TEXTBOOK REFLECTION

Literary Elements

Literary Elements

Antagonist – is a character or group of characters which stand in opposition to the protagonist or the main character.  Also known as the villain or the bad guy whom the hero fights in order to relieve himself or other.  

Character – Major and essential element to a story.  It can be any person, or figure, an inanimate object, or animal.  There are different types of characters and each serves its unique function in a story or a piece of literature.

Conflict _ literary element that involves struggle between two opposing forces usually a protagonist and an antagonist.

Mood and Tone-  Mood is a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions.  Mood is referred to as the atmosphere of a literary piece and creates an emotional situation that surrounds the readers.  Tone is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience.  It is generally conveyed through choice of words or the viewpoint on a particular subject.

 

Plot – Literary elements that describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story.  These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence.

Protagonist – The central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel, or any other story.  Sometimes called a hero.

Setting – Is an environment or surrounding in which an event or story takes place. 

Themes – Is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

Literary Devices

Allegory - a symbolism device where the meaning of a greater, often abstract, concept is conveyed with the aid of a more physical object or idea being used as an example. Example.  Faith is like a stony uphill climb: a single stumble might send you sprawling but belief and steadfastness will see you to the very top.

Allusion - a figure of speech whereby the author refers to a subject matter such as a place, event, or literary work by way of a passing reference. Example: It’s no wonder everyone refers to Mary as another Mother Teresa in the making; she loves to help and care after people everywhere- from the streets to her own friends.

Archetype -is a reference to a concept, a person or an object that has served as an example of its kind and is the original idea that has come to be used over and over again. Example: Romeo and Juliet are an archetype of eternal love and a star-crossed love story.

Deus ex machine -  refers to the incidence where an implausible concept or character is brought into the story in order to make the conflict in the story resolve and to bring about a pleasing solution. Example: If in a suspense novel the protagonist suddenly finds a solution to his dilemmas because of divine intervention.

Hyperbole -a literary device wherein the author uses specific words and phrases that exaggerate and overemphasize the basic core of the statement in order to produce a grander, more noticeable effect. Example: “I am so tired I cannot walk another inch” or “I’m so sleepy I might fall asleep standing here”.

Imagery -the author uses words and phrases to create “mental images” for the reader. Imagery helps the reader to visualize more realistically the author’s writings. Example: The gushing brook stole its way down the lush green mountains, dotted with tiny flowers in a riot of colors and trees coming alive with gaily chirping birds.

Metaphor - refers to a meaning or identity ascribed to one subject by way of another. Example: “Henry was a lion on the battlefield”. This sentence suggests that Henry fought so valiantly and bravely that he embodied all the personality traits we attribute to the ferocious animal. This sentence implies immediately that Henry was courageous and fearless, much like the King of the Jungle.

Motif - is any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through the entire body of literature. Example: In many famed fairytales, the motif of a ‘handsome prince’ falling in love with a ‘damsel in distress’ and the two being bothered by a wicked step mother, evil witch or beast and finally conquering all to live ‘happily ever after’ is a common motif.

Point of view - the manner in which a story is narrated or depicted and who it is that tells the story. Example: In the popular Lord of the Rings book series, the stories are narrated in the third person and all happenings are described from an “outside the story” point of view.

Simile - drawing parallels or comparisons between two unrelated and dissimilar things, people, beings, places and concepts. Similes are marked by the use of the words ‘as’ or ‘such as’ or ‘like’. Example: He is like a mouse in front of the teacher.

Symbolism – The use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal senses.