August/September Lit devices

in media res

"hook" the reader so that he or she keeps turning pages An example could be the name of any popular song

Anachronism

An anachronism is something or someone that is not in the correct chronological time period. Austin Powers is cryogenically frozen in the 1960s and comes back into the world decades later.

Eponym

An eponym is a person, place, or thing from which something takes its name. "Larry O'brian trophy"

Blank Verse

Blank verse is a type of poetry written in a regular meter that does not contain rhyme. To be or not to be poem

Chiasmus

Chiasmus employs two or more clauses which are related grammatically and conceptually, but in which the grammar and concepts are reversed. We ate so quickly Speedily we ate the food

Didacticism

Didacticism describes a type of literature that is written to inform or instruct the reader, especially in moral or political lessons. A "How to" book is an example

ad hoc

Foreshadowing "You'll thank me for this later,"

deus ex machina

The literary device of deus ex machina means to solve a seemingly intractable problem in a plot by adding in an unexpected character, object, or situation Jurassic Park: Just when the humans are surrounded by velociraptors and are surely going to die, the tyrannosaurus rex charges in and kills the velociraptors, but not the humans.

Caricature

a caricature is a character who is given a combination of oversimplified and exaggerated characteristics and features

Antithesis

he use of contrasting concepts, words, or sentences within parallel grammatical structures. This combination of a balanced structure with opposite ideas serves to highlight the contrast between them. For example, the following famous Muhammad Ali quote is an example of antithesis: "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

Antimetabole

repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order "I know what I like, and I like what I know".

Mea Culpa

statement uttered to show personal responsibility for a wrong "My fault"

magnum opus

the greatest work of an artist, writer, or composer Mona Lisa for Da Vinci

Epistrophe

the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences I'm tired of this job. I'm over this job. I'm done with this job!

Hamartia

tragic flaw which causes a character's downfall Elizabeth Bennet's initial prejudice against Mr. Darcy