Literary Elements 1
Events that occur after the exposition like Nick dining at Daisy's, meeting Myrtle, and lunching with Gatsby are these events.
rising action
Something that represents something else like the green light standing for Gatsby's dream of a future with Daisy.
symbol
A character who tries to prevent the protagonist from accomplishing his goal.
antagonist
"In his blue gardens men and girls came like moths among whisperings and the champagne and the stars."
simile
This occurs when an author uses the same words or phrases more than once.
repetition
An extreme exaggeration for effect like Gatsby's car described as having a "monstrous length."
hyperbole
The feeling that keeps you wanting to read more like when Daisy and Gatsby are reunited after 5 years.
suspense
A character like Daisy who is seen from many angles like wife, mother, friend, and lover.
round character
"The boom of the bass drum" or the whistle and snap of the curtains."
onomatopoeia
This occurs when an author says the same thing using different words.
restatement
A situation that at first seems contradictory, but is actually true like Nick saying he was "within and without simultaneously."
paradox
A character like Jordan Baker or Tom Buchanan who remain the same throughout the work.
static character
When an author provides hints about what will happen later in the story.
foreshadowing
Referring to Wolfsheim's eating as a "ferocious delicacy" is this element.
oxymoron
This occurs when an author references another piece of art work, literature, or historical event.
allusion
A character like Gatsby who undergoes an enormous change throughout the work
dynamic character
This is the way an author feels about his writing.
tone
This is the way the author wants his reader to feel about his writing.
mood
"What a tale of terror now their turbulency tells."
alliteration
This occurs when an author uses the same word at the beginning of phrases, sentences, or clauses.
anaphora
When the reader knows more than the characters do, like when we know Gatsby and Daisy are having an affair, but Tom doesn't.
dramatic irony
When the reader expects one thing to happen but something else does, like when we think Gatsby is driving, but it is really Daisy.
situational irony
When an character states the opposite of what he means like when Montresor tells Fortunato he won't die of a cough.
verbal irony
"Hear the mellow wedding bells."
assonance
This occurs when an author uses the same words at the end of a phrase, clause, or sentence.
epistrophe