LITERARY DEVICES
ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN
BILDUNGSROMAN
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A novel which chronicles the physical, emotional, and
psychological development of a young protagonist
through to adulthood
Examples:
Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn, Twain (debatable)
 David Copperfield,
Charles Dickens
 The Kite Runner, Hosseini
 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,
Smith
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COLLOQUIALISM
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A conversational expression or spoken, informal level of
speech
Example from modern-day language:
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"I think country gets dumped on across the board by the
Grammys."
(Toby Keith)
She was recently dumped by her fiance.
Example from Huck Finn:

“You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the
name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain’t no matter.”
DIALECT

The particular variety of language spoken in a definite
place by a distinct group of people

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Dialects vary in pronunciation, vocabulary, use of colloquialisms,
and sentence structure
Dialects are used to establish setting and provide local color
Examples:

South: "Y'all"
North: "You guys"
South: "Fixin' to"
North: "About to"
South: "Howdy"
North: "Hey"
South: "Twixt"
North: "Between“
http://robertspage.com/dialects.html]
EPISODIC

Narrative fiction which is structured around a series
of loosely linked vignettes, each of which contains a
conflict, climax, and conclusion
IRONY

A contrast or tension between what is expected and
what occurs
Situational Irony – When a character or reader expects one
thing to happen, but the opposite occurs
 Verbal Irony – When a character means the opposite of
what is said (i.e. sarcasm)

ML: Kids, we have a pop quiz today!
 KIDS: Oh, great.


Dramatic Irony – When there is a
contrast between what a character
knows and what a reader knows
LOCAL COLOR

The use of characters and details unique to a
particular geographic area.
 Created
by the use of customs, clothing, manners,
attitudes, scenery, or landscape
 Local color stories were extremely popular after the
Civil War
 Examples:
Mark Twain – Mississippi River, Bret Harte – The
Wild West
MOOD

Atmosphere; the feeling created in the reader by a
literary work
 Not
to be confused with tone, which reflects the feelings
of the writer
 CREEPY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBGGAjMg9vw
NAÏVE NARRATOR

A first-person narrator who, though not always, is
often young and possesses traits of innocence,
openness, candor, and a lack of sophistication
PICARESQUE

A satirical, episodic novel that presents the life story
of:
A
triumphant rascal
 Of low social status
 Making a living through his wits
POINT OF VIEW

The perspective or vantage point from which a story is
told:
First Person: I saw her from across the hallway and my heart
stopped. I liked that girl.
 Second Person: You saw her from across the hallway and
your heart stopped. You liked that girl.
 Third Person Limited: He saw her from across the hallway
and his heart stopped. He liked that girl. She smiled at
him. What could that beautiful smile mean? Did she like
him, too?
 Third Person Omniscient: He saw her from across the hallway
and his heart stopped. He liked that girl. She saw him and
smiled. She liked him, too.

REALISM

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An accurate and detailed portrayal of real life
The literary movement of Realism developed in the
latter half of the 19th century
Based on careful observations about contemporary life
 Usually portrays something unapologetically, “warts and all”
 EMBRACES: Objectivity and honesty
 REJECTS: Sentimentality and idealism
of the previous Romantic movement
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=
58DDD094-002B-4C17-A2AF18E2595785B2&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
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ROMANTICISM
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A literary and artistic movement of the first half of the nineteenth
century which arose in reaction against eighteenth century
Rationalism
Values
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Imagination
Emotion over reason
Individuality
The exotic
Nature
American Romantics: Poe, Thoreau, Emerson, Dickinson, Hawthorne
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=FFF65
663-256C-40C3-961A283E35A8BF5A&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
SATIRE
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A literary technique in which ideas, customs,
behaviors, or institutions are ridiculed for the
purpose of improving society
Satire uses:
 Irony
 Sarcasm
 Exaggeration
 Caricature
TONE
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The attitude a writer takes toward a subject. The
language and details used help to create tone.
Examples:
 Playful
 Serious
 Bitter
 Angry
 Detached
Literary Devices in Modern Reality
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http://www.nbc.com/saturday-nightlive/video/the-californians/1396627/