Literary elements and devices

Grade 10 literary devices

Archetype

character, action, or situation that is a prototype, or pattern, of human life generally

Archetypal characters

These characters embody universal patterns of human nature and experience. They often represent specific traits, roles, or themes, making them relatable across cultures and time periods.

heroic journey

A narrative pattern that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, faces and overcomes a crisis, and returns transformed.

flat character

A character that is simple and one-dimensional, often lacking depth or complexity.

Round character

A character that is complex and undergoes development, often showing varied traits and emotions.

Static Character

changes little over the course of a narrative

dynamic character

a character that goes through changes through a narrative

Epiphany

A sudden realization or insight that brings clarity or understanding, often leading to a trans formative change in perspective or behavior.

Foil

a character, usually minor, designed to highlight qualities of a major character

Stock

a flat character in a standard role with standard traits:

Denotative

the dictionary definition of a word,

Connotative

refers to the feelings and attitudes associated with a word.

Euphemism

the use of a word or phrase that is less expressive or direct but considered less distasteful or offensive than another;

Sugar coding

Idiom

an accepted phrase or expression having a meaning different from the literal

Freytag’s Pyramid

a convenient diagram that describes the typical pattern of a dramatic or fictional work.

Rhetorical Shift

refers to a change or movement in a piece resulting from an epiphany, realization, or insight gained by the speaker, a character, or the reader.

Apostrophe

a form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present, and the inanimate as if animate.

Metonymy

the name of one thing is applied to another thing with which it is closely associated

Oxymoron

a form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms into a single unusual expression

Synecdoche

a part of something is used to signify the whole

Assonance

is the repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words:

Consonance

is the repetition of a consonant sound within or at the end of a series of words to produce a harmonious effect:

Allusion

is a reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person, place, or thing

Antithesis

contrast or opposition

Induction (argument)

specific → general

deduction (agreement)

general → specific

Dramatic irony

irony occurs when a character or speaker says or does something that has a different meaning from what he thinks it means, though the audience and other characters understand the full implications of the speech or action

situational irony

occurs when a situation turns out differently from what one would normally expect— though often the twist is oddly appropriate.

verbal irony

occurs when a speaker or narrator says one thing while meaning the opposite.

Catharsis

is the release of emotion (pity and fear) from the audience’s perspective

Hamartia

the tragic flaw that leads to the tragic hero’s downfall.

hubris

is arrogance before the gods.