THEME: the Main Idea Or Basic Meaning of a Literary Work; Answers the Question: What Did
Important literary elements and techniques:
THEME: the main idea or basic meaning of a literary work; answers the question: What did the author want to tell me about his thoughts on life? What was his/her purpose for writing? Lessons learned?
CONFLICT: A struggle between 2 opposing forces or characters in a literary work. Conflict can be internal or external:
INTERNALEXTERNAL
1. Man v. himself 1. Man v man
2. Man v nature
3. Man v society
PLOT: The sequence of events in a literary work
SETTING: The time and place of an action in a literary work – also includes seasons and time of day, as well as weather
CHARACTERIZATION: The physical and personal traits a character displays and the means by which an author reveals those traits. Authors use both direct and indirect characterization. See characterization handout.
POINT OF VIEW: the perspective from which an author lets the reader view the action in a narrative.
2 kinds:
First-Person Point of View: the narrator tells a story he or she took part in or observed directly; narrator knows only what has been explicitly revealed or that which he or she has been able to figure out on his or her own(look for “I” or “me”)
Third-Person Point of View: the narrator is not directly involved in the action and views events from a distance; such a narrator may be:
Omniscient:all-knowing
Limited: Narrator only
knows what 1 or 2
characters are aware of
FORESHADOWING: the use of hints or clues in a literary work to suggest what action is to come; foreshadowing contributes to suspense in a literary piece, as it keeps the reader interested, guessing, and engaged
SUSPENSE uncertain or tense about the outcome of the events to follow.
EPIPHANY: a sudden moment of realization: the “Duh” moment in a literary work when something becomes evidently clear to a character.
DIALECT:the speech patterns of a particular region or social group (like teens); adds interest and makes writing more realistic; shows distinct differences in people through age, class, race, or culture
IRONY: when the opposite of what you expect to happen, happens
Verbal Situational
opposite of opposite
what’s meant circumstances
is said
Dramatic Irony
When an audience is aware
of circumstances that characters are not
TONE:the attitude a writer takes toward his or her subject, characters, or readers; through tone, writers can shock, amuse, anger, sadden, or terrify readers; tone is created through a writer’s choice of words and details
SYMBOL:object, person, idea, or action that represents something other than itself
Ex: autumn in literature usually represents dying or the later stages of a person’s life
IMAGERY: language in writing that appeals to any of the senses; most often visual, but also can appeal to taste, sound, smell, or touch.
Ex: “The crystal coated twigs cracked under our feet as the sun blinded us with its reflection.”
FLASHBACK: When the flow of events in a narrative is interrupted to present the reader with an earlier incident that’s important because it has bearing on the present story or characters.
ALLUSION: a reference in literature to a person, place, or event in another work of literature; or a reference to a time in history, or to a work of art or music; allusions work best when the reference is most familiar to readers – Bible references are most common.
HYPERBOLE: an exaggeration or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally.
“I’ve told you a million times….”
SIMILE:a comparison of two dissimilar things, using the words like, as, than, or resembles, with the intent of creating a more intense image or meaning for readers
“Her skin was as white as snow.”
METAPHOR:a comparison of two dissimilar things, with the intent of creating a more intense image or more powerful meaning for readers.
“He’s a bear when he gets up in the morning.”
ANALOGY: an analogy points out two dissimilar things to illustrate how similar or related they really are; using an analogy can help the reader more clearly understand the idea, situation, or concept that is being discussed
EPILOGUE: a concluding passage after the last chapter or act (in the case of a play) of a literary work that “ties up loose ends” or tells audience information about the characters in the future that is helpful or satisfying to the audience’s understanding of how things turned out.
DENOTATION: the literal, dictionary-based meaning of a word.
CONNOTATION: the emotion that a certain word arouses in us or the image we associate with certain words that may have little to do with the actual meaning of the word
Ex: the word “snake”
Literally, the denotation of the word is a reptile that slithers on the ground
The connotation of the word, however, when we use it as a way to describe a person, makes us think of a sneaky, untrustworthy lowlife
EXTENDED METAPHOR: a metaphor in a literary work that is sustained (kept going) throughout the entire piece, rather than having a series of many different metaphors within the piece
APOSTROPHE: Addressing (talking to) someone absent or something non-human as if it were alive or present and could respond or reply to what’s being said.
Ex: yelling at your dead mother or talking to a bird or a tree outside the window
For For Romeo and Juliet:
OXYMORON: the combining of 2 opposite or contradictory terms to create a meaningful image or idea
Ex: “bittersweet” “awfully good” “modern history”
FOIL:a character who “sets off” another character by contrast; by heightening the differences between characters, authors can really dramatize the distinct characterization of individual characters
Ex: the nurse and Juliet
Romeo and Mercutio
ASIDE: When a character speaks to another character or the audience on stage and it’s understood that no one else on the stage can hear what’s being said.
MONOLOGUE: a long, uninterrupted speech in a narrative or drama that is recited by only one person in the presence of other actors on the stage
SOLILOQUY: a long, dramatic speech that is spoken by only one person alone on the stage (or at least the person speaking thinks he/she is alone); the purpose of a soliloquy is so that the audience can be made aware of the speaker’s innermost, true thoughts and feelings
SUBTEXT: the thoughts we, as an audience, suppose the characters are thinking as they deliver their lines
For Odyssey section of notes:
Hero: a mythological or legendary figure, often of divine descent, who is endowed with great strength, ability, and extreme amounts of courage.
Hubris: Greek word meaning “excessive pride” The Greeks did not want their people to possess too much ego or pride, especially with regard to feeling superior to the gods
For Literary Terms section:
EPITHET: a descriptive adjective or phrase used to characterize someone or something. Sometimes, the term is ironic
Ex: “Wise Odysseus”
“Grey-Eyed Athena”
“Shorty” (But the person is tall)
“Ivan the Terrible”
“Stone Cold Steve Austin”
“Catherine the Great”
“Slim Shady”
“Weird Al Yankovich”
“L’il Kim”
“Fitty Cent”
HOMERIC SIMILE: (sometimes called an “epic simile”) an extended comparison that mounts in excitement and usually ends in a climax;
Homer uses these extended comparisons when an unusually dramatic moment is occurring in The Odyssey, like during the blinding of the Cyclops, the eating of the men by Scylla, or the final massacre of the suitors at the end of the poem.
***Note: Metaphor: “Dawn’s Rosy Fingers” recurring image throughout the poem
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