like or as.
Ex.: A heart of gold.
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which a word used closely resembles the sound to which it refers
Ex.: boom, pow buzz.
Onomatopoeia
Involves a combination of two contradictory or conflicting words. It is different from a paradox in that it creates its effects more compactly, using a combination of two successive words while a paradox involves a complete statement.
Ex.: Bright darkness
Oxymoron
A statement that appears contradictory but upon closer examination reveals some truth.
Ex.: Nobody goes to that restaurant, it’s too crowded.
Paradox
A special type of metaphor in which human characteristics are attributed to things or ideas.
Ex.: the sun cam out, smiled and said “Hello.”
Personification
Use similar language, structure, events or ideas in different parts of a text for the purpose of emphasis or comparison and contrast.
Parallelism
The use of a specific word, structure or phrase several times to emphasize a particular idea
Repetition
The repetition of similar or duplicate sounds in two or more words at the end of or within a line of poetry.
Rhyme
Comparison between two essentially unlike things using the words like or as.
Simile
the use of concrete objects to represent an abstract idea or concept.
Symbolism
Is the shaping of something in an animal form or terms
EX.: “(…) the way a bear drags his paws.”
Zoomorphism
A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words
Pun
When a part of something represents the whole thing
Ex.: Lend me your ears = listening
Synecdoche
The process by which an author creates, develops and presents a fictional character.
1) Actions
2) Says, thinks and feels
3) Looks like
4) How other react and say about the character
5) what the character is like
Characterization
The time and place of a story.
Components:
-Weather
-Time (time of day, period in HIS.)
-Place
-Social conditions
-Mood/atmosphere
Setting
The sequence of events in a story
1) Introduction
2) Initial Incident
3) Rising Action
4) Climax
5) Falling Action
6) Denouement (Epilogue)
Plot
It is the opposition of forces; any form of opposition that faces the main character.
- External (outside oneself)
-internal (Within oneself)
-Man vs. Man
-Man vs. Circumstance
-Man vs. Society
-Man vs. himself
Conflict
The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who closely interacts with the protagonist or other characters.
First person
The author tell the story.
Third person
The author narrates the story through this all - seeing point of view. we are in the minds of all characters. The author allows the reader to know what all characters are thinking and doing, ect.
Omniscient
We only know what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us.
Omniscient limited
3rd POV. it appears as though a camera is following the character, going anywhere, and recording only what is seen and heard. No thoughts. Reader is spectator.
Omniscient Objective
An idea or belief as to what is important and unimportant in life. It gives basic meaning to a literary device. The deeper meaning, moral, message of a literary work.
Theme
Literally, something that stands for something else. In literature, it is any work, image, object, action, or character that embodies and evokes a range of additional meaning and significance
Ex.: lion represents bravery
Symbol
