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Literary TermsTeaching
Literary TermsTeaching
and Terms
Literary Devices and Terms
• A literary device is any tool used in literature to
help the reader understand the story and its
character(s).
• There are two types of literary devices used by
authors, literary elements and literary
techniques.
• Literary terms provide structure to the
literature. All literary elements are evident in
all literature that creates a story.
• Literary techniques are specific to each
author. Authors choose which of the
techniques to employ.
• Literary terms are not devices. They are
simply terms used to understand literature.
Literary Elements
Literary elements are common literary
devices found in all literature.
• Point of view
• Setting
• Character/Characterization
• Theme
• Plot
• Conflict
Point of View
Point of view is the vantage point from which a story is told.
Resolution
Exposition
Plot Map
Literary Techniques
In its negative aspects, death, terror, the supernatural, and the blinding truth of mystery.
Assonance:
The repetition of vowel
sounds as in “Days wane
away.”
Atmosphere:
The overall feeling of a work,
which is related to tone and
mood.
Blank verse:
Unrhymed lines of poetry
usually in iambic pentameter.
Plenty of modern poetry is
written in blank verse.
Characterization:
The means by which an
author establishes character.
An author may directly
describe the appearance and
personality of character or
show it through action or
dialogue.
Direct and Indirect
Characterization:
- The writer tells what a character is
like by means of direct comment.
- A writer shows what a character is
like by (1)giving a physical description
(2) relating character’s actions and
words (3) revealing the character’s
thoughts and feelings (4) making clear
what others ib the story think about the
character.
Dynamic character—a
character which changes
during the course of a story or
novel
Irony of Situation:
There is a contrast between what
is expected and what actually
happens.
Jargon:
A specialized vocabulary
used by those of a particular
trade or profession.
Literal Language:
Language that means
exactly what it says.
Lyric:
A type of poetry that
expresses the poet’s
emotions. It often tells some
sort of brief story, engaging
the reading in the experience.
Metaphor:
A comparison that doesn’t
use “like” or “as”—such as
“He’s a rock” or “I am an
island.”
Meter:
The pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables in the
lines of a poem.
Monologue:
A long speech by one
character in a play or story.
Mood / Atmosphere :
The emotional atmosphere of
a given piece of writing. For
example, The Mood or
Atmosphere might be scary,
happy, sad, romantic, nostalgic,
or exciting.
Motif:
A theme or pattern that
recurs in a work.
Myth:
A legend that embodies the
beliefs of people and offers
some explanation for natural
and social phenomena.
Onomatopoeia:
The use of words that sound
like what they mean such as
“buzz.”
Parable:
A short, simple tale that
illustrates a moral or spiritual
lesson.
Paradox:
A seeming contradiction.
For example, “It was the best