Lit Devices

Literary Devices                                                                          

AP English

Every discipline employs a special vocabulary; literary criticism is no exception. Literary criticism is based in part on the assumption that writing is a purposeful activity and that excellent literature – work of literary merit --  is not merely a happy accident. During the year I will be encouraging you to familiarize yourself with some of the terminology that is used in literary criticism. To that end, you will be creating a glossary of literary devices that you encounter in your reading. Below I have included a list of a few of the many devices you will encounter while reading; you are in no way constrained to this list, it’s just there for your information – to give you a small sampling of the wonderful world of literary devices. There are hundreds of devices that writers employ; you will no doubt find a few that I have not heard of before.

allegory

alliteration

allusion

ambiguity

antagonist

analogy

apostrophe

archetype

aside

assonance

aubade

ballad

blank verse

cacophony

caesura

catharsis

character / flat, round

complication

conceit

connotation

colloquial diction

comedy

connotation

controlling metaphors

cosmic irony

denotation

dramatic irony

dramatic monologue

echo

elegy

epigram

existential character

extended metaphor

farce

flashback

formal diction

free verse

heroic couplet

hyperbole

imagery

informal diction

initiation story

metaphor

motif

myth

narrative structure

onomatopoeia

overstatement

oxymoron

parable

paradox

parody

pastoral

personification

point of view

protagonist

psychological realism

realism

rhythm

rite of passage

sarcasm

satire

simile

soliloquy

sonnet

style

symbol

syntax

theme

tone

tragedy

verbal irony

Over the course of the semester you’ll be asked to complete a number of literary device entries. Generally speaking, you’ll be able to select the device that you wish to use; on rare occasions I’ll tell you which device you need to discuss. You will eventually accumulate a total of ­­­_(10 points each)___ points worth of terms if you want full credit. Your examples may come from books we read in class, novels you read for your outside reading, or novels of literary merit that you have read on your own. Texts from your other English classes are not acceptable. You may never submit more than two (2) entries per week! You are responsible for keeping all of your lit devices once they have been graded so that you can turn them in all at once near the end of the semester. The exact date that you turn in your glossary of devices will be determined at a later date. Please note that all entries must be typed in order to be graded.

Format

 

Term:               Definition of the literary device selected

Example:          Quotation, followed by source, including title, page/line number

Function:          Author’s purpose in employing this language resource at this point in the work.  How does this particular device enhance what the writer is conveying?  You may comment on theme, character, setting, or whatever else is important in explaining how this device functions in this particular instance.

Example

 

Symbol:            In the simplest sense, a symbol is anything that stands for or represents something else beyond it—often an idea conventionally associated with it.  The term symbolism refers to the use of symbols, or to a set of related symbols.

Example:          “Like him she was lefthanded or she played chess with her left hand . . . He leaned forward and moved his bishop and mated her in four moves” (All the Pretty Horses 133).

Function:          This chess game between John Grady and Alejandra’s godmother symbolizes the competition that they are in for Alejandra herself.  This game of chess, which takes place between these two characters as John is trying to ascertain what his chances are of his relationship with Alejandra receiving approval from the family, represents the greater chess game between these two competing characters.  Although John Grady wins the first couple of games and seems to be well on his way to achieving his goal, in the end it is the godmother who triumphs.  This directly mirrors John Grady’s and the godmother’s lives: although John Grady wins Alejandra’s affections initially, in the end he loses her.  When he takes “her queen” he is literally winning the chess match by taking the queen, but he is also on a symbolic level attempting to take the godmother’s true “queen,” Alejandra, who the godmother is determined to keep from suffering the same misfortunes she endured.  The lack of dialogue between the characters during the match further reinforces the quiet competition they are engaging in; one that is not violent but is indeed fierce.  The intellectual nature of he chess match also enhances the choice that Alejandra ultimately makes near the end of the novel: leaving John and opting instead for the security (and wealth) of her family. This choice reflects the cool and calculating logic of a chess match rather than the passion of the heart.

                        [Please note that the author first provides context for the discussion (context), discusses the term itself (concept)then carefully discusses how the literary device specifically functions both in the passage and within the context of the novel as a whole (connection). The author is also careful to use the term in the active voice within the function discussion.]