“Presenting the famous…
Literary Devices!”
We will use these in our 1st
paper…a Historical
Narrative!
To begin…
“What’s a
narrative?”
Narrative writing tells a story.
Narrative writing appears in but is not
limited to novels, short stories,
biographies, autobiographies,
historical accounts, essays, poems,
and plays.
Characteristics of a Narrative:
•plot structure
•introduction
•rising action
•climax
•falling action
•resolution
•conflict
•characterization
•setting
•theme
•point of view
•sequencing
•transitions
These are all
literary
devices!
The following literary devices you
will have to use in your 1st paper
coming up!
“So pay close
attention!”
“And take
some notes!”
Literary Device #1:
PLOT
The way the events are arranged
Literary Device # 2
(Part of Plot)
Conflict
The main
problem that
the
characters
face in a
story
Literary Device # 3
(Part of Plot)
Climax
The point in the story with
the highest tension where it
is about to go the other
direction. (Between the
rising & falling action)
Literary Device # 4
(Part of Plot)
Resolution
The answer to the conflict/problem…there has to be one!
Be specific…not just “and they lived happily ever after.”
Literary Device # 5
Point-of-View
1st Person: Uses “I” to tell
the story. The narrator can
be a character in the story.
2nd Person: Not commonly used.
Uses “you”. Example: “Class, you
need to be in your seats when the
principal arrives. Bob and Sally, I’m
speaking to you as well. By the way,
are these pencils yours?”
3rd Person: The narrator is
not a character in the story.
Example: “He did this.” “She
said that.”
Literary Device # 5
Point-of-View…
Continued
Omniscient (Third-Person)
Narrator: Can reveal thoughts
of all characters; they are “allknowing”.
Limited Omniscient Narrator:
Only reveals the thoughts and
feelings of one (or a few)
characters
Objective (Third-Person) Narrator:
Does NOT reveal anyone’s
thoughts & provides info that a
camera might record. (Nothing
internal)
Characters… 2 Kinds
LD # 6
Round
Characters:
•Usually main
characters in
the story and
are fully
developed.
A flat character is
barely developed in the
story.
“He’s a square!”
•The reader can
understand
their
personality &
Think of a well-rounded person!
motivations.
F
l
a
t
&
R
o
u
n
d
Can you foresee what
literary device # 7 is?
theme
THEME
theme
theme
theme
Example: What is the
theme in The Wizard
of Oz?
What is a theme?
Definition: the central or dominant
idea of a work of fiction.
Possible Answers:
“There’s no place like
home” or Self-sufficiency
Literary Device # 8
Setting
“Any Ideas?”
Definition: everything that has
to do with when & where the
story takes place.
Example: “What is the
setting in The Wizard of
Oz?”
Answer: Emerald
City or Land of Oz
Remember Strategies to
Elaborate?!?!
Q: Why do we elaborate?
A: To give our reader a better
mental picture of what we are
writing about!
Here are 2 ways to add more clarity to your writing…
Literary Devices # 9 & 10:
~Similes & Metaphors~
“She drifted into the
room like a cloud.”
“He is so muscular,
he’s a rock!”
*Similes show a comparison
using “like” or “as”
*Metaphors make a comparison and
just states that something is
something else
3 Important Traits to Know About
When Writing……
Style,
Tone,
Audience
Style: the way a writer selects & arranges
words to express ideas.
Tone: the attitude of the author toward the
subject matter.
Audience: who is going to be reading the
author’s work….this will affect your style!
For example…….
Tone: What is the likely tone of a poem about
winter?
Possible Answers:
cold, dark, depressing
Style & Audience: What might
your style be for an audience
of young children compared to
adults? What might you do
differently?
Possible Answers: higher
or lower level of
vocabulary, use of
less/more words,
shorter/longer piece
TOT’s are cookin’!!!
Let’s Review!
Put Your Notes Away!
What are the 3 good writing traits we talked about?
Start with just 1 and tell the definition.
Style, Tone,
Audience
Tell me the 3 kinds
of narrators and the
definitions.
Omniscient: tells thoughts of
ALL characters… “all-knowing”
Limited Omniscient: only tells
thoughts of 1 or few characters
Objective:does NOT reveal ANYONE’S
thoughts
TOT’s are cookin’!!!
Name 5 literary devices we talked
about. What do each of them mean?
Plot, Climax,
Conflict,
Resolution, Setting
Similes, Metaphors,
Theme, Characters,
Point-of-View
The End!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!