Elements of Literature Introduction

Setting Time and place of the action View the following picture. What can you tell about the story just from studying the setting?

Point of View First person: told by a character using “I”. The narrator is a character in the story. Third person: told by a nameless narrator. The narrator does not explain the characters’ thoughts and feelings Omniscient: author tells story as if he is all-knowing like a god

Mood and Tone Mood is the feeling a reader has from a work. Tone is the writer’s attitude toward the subject. Listen to Night on Bald Mountain and decide the mood and tone of this work. iWMEshttp:// iWMEs

Are you right? Many people have grown accustomed to hearing Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain during Halloween - it's definitely a dark piece of music. Rightfully so, the story behind Night on Bald Mountain is not one of light nature. Inspired by a short story by the Russian writer, Nikolai Gogol, in which witches would gather on Bald Mountain and hold sabbath, Mussorgsky was able to create a dreadfully haunting piece of music.

Foreshadowing and Flashback Foreshadowing: clues to hint at what might happen later Flashback: scene within a story that interrupts to relate events that occurred in the past

Symbol An object, happening, person, or place which stands not only for itself but also for something else, especially a big idea. Brainstorm common symbols in every day life

Simile Comparison of two unlike things using like or as –The rugby ball was like a giant egg, which he held carefully while he ran.

Personification Gives an inanimate object the characteristics of life. The sunshine walked slowly across the lawn as I waited on the porch.

Metaphor Comparison of two unlike things stating one is the other My fear is an anchor holding me down, preventing me from trying new activities.

hyperbole A figure of speech in which an extreme exaggeration is used for effect. The author does not intend to be taken literally. “Of Paul Bunyan’s big blue ox, Babe, measuring between the eyes forty-two ax-handles and a plug of Star tobacco exactly.” -Carl Sandburg

Dialect A form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group. Dialects differ in pronunciations, grammar, and word choice. Writers use dialect to make their characters seem realistic. maps-show-the-variety-of-american-englishhttp:// maps-show-the-variety-of-american-english “…there lived ol’ Brer Possum. He was a fine feller. Why, he never liked to see no critters in trouble. He was always helpin’ out, a-doin’ somethin’ for others.” “Brer Possum’s Dilemma” -Jackie Torrence

Allusion An allusion makes reference to a historical or literary person, place or event with which the reader is assumed to be familiar. “The big kids call me Mercury cause I’m the swiftest thing in the neighborhood.” Mercury is the Roman messenger god known for great speed. “Raymond’s Run” Toni Cade Bambara

alliteration The repetition of beginning consonant sound in a line of poetry. “Let us go forth to lead the land we love.” –J. F. Kennedy, Inaugural

Oxymoron Two contradictory terms used together –Sweet sorrow, jumbo shrimp, beginning expert, pretty ugly

Onomatopoeia Words which sound like their meaning. The words imitate the sound. –buzz, hiss, crackle, moo, pop, whoosh, zoom

Static or Dynamic Character A static character does not learn or change from the beginning to the end of the story. A dynamic character changes or learns something due to the events in the story.

Foreshadowing When an author mentions or hints at something that will happen later in the story, it is called Foreshadowing

Flashback When an author refers back to something that has already happened in the story, it is called Flashback

Dialect Dialect—a form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group. Words are spelled the way people speak. Dialects differ in pronunciations, grammar, and word choice. Writers use dialect to make their characters seem realistic.