© studocu Lesson 2 - Review on the Literary Techniques and Devices-1COLEGIO SAN AGUSTIN BACOLOD COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES, AND EDUCATION GEE 321 - GREAT BOOKS Randdie P. Cuelo, LPT, EdD LITERARY TECHNIQUES & DEVICES Literary devices in writing are important for any writer who wants to master the craft of storytelling. These devices are used by both fiction and nonfiction writers to bring their stories to life, touch their readers, and discover life's underlying truths. PARALLELISM (PARALLEL PLOTS) The patterning of events that are similar in construction but entirely different is referred to as parallelism. Do you know the expression “history tends to repeat itself"? If that's the case, you're already familiar with the concept of parallelism. These similarities can happen by chance, but they can be useful for emphasizing major events and ideas. The Harry Potter series provides an interesting example of parallelism. Harry is almost killed by Voldemort as an infant, but is saved by his mother's love. Harry must die eighteen years later in order to vanquish Voldemort, taking on the burden of love himself, What effect does this parallelism have on the plot? That is, without a doubt, susceptible to many interpretations. Perhaps it emphasizes the inadequacy of love without action: in order to vanquish Voldemort (who personifies hatred), Harry must act on love — even if it means sacrificing his own life. 2. FOIL CHARACTERS A foil refers to any two characters who are “opposites” of each other. Any two characters who are “opposites” of one other are referred to as foils. These conflicts are frequently conceptual: one character, like Benvolio in Romeo & Juliet, may be even-tempered and meek, whilst another, like Tybalt, may be quick-tempered and combative. What are the benefits of foil characters? Benvolio and Tybalt are Romeo's devil and angel in Romeo & Juliet. Benvolio warns Romeo against fighting because it will very certainly result in his death and separation from Juliet, whilst Tybalt encourages it out of family loyalty. Foils can also be protagonists and antagonists, especially if they are characters that are polar opposites. For example, there are few parallels between Harry Potter and Voldemort that a reader would notice (except for their shared soul). If we think of any additional manifestations of good and evil, they are almost certainly foils. Foil characters help establish important themes and binaries in a literary work. For example, one of the themes of Romeo & Juliet is retribution: is it preferable to fight for honor or turn the other chee k for love? This is because Shakespeare wrote Benvolio and Tybalt as foils. 3. DICTION ction" is frequently misunderstood as a sophisticated phrase for "word choice." Every prose writer will use diction, which is one of the most significant literary strategies in prose. Diction is best demonstrated by dissecting a passage of prose. Here’s an example of an analysis of the final paragraphs of The Great Gatsby: rnedoamenvoninicreectomen Ey studocu Downloaded by Jery Arado (amadojerry19@gmai.com)‘And as Isat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Garsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come along way to thisblue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fil to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. Gatsby believed in the green light, the ongastic future that year by year recexles before us, It cluded us then, but that's no matwer—tomornow we ‘will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. ... And one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. Gree wonts: romantic, hopefl Bhe words sombre, melancholy Red words resigned, hopelesa Orange words onic If we examine the text, we can notice that the highlighted text, as well as the contrast between the various highlights, juxtaposes or combines several different feelings, resulting in an ambivalent or uncertain yet profound reflection on the passage of time. F. Scott Fitzgerald (the author) effectively finishes one of the most important American books by focusing the diction of this line on both hopeful and despairing feelings. 4. Mood The overall emotional tone evoked by a story or passage is referred to as its mood. When writers create an atmosphere in their work, they're putting you in the shoes of the characters, enhancing the story's experience. Because mood necessitates the use of appropriate words throughout a scene, mood can be thought of as an extended kind of diction. The writer creates an atmosphere by using the same language across a section of the text. Take the cliché "it was a dark and stormy night," for example. When it was first written, that statement wasn't clichéd; in fact, it performed a fantastic job of introducing Edward Bulwer Lytton's Paul Clifford (1830). The narrator's gloomy, bleak weather description immerses the reader in the protagonist's blurry, chaotic life, creating an atmosphere in both setting and story. Or, consider this excerpt from Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Bronté below and see how Charlotte is quick to build the mood, keying in on Jane’s sombre beginnings before juxtaposing it against the ironic perfection of her siblings. Jane’s world is clear from the beginning: a cloudy house amidst a sunny street. Downloaded by Jery Arado (amadojerry19@gmai.com)‘There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been. wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the question. 