Literary Devices Summary Sheet 2012-2013 PDF

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Summary sheet of literary devices for analysis in English....

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LITERARY DEVICES SYNTAX Parataxis: short, sharp phrases placed side by side independently, without the use of conjunctions. o o

Effect: useful in explaining rapid sequence of thoughts and helps readers focus on particular idea, thought, setting, or emotion. E.g. “Dogs, undistinguishable in mire. Horses, scarcely better–splashed to their very blinkers. Foot passengers, jostling one another’s umbrellas, in a general infection of ill-temper…”

Hypotaxis: long, complex sentences with subordinate clauses o o

Effect: slows down narrative flow, evoking introspection and a style of stream of consciousness which explain thoughts/event in detail E.g. “After the lions had returned to their cages, creeping angrily through the chutes, a little bunch of us drifted away and into an open doorway nearby, where we stood for a while in semi-darkness watching a big brown circus horse…”

Brachiologia: broken grammatical incorrect sentence. Similar to truncated sentences. Asyndeton: Intentional elimination of conjunctions between phrases, yet maintaining grammatical accuracy. o o

Effect: speeds up the rhythm and immediate impact of certain emotions. E.g. “Call up her father. Rouse him. Make after him, Poison his delight, Proclaim him in the streets. Incense her kinsmen, And, though he in a fertile climate dwell…”

Polysyndeton: many conjunctions are used in succession o o

Effect: may create a whining, dragging feeling E.g. “I said, ‘Who killed him?’ and he said ‘I don’t know who killed him, but he’s dead all right,’ and it was dark and there was water standing in the street and no lights or windows broke and boats all up in the town and trees blown down and everything all blown…”

Anacoluthon: shift in syntactic strategy where the grammatical flow of sentences is interrupted in order to begin another sentence. o o

Effect: imitates actual thought patterns, disjointedness… E.g. “I will have such revenges on you both, That all the world shall—I will do such things, What they are, yet I know not…”

Parenthesis: inserts clauses

reflecting

confusion

and

o

Effect: lends a sense of realism through imitating informal speech-like patterns.

IRONY Involves the reader’s intellectual engagement in the process of construing meaning Antithesis: Caricature: aspects of a subject are exaggerated. o o

Effect: gives a humorous touch to the subject and subtly expresses critical/satiric attitude. E.g. “Mr. Chadband is a large yellow man, with a fat smile, and a general appearance of having a good deal of train oil in his system”

Parody: deliberately exaggerated imitation of a particular writer, artist or genre with the intention of mocking the ideals set by society. o o

Effect: Makes satire more effective when used in conjunction and keeps the reader interested. E.g. “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.” -anti-love poem

Satire: technique employed to expose and criticise foolishness/corruption of an individual or society in order to improve humanity. o

Effect: warns the public and changes people’s opinions of prevailing societal conditions.

Comic hyperbole Ironic juxtaposition Innuendo: Litotes: ironic understatement employing usage of double negatives o

Effect: emphasises an idea or situation by “ignoring” it.

Pathos: quality of experience that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy and sorrow. Method of convincing with an argument drawn out through an emotional response. o

Effect: writers introduce pathos to develop emotional connection with readers and bring their narratives, characters and themes closer to real life.

Sarcasm: literary and rhetorical devices used to mock, often with satirical or ironic remarks. Sardonicism: dry, critical tone that is inherently dark.

o

o

Effect: introduces humour and can serve as comic relief. In general, sardonicism is cynical, expressing critical/pessimistic attitudes towards life and serves as a useful tool to reveal character psychology. E.g. “I did not attend the funeral, but I sent a letter saying I approved of it.”

Tapinosis: undignified “name-calling” which debases a person/thing.

IMAGERY Evokes physical and sensory elements of a memory or situation, allowing for a deeper understanding of the text Alliteration: increases the flow of a text (not very strong) Metaphor: compares one object/situation/idea to another in order to enhance description and understanding whilst adding layers of meaning Metonymy: figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else that is closely associated. o o

Effect: generally used to develop literary symbolism- it gives more profound meanings to otherwise common ideas and objects E.g. Crown is used to refer to power or authority “The pen is mightier than the sword” wherefore the pen is representative of written words and the sword of military force “…to keep the life from spilling” wherefore life is representative of blood

Motif: has symbolic significance to the story; its recurrence is used to layer meaning to the work. Motifs can manifest as ideas, objects, concepts, character archetypes, the weather, colours, or statements. Pathetic Fallacy: Personification: humanises an object to make it appear more complex, or to attribute it to human truths and qualities Simile: Symbolism: Synecdoche: part of something represents a whole, or vice versa. o o

Effect: “zooms” in on certain details E.g. “The western wave was all a-flame” wherefore “western wave” refers to the sea as a whole

Synaesthesia: Connects different senses to make ideas and imagery more vivid. o

“Tasting of Flora and the country green, Dance, and Provencal song, and sun burnt mirth!”

