Literary Devices and World Literature

Literary Devices

• Techniques used by authors to communicate ideas and emotions to the audience.
• Foreshadowing hints at future events in a story.
• Flashbacks interrupt the narrative to revisit earlier events, creating suspense or developing characters.
• In medias res is Latin for "in the midst of things," where a story begins in the middle of the action.
• Deus ex machina is a plot device where an unlikely event resolves an unsolvable problem.

World Literature

• Small libraries utilize the Dewey Decimal System (001-099).
• Larger libraries use the Library of Congress Classification (A-Z).
• Euphrates is a river featured in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
• Ovid wrote Metamorphoses.
• Anton Chekhov, a Russian writer, is considered a master of the short story.
• Rishi Valmiki composed the Ramayana.
• Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide.
• Kalidasa is to India what Shakespeare is to England, especially for drama.
• Octavio Paz, a diplomat, won the Miguel de Cervantes Prize (1980) and the Nobel Prize (1990).
• Paz's poem Piedra del Sol (Sunstone) and The Labyrinth of Solitude are critically acclaimed.
• Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian Nobel laureate for literature in 1913 for his book Gitanjali.
• Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during apartheid
• Mandela was president of South Africa from 1994-1999.
• Mandela's struggles are detailed in his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.
• Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote "The Little Prince," which explores love, inner beauty, and friendship.
• "One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes.", is from The Little Prince.
• William Shakespeare is considered the father of modern English.
• Shakespeare pioneered the couplet and the Shakespearean sonnet.
• Socrates said, "education must be free".
• Ashurbanipal established the first library.
• The Tale of Genji is considered the first novel.

Elements of World Literature

• World literature addresses universal themes for broad audience appeal.
• Common themes include love, romance, family, and individual struggles.
• Humanitarian values, coping with tragedy, and life cycles are major literary elements.
• The Brontë sisters include Currer (Charlotte), Ellis (Emily), and Acton (Anne).

Henry VIII

• Henry VIII was married to Catherine of Aragon (from Spain).
• Catherine of Aragon was older and failed to give Henry a male heir.
• Mary was Henry's daughter.
• Anne Boleyn was a mistress to Henry.
• Henry established the Anglican Church of England.
• Elizabeth was also Henry's daughter.
• Anne Boleyn was beheaded in the Tower of London.
• Jane Seymour was one of Henry's wives.
• Jane Seymour was considered Henry's one true love
• Edward VI (son)
• Jane Seymour died giving birth
• Anne of Cleves (from Germany) became his honorary sister.
• Catherine Howard was beheaded for adultery at age 17.
• Catherine Parr outlived Henry VIII.

Flash Fiction

• Flash fiction is a short creative written piece, from 100-1000 words
• Plot is paramount in flash fiction.
• Short stories range from 1,000 to 10,000 words.
• Flash fiction is plot-driven, with a limited number of characters, and occurs in one setting.
• Two types of plots: unified and episodic.
• Unified plots are set in a realistic way, while episodic plots happen over a longer period of time.
• Plot development involves movement in time, casualty, and dramatic tension.
• Plot is the movement in time during a particular period.
• Casualty- plot events linked by cause and effect.
• Dramatic Tension- uses dialogue, action, and description.
• Foreshadowing, flashback, and epiphany are used for dramatic tension.

Characteristics of Flash Fiction

• Brevity is key
• Flash fiction should have a complete plot and a surprising ending.
• Flash fiction follows plot elements, with a beginning, middle, end, and satisfying resolution.
• Flash fiction usually stays in one setting to maximize the plot.
• Flash fiction typically includes just a few characters.
• Flash fiction balances description with a quick-moving plot.

Reminder

• Base QA answers on personal understanding and maintain academic honesty.
• Philippians 4:6-7 encourages prayer and gratitude to experience God's peace.