1 was glad of it: I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: Greadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed. ‘The said Eliza, John, and Georgiana were now clustered round their ‘mama in the drawing-room: she lay reclined on a sofa by the fireside, and with her darlings about her (for the time neither guarrelling nor crying) looked perfectly happy. Me, she had dispensed from joining the group; saying, “She regretted to be under the necessity of keeping me at a distance; but that until she heard from Bessie, and could discover by her own observation, that | was endeavouring in good eamest to acquire ‘amore sociable and childlike disposition, a more attractive and sprightly manner—something lighter, franker, more natural, as it were—she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for contented, happy, little children.” ‘Blue: Sombre mood (flected in Janes crater) Gree ight mand (htaponed azine Fac mood) ‘Orange ironically light (e9 comeey Jane isthe opposite) 4. FORESHADOWING When a writer foresees future events ina story, it is known as foreshadowing. In fiction, foreshadowing is a powerful literary device that draws readers closer to the story's conclusion. A foreshadow is when a writer gives hints about what will happen later in the story, usually to heighten the suspense and conflict. Sometimes foreshadowing is obvious, and sometimes you don’t notice it until rereading the story. Sometimes foreshadowing is evident, and sometimes it isn't until you reread the story that you see it. For example, in Harry Potter, the foreshadowing makes it clear that Harry will have to die. It was only a matter of time after the idea of horcruxes, or "split souls," was introduced in the books before readers connected these horcruxes to Harry's psychic connection with Voldemort. As the heptalogy (series of 7 related stories) draws to a close, his mission (to die and be reincarnated) becomes clear. 5S. IN MEDIA RES Writing a story from the middle is referred to be In Media Res. In Media Res isa literary device in prose that is primarily concerned with plot. It comes from the Latin “in the middle of things." The term "In Media Res" relates to beginning a story in the middle; by placing the reader in the middle of events, the reader's curiosity is aroused, and the plot jumps between flashback and present day. Both fiction and nonfiction writers can use In Media Res, provided it makes sense to do so. For example, in Langston Hughes’ flash fiction Early Autumn (1950), the story begins with a point of view of the characters. The narrative starts with a brief, neutral history of Bill and Mary's relationship. Then, it moves to their current reunion, and the omniscient narrator gives us some details from each character's point of view. inscscunanisoicicteesthaseen EY studocu Downloaded by Jery Arado (amadojerry19@gmai.com)When Bill was very young, they had been in love. Many nights they had spent walking, talking together. Then something not very important had come between them, and they didn’t speak. Impulsively, she had married a man she thought she loved. Bill went away, bitter about women. }» DRAMATIC IRONY When the reader knows more about the situation than the characters in the story, dramatic irony occurs. Dramatic irony is a literary device used in prose in which the audience has a better understanding of the situation than the characters in the story. This is a particularly essential literary device in literature since it frequently encourages the reader to continue reading. In stories with multiple points of view, dramatic irony is common. In Romeo & Juliet for example, the audience knows Juliet is still alive, but Romeo kills himself in sadness when he discovers her presumably dead body. How ironic, then, that Juliet should wake up to learn of her lover's death only to kill herself in her grief. Shakespeare emphasizes the haphazardness of young love through dramatic irony throughout the story. 7. VIGNETTE A vignette (vin-yet) is a passage of prose that’s primarily descriptive, rather than plot-driven. A vignette is a short impressionistic scene, picture, descriptive passage, short essay, fiction or nonfiction piece focusing on a single moment; or creating an impression about an idea, character, setting, mood, aspect, or object. A vignette is a skillfully prepared verbal sketch that may be part of a bigger work or a comprehensive description in and of itself. itis neither a plot nor a full narrative description Vignettes throw the reader into the scene and emotion, often building the mood of the story and developing the character's lens. They are largely poetic passages with little plot advancement, but the flourishes of a well-written vignette can highlight the author's writing style and the