RHETORIC Amplification: adds further information to a sentence to embellish it. o o

Effect: highlights the importance and persuasiveness of an idea. E.g. “A massive tree centuries old holds out against the odds here across from my mother’s house, one of the biggest trees in Pittsburgh, anchored in a green tangle of weeds and bushes, trunk thick as a Buick, black as night after rain soaks its striated hide…”

Adynaton: hyperbole is magnified to the extent that it is completely unfeasible. o o

Effect: overstates some idea to emphasise it. E.g. “I’ll love you Till China and Africa meet, And the river jumps over the mountain”

Aposiopesis: rhetorical device in which a speaker or writer breaks off abruptly. o o

Effect: may reveal emotional conflict within the speaker, may accumulate tension, may avoid full sentence to remove unpleasant thoughts. E.g. “No, Percy, thou art dust, And food for —”

Chiasmus: Diacope: Repetition of a phrase or word, broken up by other intervening words o

Effect: to add emphasis to an idea and create memorable rhythm. Frequently used in advertising, slogans, catchphrases, speeches and music.

o

E.g. “I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate,” “Life is not lost by dying! Life is lost Minute by minute, day by dragging day,”

Hypophora: writer raises a question and immediately answers it. o

Effect: It captures the attention of the audience and can also be used to change the topic.

Polyptoton: rhetorical repetition of the same root word. o o

E.g. “The Greeks are strong, and skillful to their strength, fierce to their skill, and to their fierceness valiant …” E.g. “No end to the withering of withered flowers, To the drift of the sea and the drifting wreckage.”

Procatalepsis: the speaker or writer gives response to the objection of an opponent in his speech by repeating his objection. o

Effect: shows audience that writer is grounded in the reality and builds trust with audience.

Tricolon: three parallel clauses, phrases, or words come in quick succession without any interruption. o

E.g. “You are talking to a man who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe.”

GENERAL Anaphora: Aphorism: a statement of truth in a concise and witty manner. Proverbs, maxims, adages are different forms of aphoristic statements. o o

Effect: Reveal universal truths. In motivational speeches, they often serve to inspire individuals. E.g. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

Aporia: speaker expresses doubt or perplexity. o

Effect: stimulates the audience to consider different options of resolution.

Apostrophe: an arrangement of words addressing a non-existent person or an abstract idea. o o

Effect: brings abstract ideas to life, so that the nature of emotions the writer wishes to communicate comes across in a better way. E.g. “Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art”

Bathos: inconsequential and absurd metaphors, descriptions or ideas. Cacophony: deliberate use of inharmonious words, phrases or syllables. o o

Effect: used to describe discordant situations, allowing reader to feel the unpleasantness E.g. “With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, Agape they heard me call.”

Cadence: Diatribe: an angry and usually long speech that strongly criticises someone or something. Dissonance: cacophony in poetry. Dysphemism: Epigraph: Epithet: a descriptive device that describes a place, a thing or a person in a way that helps making its characteristics more prominent. o

E.g. “Thou mad mustachio purple-hued maltworms!”

Epiphora: Euphony: opposite of cacophony. Malapropism: usage of an incorrect word in place of a similar sounding word, results in a nonsensical and humorous expression. o

Effect: Writers intentionally introduce malapropism to produce comic effect

Neologism: Pleonasm: rhetorical device that uses two or more words to express an idea. Sibilance:

DRAMATIC Anagnorisis Aside: Catharsis: Climax: Dialogue: Duologue: Monologue: Soliloquy Comic Irony Dramatic Irony: Hamartia: Hubris: Situational Irony: Foreshadowing: In media res: Pentameter: Peripeteia: Staging: Tragedy:

INTERTEXTUAL Draws links between texts Allusion: A deliberate and implicit reference to a person or event, or a work of art which draws on knowledge and experiences shared by the composer and responder. Intertextuality: The associations or connections between one text and other texts. Intertextual references can be more or less explicit and self-conscious. They can take the form of direct quotation, parody, allusion or structural borrowing....