12 Questions
What literary device is used when the normal sentence pattern is altered or reversed for a rhythmic effect?
Inversion
Which term refers to a short, personal story used to illustrate a thought or argument?
Anecdote
What literary term describes a recurring image or idea in an artistic work that unifies its diverse elements?
Motif
Which of the following terms refers to the dictionary meaning of words?
Denotation
What do we call a fictitious story with supernatural occurrences that implies a moral?
Fable
'You’ve met your Waterloo' is an example of what literary term?
Allusion
What is the purpose of an epigraph in a literary work?
To illuminate the theme of the work
What does inference mean in relation to literature?
Drawing conclusions based on limited information provided by the author
How does literature often incorporate elements from folklore?
By borrowing customs, proverbs, and legends of a people or nation
What could one infer about 'In Another Country' based on the provided text?
It emphasizes emotional scars of alienation rather than war itself
Which literary work includes elements like the devil assuming human form and striking bargains with humans?
The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving
What writing technique is used when a sentence is structured in an unusual way, like 'Blessed are the meek'?
Anastrophe
Study Notes
Literary Devices and Terms
- Allusion: A casual reference to a work, person, place, or event that is assumed to be familiar to the reader, and depends on this familiarity for its significance.
- Example of Allusion: "You've met your Waterloo" alludes to the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.
- Anecdote: A short, personal story employed to illustrate a thought or argument.
Word Meaning and Connotation
- Connotation: The suggested meaning of words because of personal or cultural experience.
- Denotation: The dictionary meaning of words.
- Example of Connotation vs. Denotation: "Portly", "corpulent", and "obese" all mean "fleshy", but "portly" connotes dignity, "corpulent" connotes bulk, and "obese" connotes an unpleasant excess of fat.
Storytelling and Narrative
- Fable: A fictitious story or legend with supernatural occurrences, often symbolic and implying a moral.
- Example of Fable: "The Fox and the Grapes" and "The Pied Piper of Hamelin".
- Motif: Any recurring image or idea in an artistic work that serves to unify its diverse elements.
- Example of Motif: The man fatally caught in the spell of a lady in Keats' "La Belle Dame Sans Merci".
Rhetorical Devices
- Inversion: A rhetorical device in which normal sentence pattern is altered or reversed to create an emphatic or rhythmic effect.
- Example of Inversion: "Tender is the night" and "Blessed are the meek".
Reading and Interpretation
- Inference: A reasonable conclusion about the behavior of a character or the meaning of an event drawn from the limited information presented by the author.
- Example of Inference: After reading "In Another Country", one might infer that the story is about human isolation, not war.
Cultural and Literary References
- Folklore: The customs, proverbs, legends, superstitions, songs, and tales of a people or nation.
- Example of Folklore in Literature: The belief that the devil can assume human form and the legend of someone who strikes a bargain with the devil were incorporated into "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving.
- Epigraph: A quotation at the beginning of a literary work for the purposes of illuminating the theme of the work.
- Example of Epigraph: The quotation from T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men" appears at the beginning of Shute's "On the Beach".
Test your knowledge on literary devices with this quiz covering the definitions and examples of allusion, anecdote, and connotation. Learn how casual references, personal stories, and suggested meanings enhance the depth of writing.
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