Literary Elements

Language Arts 10

Mr. Gildea

Theme

is the underlying meaning of the story, a universal truth, a significant statement the story is making about society, human nature or the human condition.

A book’s theme must be described in universal terms, not in terms of the plot; the plot is the way the universal theme is carried out.

Theme

Although themes can convey important messages, they should never be overtly “preachy” (that readers lose pleasure in the story and reject its message)

Theme cannot be a subject (i.e.- “Friendship” or “Courage”). To say that a book's theme is "friendship" is not clear. It may mean, "Friends are a person's most valuable possession." It may also mean, "Friends can never be trusted if their own interests are opposed to yours."

Characterization

Is the means by which a character’s personality is revealed

Is usually revealed through the following methods: Showing the character acting and speaking Giving a physical description of the character Revealing the character’s thoughts Revealing what other characters think about the

character Commenting directly on the character—

background information

Types of Characters

Protagonist- the central character in the story that is always involved in the main conflict of the plot and often changes during the course of the work

Antagonist- the character or force that is pitted against the protagonist; it may be another character, some aspect of society or nature, or an internal force within the protagonist

Foil- a generally minor character whose traits are in direct contrast to those of the principal character, thereby highlighting the traits of the protagonist; two protagonists in a story may be foils to each other

Types of Characters

Flat character- a character who has only one or two “sides”, representing only one or two traits without much detail

Round character- A character who is complex and has many “sides” or traits, with unpredictable behavior and a fully developed personality

Dynamic character- a character who experiences an essential change in personality or attitude

Static character- a character who does not change or develop beyond the way in which he or she is first presented

Types of Characters

Character Dynamic Static

Round Considered the best type of character development. Usually the protagonist.

Development is considered well-done. Often found in

protagonists in books for younger children.

Flat

Characters cannot be dynamic and flat, because in a flat character we do not know enough about them for them to recognize a change. If a flat character seems to change,

it is usually due to poor writing.

In very simple books, or in fairy tales, the protagonist may be

flat and static. Also appropriate for minor characters in other

books.

Plot

The most common type of narrative order is chronological. In this case, the events are told in the order they happen.

A flashback occurs when the author narrates an event that took place before the current time of the story. The opposite effect, a flash forward, is even rarer.

A time lapse occurs when the story skips a period of time that seems unusual compared to the rest of the plot. There is no standard amount of time that might constitute a time lapse; it depends upon the reader's sense that a longer than usual period of time has passed since the previous episode.

Plot

Foreshadowing is the planting of hints about what will happen later in the story. Good foreshadowing is subtle and often contributes to high quality in a story.

A Plot Twist is a sudden and unexpected twist in the story right at the end

Plot

The sequence or arrangement of actions and events in a novel progress because of a conflict. It occurs in 5 stages:

Exposition- lays the groundwork for the plot; provides the reader with background information. Characters are introduced, the setting is described and the major conflict is identified.

Rising Action- events that arise complicating the situation, intensifying or complicating the conflict, or creating new struggles in the novel, all of which cause difficulties for the main characters. Suspense builds.

Plot

Climax- the turning point of the action, the moment when emotional intensity, interest or suspense reach their peak. It usually involves an important event, decision or discovery that affects the final outcome

Falling Action- consists of the events that occur after the climax. Often the conflict is resolved and the intensity of action subsides.

Resolution- The outcome of the conflict. Mysteries are solved and tangles are untied. It’s the “wrap up” of the story’s plot, the point in a story where the situation calms down and becomes stabilized.

Conflict

a struggle between opposing forces that moves the plot forward. It provides the interest or suspense. Conflict can be:

Internal- when conflict occurs within a character’s own body or mind (man v. self)

Conflict

External- two characters, one being the protagonist, pitted against one another (man v. man); a character pitted against a physical obstacle (man v. machine); a character pitted against an element of nature, (man v. nature); a character pitted against the values of his or her society (man v. society); or a character pitted against a fact of life or death, things beyond his or her control (man v. fate).

