Lit Devices 1
The main character in a literary work, usually thought of as the "good guy"
Protagonist
Comparing two unknown items in order to illustrate a point (does not use the words "like" or "as" - that is a simile)
Metaphor
A brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event that is told to entertain or to make a point.
Anecdote
The use of clues to suggest events that have yet to occur
Foreshadowing
The author's intended meaning is the only valid interpretation. The reader identifies thsi meaning by examining the genre, the language, and the context.
Structuralism
A character or force that is in conflict the the main character
Antagonist
A section of a literary work that interrupts the chronological presentation of events to relate an event from an earlier time
Flashback
The perspective, or vantage point, from which a story is told
Point of View
Used when the narrator of a story relates the inner thoughts and feelings of only one chracter, and everything is iewed from this character's perspective
1st Person Limited POV
The author may have had one intended meaning in mind, but other meanings are also valid; other meanings may have been subconscious. Words may have various meanings, and the meaning associated with the word will often change how the reader views the work.
Deconstruction
A central message or insight into life revealed by a literary work
Theme
A contradiction between what is stated and what was meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.
irony
Used when a writer reveals a character through his or her words, thoughts, actions, descriptions of the character's appearance or background, what other characters say about the character, or the ways in which other characters react to the character
Indirect Characterization
A narrator who nows what is happening in the lives of all character; knows the future
Omniscient Narrator
Readers may acknowledge that other people have different interpretations, but, due to their life experiences and politics, they generally believe their interpretation to be the "correct" interpretation.
Reader Response
The "aha moment" in a story; a sudden revelation or flash of insight
Epiphany
A struggle betwen opposing forces, internal or external
Conflict
The act of creating and developing a character
Characterization
Used when a writer simply states the character's traits
Direct characterization
This theory searches for where the texts perpetuate the power struggle of patriarchy's sexist ideal: the belief that women have been defined by their inadequacy to men. It also often shows women as men's equal, overcoming the patriarchy to assert her own autonomy.
Feminism
When an author has one thing stand for or represent something else
Symbolism
A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. Writers often make these to the Bible, Greek and Roman Myths, plays by Shakespeare, and to political and historical events.
Allusion
A character who provides contrast to another character
Foil
A contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows
Dramatic Irony
These critics show the relationship between literature and the social - mainly economic - conditions under which the literature is produced. It often focuses on literary representations of workers and working classes.
Marxism