Year-Long Glossary Project: Literary Devices
Every
discipline employs a special vocabulary; literary criticism is no exception.
Literary criticism is based in part on the assumption that writing is a purposeful activity and that excellent
literature is not merely a happy accident. During the year I will be
encouraging you to familiarize yourself with some of the terminology that is
used in literary criticism. To that end, you will be creating a glossary of
literary devices that you encounter in your reading. Over the course of the
semester you’ll be asked to complete a number of literary device entries.
Generally speaking, you’ll be able to select the device that you wish to use;
on rare occasions I’ll tell you which device you need to discuss. You will
eventually accumulate a total of 100 points if you want full credit. Your
examples may come from books we read in class, novels you read for your outside
reading, novels of literary merit that you have read on your own, or other
texts that you discover that have an example of a device in action. You may not submit more than two (2)
entries per week, unless you are submitting revised literary device discussions
along with new submissions. You are
responsible for keeping all of your lit devices once they have been graded so
that you can turn them in all at once near the end of the semester.
Format
Term: Definition of the literary device selected
Example: Quotation, followed by source, including title, page/line number
Function: Author’s purpose in employing this language resource at this point in the work. How does this particular device enhance what the writer is conveying? You may comment on theme, character, setting, or whatever else is important in explaining how this device functions in this particular instance.
Sample
Symbol: In the simplest sense, a symbol is anything that stands for or represents something else beyond it—often an idea conventionally associated with it. The term symbolism refers to the use of symbols, or to a set of related symbols.
Example: “Like him she was left-handed or she played chess with her left hand . . . He leaned forward and moved his bishop and mated her in four moves” (McCarthy 133).
Function: This chess game between John Grady and Alejandra’s godmother symbolizes the competition that they are in for Alejandra herself. This game of chess, which takes place between these two characters as John is trying to ascertain what his chances are of his relationship with Alejandra receiving approval from the family, represents the greater chess game between these two competing characters. Although John Grady wins the first couple of games and seems to be well on his way to achieving his goal, in the end it is the godmother who triumphs. This directly mirrors John Grady’s and the godmother’s lives: although John Grady wins Alejandra’s affections initially, in the end he loses her. When he takes “her queen” he is literally winning the chess match by taking the queen, but he is also on a symbolic level attempting to take the godmother’s true “queen,” Alejandra, who the godmother is determined to keep from suffering the same misfortunes she endured. The lack of dialogue between the characters during the match further reinforces the quiet competition they are engaging in; one that is not violent but is indeed fierce. The intellectual nature of the chess match also enhances the choice that Alejandra ultimately makes near the end of the novel: leaving John and opting instead for the security (and wealth) of her family. This choice reflects the cool and calculating logic of a chess match rather than the passion of the heart.
***Please note that the author first provides context for the discussion (context), discusses the term itself (concept), and then carefully discusses how the literary device specifically functions both in the passage and within the context of the novel as a whole (connection). The author is also careful to use the term in the active voice within the function discussion.
Format
Term: Definition of the literary device selected
Example: Quotation, followed by source, including title, page/line number
Function: Author’s purpose in employing this language resource at this point in the work. How does this particular device enhance what the writer is conveying? You may comment on theme, character, setting, or whatever else is important in explaining how this device functions in this particular instance.
Sample
Symbol: In the simplest sense, a symbol is anything that stands for or represents something else beyond it—often an idea conventionally associated with it. The term symbolism refers to the use of symbols, or to a set of related symbols.
Example: “Like him she was left-handed or she played chess with her left hand . . . He leaned forward and moved his bishop and mated her in four moves” (McCarthy 133).
Function: This chess game between John Grady and Alejandra’s godmother symbolizes the competition that they are in for Alejandra herself. This game of chess, which takes place between these two characters as John is trying to ascertain what his chances are of his relationship with Alejandra receiving approval from the family, represents the greater chess game between these two competing characters. Although John Grady wins the first couple of games and seems to be well on his way to achieving his goal, in the end it is the godmother who triumphs. This directly mirrors John Grady’s and the godmother’s lives: although John Grady wins Alejandra’s affections initially, in the end he loses her. When he takes “her queen” he is literally winning the chess match by taking the queen, but he is also on a symbolic level attempting to take the godmother’s true “queen,” Alejandra, who the godmother is determined to keep from suffering the same misfortunes she endured. The lack of dialogue between the characters during the match further reinforces the quiet competition they are engaging in; one that is not violent but is indeed fierce. The intellectual nature of the chess match also enhances the choice that Alejandra ultimately makes near the end of the novel: leaving John and opting instead for the security (and wealth) of her family. This choice reflects the cool and calculating logic of a chess match rather than the passion of the heart.
***Please note that the author first provides context for the discussion (context), discusses the term itself (concept), and then carefully discusses how the literary device specifically functions both in the passage and within the context of the novel as a whole (connection). The author is also careful to use the term in the active voice within the function discussion.