Literary Elements- DP English

comedy

a genre or type of literature (especially plays) in which the protagonist or comedic hero comes to a happy end

tragedy

a genre or type of literature (especially plays) in which the protagonist or tragic hero comes to an unhappy end. It must include a tragic hero, who (most often) comes to his or her tragic downfall by means of a tragic flaw

bildungsroman

a genre or type of story in which the protagonist embarks on a journey of self-discovery, growth, and self-development, searching for their own "meaningful existence" within the world

parable

a short and often simple narrative that teaches a moral or religious lesson

didactic

refers to works of literature that are instructional or informative

narrative

a collection of events that tell a story, which can be true or not, and which can come in various forms of writing

allegory

a symbolic narrative that serves as an extended metaphor; a story with two meanings: a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. Often written in the form of fables, parables, poems, and short stories

unreliable narrator

a narrating character in a literary work who either consciously or unconsciously deceives a reader when they describe what they witness as accurate, but actually misinterpret those events because of faulty perception, personal bias, or limited understanding

characterization

the process through which an author directly or indirectly develops the persona(s) of a character in a narrative.

stock character

one whose characterization is based on a literary, cultural, or social stereotype or social stereotype and whose purpose is to provide comedic relief and to be an easily identifiable character by an audience or reader

foil

a type of character whose purpose is to provide and highlight contrasts to another character's traits and qualities

flat or static character

one who does not go through a significant or important change throughout a narrative. Not necessarily good or evil, but is often used as a foil to another character in a narrative

persona

the "voice" of the narrator, created by the author, and which tells the story of the narrative

antagonist

a character in a narrative who deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character or "hero" (protagonist) in some way. It is not always a person; it could be death, the devil, an illness, or any challenge that threatens to prevent the protagonist from living "happily ever after"

narrator

the speaker that tells the story of a narrative. Although the author and the narrator can be the same person, usually, they are meant to be different.

protagonist

a character in a narrative often considered to be the main character or the hero of the story

round or dynamic character

one who goes through a significant or important change throughout a narrative

mood

the emotional "atmosphere" or feeling the narrative evokes from a reader or audience

plot

this refers to the events that happen in the story

theme

fundamental and often "universal" idea(s) or messages that the literary work explores

point of view

the way in which a narrative is conveyed to the reader

setting

the time, place, environmental conditions, social conditions and tone that exist within the story. This can be simple or elaborate and can be used to create a sense of ambience, realism, background, to emphasize or accentuate, to organize or even to distract the reader.

conflict

the main struggle or obstacle between opposing forces that must be overcome by the protagonist and can be either internal or externa

epilogue

the final (and often separate) section of a narrative with the purpose of concluding the literary work as a whole and providing authorial commentary or further insight to the story

falling action

the part of the dramatic structure that occurs immediately after the climax of a narrative. This determines the final outcome of the story's conflict and leads to the denouement or conclusion of the narrative

Introduction

the part of the dramatic structure that helps to "set the scene" for the reader by introducing background information about the setting, the protagonist, the antagonist, other important characters, and the basic or main conflict of a narrative

climax

the part of the dramatic structure and represents the turning point in a narrative. If the story is a comedy, the bad things that have happened to the protagonist thus far will change and begin to bring the character to a happy end. If the story is a tragedy, the (seemingly) good things that have happened to the protagonist thus far will change and begin to bring the character to an unhappy end.

prologue

the introductory (and often separate) section of a narrative, which purpose is to introduce or call attention to the theme, background details, preliminary insight, or other miscellaneous information that the author believes to be important to a reader or an audience

denouement or catastrophe

the part of the dramatic structure that concludes or ends the final outcome or action of the main conflict in a narrative

allusion

to make a direct or indirect reference to a (usually historically significant) person, place, event or another work of literature - for the purpose of drawing parallels

oxymoron

a figure of speech that combines two opposite or contradictory qualities

motif

a recurring theme, idea, contrasts, literary devices or structure in literature that helps to develop the major themes of the literary work

satire

the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule or other like figures of speech to expose, criticize or make fun of fault, foolishness or stupidity

imagery

the written use of details or descriptions that evoke a mental image or a sensory experience for the reader

personification

a figure of speech in which animals, inanimate objects or ideas are given human qualities, characteristics, and feelings

paradox

a statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth

irony

a figure of speech that illustrates the inconsistency or difference between what is expected and what is true and that refers to a person, situation, statement or circumstance which is not what it seems

hyperbole

an extravagantly exaggerated description or statement

malapropism

the incorrect use of a word by substituting a similar-sounding word with a completely different meaning, usually for a comedic purpose

symbolism

works in two ways: a symbol is a word that has a literal meaning and also stands for or means something conceptual

onomatopoeia

a word that imitates or mimics the sound it represents, which helps the reader to "hear" the sound of the word

chiasmus

a type of rhetoric in which the second part of an expression is syntactically balanced against the first but with parts reversed.

epistrophe

the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the end of several successive or consecutive lines, verses, clauses or paragraphs (the opposite of anaphora)

aside

a narrative technique that allows a writer to interrupt the chronological sequence of the story, in order to provide background or additionally important information about something that is currently happening in a literary work

anaphora

the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive or consecutive lines, verses, clauses or paragraphs (the opposite of epistrophe)

analogy

a comparison of two pairs that have a similar or the same relationship, often asking readers to analyze the relationship between the first pair so that the second pair can be correctly identified

connotation

the hidden, symbolic, or implied tone and meaning of a word or phrase

anthropomorphism

the showing or treating of animals, gods, and objects as if they are human in appearance, character, or behavior. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology

archetype

a recurring character, theme, or situation in literary works; the perfect, original, pure example

Paradox (Example Sentence)

Keats' 'Ode on Melancholy' expresses the idea that joy cannot exist without sadness. The existence of one depends on the existence of the other:

She dwells with Beauty—Beauty that must die;

And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips

Bidding adieu; and aching Pleasure nigh,

Turning to poison while the bee-mouth sips:

Ay, in the very temple of Delight

Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine,

Though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue

Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine;

His soul shalt taste the sadness of her might,

And be among her cloudy trophies hung.

Pathos

Aspects of literary writing that evoke feelings of tenderness, sorrow or sympathy.

Soliloquy

A speech made by a character, usually alone on stage, in which s/he expresses his feelings and thoughts.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which the part of something is used to signify the whole e.g. 'All hands on deck.'

Synesthesia

describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound")

anaphora example

In every cry of every Man,In every infant's cry of fear,In every voice, in every ban,The mind-forg'd manacles I hear

Denotation

Dictionary definition of a word; literal meaning

Enjambment

In poetry, when a clause or a sentence continues across the line break.

Euphony/Cacophony

Sound patterns (typically in poetry) that are either harmonious and pleasing or harsh and discordant

Metonymy

A figurative expression in which the name of an object is replaced with a word that is associated with it. e.g. 'The kettle is boiling'. (Not to be confused with Synecdoche).