Setting

includes the place and time period in which the story takes place. It may also include the social and moral environment of the time period.

It can clarify conflict, illuminate character, affect the mood, and act as a symbol. The setting itself can be an antagonist in a man v. nature conflict.

Point of View

is the vantage point, or perspective, from which a story is told. What a reader knows about the story’s characters and actions depends upon the writer’s POV. The POV determines how much the narrator can reveal about the characters. There are four common POVs:

First person- the narrator is a character in the story who tells the story from the “I” vantage point. Because of this, the reader knows only what the narrator knows, observes and understands.

Point of View

Third person Limited- the narrator, who is not a character in the story, focuses on the thoughts and experiences of only one character. The reader again learns only what this one character feels, thinks and understands. The narrator tells the story from the vantage point of “he” or “she.”

Third person Omniscient- the narrator, who is not a character in the story, describes all the characters and actions in the story as well as comments on what the characters think and feel. This “all-knowing” narrator also tells the story from the vantage point of “he” or “she”.

Point of View

Third person Dramatic or Objective - we are told only what happens and what is said; we do not know any thoughts or feelings of the characters. It is called "dramatic" because it includes the words and actions, just what you would see and hear if it were in a play or film.

Devices of Style

Allusion- is an indirect reference to something outside the literary work. The reference may be to something in literature, history, modern culture, or another area. “He was a common veritable Hercules.”

Hyperbole- obvious and intentional exaggeration; an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”

Devices of Style

Understatement- the act or an instance of understating, or representing in a weak or restrained way that is not borne out by the facts: Ex: An Army officer has just lost his leg. When asked how he feels, he looks down at his bloody stump and responds, “Stings a bit.” Litotes- is a form of understatement that is always

deliberate and with the intention of emphasis. Interpretation depends on context and intonation. Ex: “No ordinary city” means “A very impressive city”

Devices of Style

Symbolism- is something—a person, place, object, situation or action—which operates on two levels, the literal and the symbolic. Symbols add depth and meaning to a story. They may be universal or specific to the story.

Mood- is the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader. The writer’s use of imagery, figurative language, sound and rhythm, and descriptive details all contribute to the mood.

Devices of Style

Tone- is the author's attitude toward what he or she writes, but it may be easier to understand if you think of it as the attitude that you (the reader) get from the author's words. It is the hardest literary element to discuss; often we can recognize it but not put it into words. The easiest tone to recognize is humor. In describing tone, use adjectives: humorous, mysterious, creepy, straight-forward, matter-of-fact, exciting, boring, etc.

Devices of Style: Irony

Irony- a contrast between expectation and reality. It can be tragic or profound; it can also be funny. There are three types of irony:

Verbal Irony- involves a stark contrast between what is said and what is really meant. Someone who says, “Speak up!” to a person who is shouting is using verbal irony. Sarcasm is an example of this.

Devices of Style: Irony

Situational Irony- occurs when what happens is very different from what we expect to happen. A puppy outwitting humans on a TV sitcom gets laughs because of situational irony; we expect people to be smarter than their pets.

Dramatic Irony- occurs when the audience or the reader knows something a character does not. Dramatic irony is what makes us laugh at Elmer Fudd when he sneaks up on Bugs Bunny; we know that Elmer is going to meet an angry bear and not a delicious rabbit.

Devices of Style

Idiom- an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket, hang one's head, or break a leg. It is also a language, dialect, or style of speaking peculiar to a people.

Imagery- is the most frequently used device. It is an appeal to any of the senses—taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell. It paints pictures in our mind.

Figurative language- uses words in a nonliteral way, giving them a meaning beyond their ordinary one.

Devices of Style

Personification gives human traits to animals, nonhuman beings, or inanimate objects: “The trees bowed before the wind.”

A simile compares two different things, using the words “as” or “like”: “The snowbank looked like a huge pile of marshmallow syrup.”

A metaphor is an implied comparison stating the resemblance between two things “Her presence was a ray of light in a dark world”; a term or phrase that is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.”