literary devices and lenses – Flashcards
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allegory
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a story intended to teach a lesson Each element of the story has a specific symbolic meaning.
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allusion
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A reference to something outside the text.
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ambiguity
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The characteristic of being open to more than one interpretation.
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character
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A person or figure in a story.
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flat character
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Portrayed simply and superficially
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round character
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portrayed with depth and complexity
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static character
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Character does not change
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dynamic character
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Character does change
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charcterization
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How character is revealed.
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conflict
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Struggle between two or more opposing forces.
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internal conflict
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Within a character
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external conflict
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Character vs. Character Character vs. Society Character vs. Nature
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connotation
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Feeling or idea associated with a word.
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denotation
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Dictionary definition
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detail
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Description that is significant.
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Deus ex Machina
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God from the machine When an authority figure arrives out of nowhere at the end of a story to resolve a conflict.
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Diction
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word choice
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Foreshadowing
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a hint about what is to come.
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genre
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The category that a text fits into.
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hyperbole
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An exaggeration used to make a point.
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imagery
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Description that appeals to a reader's senses.
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irony
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an unusual or unexpected twist
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dramatic irony
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A difference between what the reader knows and what a character in the story knows.
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situational irony
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When events turn out differently than expected
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verbal irony
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The surface meaning of what is said is different from the intended meaning.
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juxtaposition
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two things placed next to each other, usually to highlight a contrast.
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metaphor
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A comparison of unlike things that does not use the words "like" or "as."
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narration/narrator/voice
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The voice that tells a story.
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first person narration
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the narrator is a character in the story ("I").
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second person narration
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reader is address as "you"
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third person narration
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the narrator is not a character in the story
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personification
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Describing an inanimate object as if it is alive or human. Using a character to represent (personify) an abstract idea.
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plot
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the events in the story
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point of view
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The perspective from which a story is told.
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repetition
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Repeating elements for emphasis.
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setting
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Where and when a story takes place.
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simile
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Comparison that does use the words "like" or "as."
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symbol/symbolism
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Something (usually a specific concrete object) that represents something else (an abstract idea or feeling).
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syntax
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sentence structure
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structure
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The organization of a story.
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theme
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a general idea about life that a story expresses or explores
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thesis
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The controlling idea in an essay.
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tone
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The author's attitude toward the subject.
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mood
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The feeling of the reader created by the text.
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reader response
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reader's analysis created through the interaction between the text and the reader.
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biographical
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Questions that deal with the relationship between the text and the author's life.
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historical
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Questions that deal with the relationship between the text and time in which it was written or set.
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psychological
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Questions that deal with the human mind and human behavior.
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archetypal
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Questions that deal with recognizable types, patterns and mythic elements that give literature a deeper resonance.
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genre
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Questions that deal with placing a text within a recognizable category or type.
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moral
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Questions that deal with issues of right and wrong (moral judgments). A moral lens can be used to address moral questions within the text and moral questions about the text.
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philosophical
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Questions that deal with basic issues of life (meaning/purpose/values/principles/etc).
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political/social justice
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Questions that deal with issues of power
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formalist
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the elements of form—style, structure, tone, imagery, etc.—that are found within the text. A primary goal for formalist critics is to determine how such elements work together with the text's content to shape its effects upon readers.
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deconstructionist
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can be understood in contrast to preceding critical/artistic movements
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Marxist
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Based on the theories of Karl Marx its about class differences, economic and otherwise, and the implications and complications of the capitalist system
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postmodern
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Language is an arbitrary and unreliable way to represent the objective world (if such a thing even exists), but it shapes and is the vehicle for our thinking (and therefore our thinking is inherently unreliable). Ultimate truth unknowable or does not exist. truth is socially constructed Any attempt to define truth is an attempt to assert power over others.
