Literary Elements
The foundations of literature
Literary elements: Diction and
Dialect
Dialect is variation of a given language spoken
in a particular place or by a particular group of
people. A dialect is distinguished by its
vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
 If we’re only talking about pronunciation, we
usually use the term “accent.”
 Dialect is applied most often to regional speech
patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by
other factors, such as social class.
 Diction involves a writer’s selection of language.
Diction may be described as formal or informal,
abstract or concrete, figurative or literal.

Literary elements: Symbolism
and setting



Symbols used in literature are objects used to represent
other things or ideas. Setting often serves as a symbol.
Authors include symbolism in their stories to give the
stories deeper meaning: objects, people, places, or
events that stand for something broader than
themselves, such as an idea or emotion.
Symbols are all around us:
– Heart Week: hearts symbolize love, caring, romance
– The American flag symbolizes the United States of
America and patriotism.
– The Trojan Head downstairs symbolizes pride and
strength.
Literary elements: Symbolism
and setting
Setting: particular time, environment and
place in which events occur.
 Setting often serves as a symbol. For
example, California symbolizes the “lost
paradise” or Eden in Of Mice and Men.
 In other contexts, California might
symbolize the American Dream.
 It is ironic that it can symbolize two very
different concepts.

Literary elements: Irony

Irony is the contrast between what is expected
and what actually exists or happens. Three
types of irony include:
1. Situational irony: the contrast between what a
character or the reader expects to happen and what
actually happens.
2. Verbal irony: occurs when someone says one thing
but means another (a common form is sarcasm).
3. Dramatic irony: the contrast between what a
character knows and what the reader or audience
knows.
Literary elements: Theme





Theme is what is revealed about human life or
human nature. It reveals something that we can
often relate to.
Although it is usually unstated, it gives a story
meaning.
Theme can reveal an author’s whole view of life.
Theme is not a story’s plot or the story’s
subject: It is an idea.
It gives us insight into some aspect of life we
have never really thought about before, or it
may make us understand on an emotional level.
Literary elements: Theme

General guidelines for discovering theme:
– When writing about theme, we must use at least one complete
sentence to state a theme, rather than just a phrase, such as
“the joy of childhood.”
– A theme is not the same as a moral. So ask yourself, “What does
this story reveal?” rather than “What does this story teach?”
– One way to determine a theme is to ask how the main character
(protagonist) changes during the story.
– Also, consider the story’s title. It often will hint at the meaning
of the story.
– A theme should not refer to specific characters or events in a
story. It should be something about life or human nature that is
general enough for the reader to relate to.
– Theme should explain the whole story, not just a part of it.
Literary elements
Suspense:
The element of plot that makes the reader
want to read on to find out what happens.
The reader usually experiences suspense
when he or she is worried about whether
a character will succeed in overcoming
conflict. Setting often helps establish
suspense.
Literary elements
Tone:
The attitude the writer takes toward the
subject he or she is writing about. Just as we
reveal our attitude by our tone of voice when we
are speaking, so writers show their attitude
(tone) by their writing style. A tone can be
pessimistic, optimistic, earnest, serious, bitter,
humorous, joyful, melancholy, nostalgic, etc.
Literary elements
Tone can often help determine mood:
Mood is the climate of feeling in a literary work.
The choice of setting, objects, details, images, and
words all contribute toward creating a specific mood. For
example, the moods evoked by the more popular short
stories of Edgar Allen Poe tend to be gloomy, horrific,
and desperate.
An author may create a mood of mystery around a
character or setting but may treat that character or
setting in an ironic, serious, or humorous tone.
Literary elements: Figurative
language
Whenever you describe something by
comparing it with something else, you are
using figurative language. Any language
that goes beyond the literal meaning of
words in order to furnish new effects or
fresh insights into an idea or a subject.
Three common figures of speech are
personification, simile, and metaphor.
Literary Elements: Figurative
language



Simile
A figure of speech which involves a direct comparison
between two unlike things, usually with the words like or
as.
Example: He threw baseballs as if they were bullets.
The wheat field lies like liquid gold.
Metaphor
A figure of speech which involves an implied comparison
between two relatively unlike things. The comparison is
not announced by like or as.
Example: The road was a ribbon of moonlight.
Literary elements: Figurative
language

Personification
A figure of speech which gives the qualities of a
person to an animal, an object, or an idea. It is a
comparison which the author uses to show
something in an entirely new light, to communicate
a certain feeling or attitude towards it and to control
the way a reader perceives it.
Example: (Referring to chopping down a tree): The
brave, handsome brute fell with a creaking rending
cry (the author is giving a tree human qualities).
Literary elements: Plot
Plot is the chain of related events that take place in a
story. A plot is almost always built around conflict. Most
plots include these stages of development:




Exposition: includes background about characters,
conflict, and setting.
Rising action: suspense builds because complications
arise that make the conflict more difficult for the main
character(s) to resolve.
Climax: the turning point of the action, when the
reader’s interest reaches its highest point.
Falling action and resolution: The conflict ends and loose
ends are tied up.
Literary elements: Allusion
Review:
 An allusion is a brief reference to a
person, event, place, or phrase outside of
a story that the writer assumes the reader
will recognize.
 An allusive reference can be real or
fictional.
 A literary allusion refers to another written
work, art piece, book, etc.

Literary elements: Extended
metaphor

Review: Metaphor
A figure of speech which involves an implied
comparison between two relatively unlike things.
The comparison is not announced by like or as.

An extended metaphor carries the
comparison another step and extends it through
your writing. It often includes metaphors and
similes.
Literary elements: Extended
metaphor

Let’s think of one comparing writing to playing basketball. Start by
listing all the basketball words you can think of to see how they
could be used in a comparison:
dribble
foul
referee
shoot
warm-ups
defense
goal tending
pick
jump shot
free throw
camping in the lane
bounce pass
equipment
offense
slam dunk
technical
three-pointer
time out
net
half-time
rebound
assist
swish
steal
Literary elements: Extended
metaphor
Then write:
For me, writing is like playing
basketball. As I prepare for practice, I
gather my equipment: a pencil, pad of
paper, a dictionary, and a Diet Coke. My
warm-ups include doodling on the edge of
the paper while I contemplate what to
write. When my mind is sufficiently
stretched, I begin writing.
Literary elements: Extended
metaphor
The words start in my head and dribble
down my arm, through my pencil, and
onto the page. It isn’t always smooth:
Sometimes, I get a fast break, and the
words come faster than I can write them
down. Other times, I throw the ball away,
writing in a direction that doesn’t match
my topic. Then I take a time-out and drink
my Diet Coke.
Literary element: Point of View

The vantage point from which a story is told.
– First person: told by one of the characters in his or
her own words.
– Third person: told by someone not in the story. A
narrator who is not a character describes the events
and characters. One version of third person is called
third-person omniscient: the narrator is “all-knowing”
and can see into the minds of all the characters,
providing the most information possible.
Literary Element: Point of View

Effects of using different points of view:
– First person: more limited (only view of one
character); more subjective (told as one person sees
it, which may not be as it really is); more personal
(goes deeper into the mind and emotions of one
specific character).
– Third person: more complete (can look into any
character’s thoughts, views, emotions); told from a
variety of perspectives (truer picture); less
development on one specific character (development
of many characters)