Literary Elements: Definitions
The time, place, and social or historical context of a story.
What is SETTING?
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caufield (the protagonist) struggles with the idea of growing up and leaving childhood innocence behind.
What is CONFLICT?
Descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the reader's five senses.
What is IMAGERY?
"Maxine's hair was as glossy and soft as finely spun silk."
What is SIMILE?
When the reader expects something to occur in a story, but the opposite actually occurs (two words).
What is SITUATIONAL IRONY?
The way an author conveys the personality traits of an actor in the story.
What is CHARACTERIZATION?
The story of The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the period of the witch trials in 1692.
What is SETTING?
An indirect comparison between two seemingly unlike things.
What is METAPHOR?
In Macbeth, when King Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle and declares it a sweet spot, not knowing that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are planning to kill him there.
What is DRAMATIC IRONY?
"The terrible news washed over Sebastian and drowned him in a deluge of sorrowful waves."
What is METAPHOR?
A central idea or main message being conveyed in a literary work.
What is THEME?
One of the main messages conveyed in Macbeth is that ambition unchecked by a moral conscience is a corrupting force.
What is THEME?
When a character says or does something that they never would if they knew what the reader/audience knows.
What is DRAMATIC IRONY?
"The sweet sound of serenading songbirds swept through the valley."
What is ALLITERATION?
"Have fun in that anatomy lecture," the cynical college boy said to his roomate, rolling his eyes. "The professor is super animated and engaging." (two words)
What is VERBAL IRONY?
The central struggle in a story, usually between the protagonist and some inside or outside force.
What is CONFLICT?
In The Catcher in the Rye, the narrator has a cynical and bitter attitude towards adult society.
What is TONE?
An image or concept that recurs multiple times throughout a literary work.
What is MOTIF?
The play The Crucible is about the Salem Witch Trials, but the story symbolically represents events that occurred during the Red Scare and McCarthyism in U.S. history.
What is ALLEGORY?
The image of blood comes up again and again throughout the story of Macbeth.
What is MOTIF?
The author's attitude towards the subject of a literary work.
What is TONE?
Lady Macbeth is portrayed through her speech and actions as a sociopathic, ruthless, and exceedingly ambitious woman.
What is CHARACTERIZATION?
A literary or artistic work that tells a surface story on one level, but conveys a deeper, symbolic meaning on another level.
What is ALLEGORY?
"A strong aroma of warm cinnamon, melted butter, and baking apples wafted through the entire house, making Cindy's mouth water with anticipation."
What is IMAGERY?
The part of the plot where the conflict is established and the protagonist takes action to try to resolve it.
What is RISING ACTION?