The document defines and provides examples of various literary devices and terms used in literature. It discusses two main categories of literary devices - literary elements like setting, character, theme and plot that are common to all stories, and literary techniques specific to individual authors like metaphor, simile, irony and symbolism. Examples are provided for most literary devices and terms to illustrate how authors employ them in writing.
1. Literary Devices Literary Elements, Techniques and Terms Definitions provided by Elements of Literature, Second Course . Holt, Rhinehart & Winston, 2003.
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Hinweis der Redaktion
Exposition: The mood and conditions existing at the beginning of the story. The setting is identified. The main characters with their positions, circumstances and relationships to one another are established. The exciting force or initial conflict is introduced. Sometimes called the “Narrative HOOK” this begins the conflict that continues throughout the story. Rising Action: The series of events, conflicts, and crises in the story that lead up to the climax, providing the progressive intensity, and complicate the conflict. Climax: The turning point of the story. A crucial event takes place and from this point forward, the protagonist moves toward his inevitable end. The event may be either an action or a mental decision that the protagonist makes. Falling Action: The events occurring from the time of the climax to the end of the story. The main character may encounter more conflicts in this part of the story, but the end is inevitable. Resolution/Denouement: The tying up of loose ends and all of the threads in the story. The conclusion. The hero character either emerges triumphant or is defeated at this point.