story’s emotions. “Some boys taught me to play football. This was fine sport. You thought up a new strategy for every play and whispered it to the others. You went out for a pass, fooling everyone. Best, you got to throw yourself mightily at someone’s running legs In winter, in the snow, there was neither baseball nor football, so the boys and I threw snowballs at passing cars. I got in trouble throwing snowballs, and have seldom been happier since.” - From An American Childhood by Annie Dillard In this vignette, Dillard uses her personal experiences as a child growing up in Pittsburgh to depict the character of American society. In this scenario, she describes how she learnt to play football with the boys and recounts an incident from her adolescence. . FLASHBACK A flashback refers to any interruption in the story where the narration goes back in time. Downloaded by Jery Arado (amadojerry19@gmai.com)In order to understand the present-day plot, the reader may need information from prior events, and flashbacks engage the reader in the situation. In works that begin In Media Res, such as in Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling begins her first Harry Potter book just as Harry turns eleven years old. It’s been ten years since Lord Voldemort murdered his parents and Harry was left with his less-than-welcoming relatives, the Dursleys. Rowling uses a series of flashbacks to hint at Harry's unique abilities by recounting the strange things that happened to him before the story takes place. For example, when Aunt Petunia makes Harry get a haircut, he wakes up the next morning to find his hair has grown back to where it was. Rowling uses these flashbacks to foreshadow what we soon find out— that Harry has inherited wizarding powers from his parents. SOLILOQUY A soliloquy is a long speech with no audience in the story. Soliloquy comes from the Latin for self (sol) and talking (loquy), and self-talking describes a soliloquy perfectly. A soliloquy is a long speech with no audience in the story. Soliloquies are synonymous with monologues, though a soliloquy is usually a brief passage in a chapter, and often much more poetic. Shakespeare's plays abound with soliloquies. Here’s an example, pulled from Romeo & Juliet, where Juliet speaks her thoughts aloud when she learns that Romeo is the son of her family’s enemy O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet. "Tis but thy name that is my enemy, Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And for that name, which is no part of th Take all myself. As aliterary device in prose, soliloquy offers insight into the characters’ emotions. Soliloquy doesn’t have to be in dialogue, it can also take the form of private thoughts, but a soliloquy must be an extended conversation with oneself that exposes the character's own feelings and ideas. 10. JUXTAPOSITION A literary strategy that conveys comparison or contrast is juxtaposition. Writers use juxtaposition to generate dramatic or ironic contrast by putting two elements next to each other. Juxtaposition is a type of implied comparison in which the writer makes no outright comparisons or inferences. This allows the reader to see how the two entities are related or unlike. This literary device has the effect of producing a deeper comprehension of contrast and a sense of fate or ine ry in the comparison. In the film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, for example, filmmakers successfully juxtapose black and white film with vivid technicolor to highlight the differences between Kansas and Oz. Despite the fact that zis brighter, more colorful, and whimsical than Kansas, Dorothy recognizes that she belongs and is happy rnedoamenvoninicreectomen Ey studocu Downloaded by Jery Arado (amadojerry19@gmai.com)in Kansas. The juxtaposition of such distinct places emphasizes Dorothy's necessary decision to return to reality and home. Here are some common examples of entities that are juxtaposed for artistic effect: + light and darkness + good and e\ + acceptance and isolation + urban and rural + youth and experience + warmth and cold + wealth and poverty + modern and antiquated + beauty and ugliness + courage and cowardice + virtue and vice + male and female + family and outsiders + jealousy and trust + wisdom and foolishness + civilization and nature + familiar and strange + free will and fate + passion and apathy + forgiveness and revenge Many novels and stories are well-known due to their juxtaposition of ideas, settings, characters, and themes. Here are some famous examples of juxtaposition in familiar novels and stories: + East Egg and West Egg in The Great Gatsby + Individual thought and groupthink in 1984 + wealth and poverty in The Prince and the Pauper + land and sea in Moby Dick + human and animal instinct in Life of Pi + kindness and selfishness in Cinderella + Lennie (innocent) and George (jaded) in Of Mice and Men + Muggle and wizard worlds in Harry Potter Series + frontier and civilization in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn + freedom and confinement in To Killa Mockingbird Downloaded by Jery Arado (amadojerry19@gmai.com)