Prose Writing Techniques

extended metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem. Example: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts."

satire

a work written to expose and criticize the foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule. Example: The Onion, Pride and Prejudice

tone

author or narrator's attitude towards characters and/or subjects. Diction, imagery, details, language, and syntax to establish this. Examples include morbid, playful, melancholy, critical, etc.

metaphor

comparison, or writing/speaking about one thing as if it were another thing. Example: "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

rhetorical questions

not asked, and are not understood, as ordinary information-seeking questions, but as making some kind of claim or assertion. Example: What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

connotation

the emotional or cultural association with that word rather than its dictionary definition. Example: the meaning of "home" differs from that of "house"

title

Punctuation: novels and plays are underlined; poems and short stories are in quotation marks. Meaning: often has significance

irony

a contrast of absolute opposite expectations for a situation versus reality. This can be a difference between the surface meaning of something that is said and the underlying meaning. It can also be a difference between what might be expected to happen and what actually occurs. It differs from coincidence in that it is a mockery of the appropriate result and often establishes theme and/or characterization. Example: In The Little Mermaid, Ariel gives up her voice to be with Eric, but it is her voice that he fell in love with.

allusion

a specific reference to something from literature, history, popular culture, etc. most people would know. Examples are "May the force be with you," Herculean strength, Garden of Eden

paradox

a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. Example: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"

imagery

descriptive language that can function as a way for the reader to better imagine the world of the piece of literature by drawing on the five senses, namely the details of taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound. Example: "Outside, even through the shut window-pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no colour in anything, except the posters that were plastered everywhere."

dichotomy

divides a thing into two equal and contradictory parts or between two opposing groups. Examples: good/evil, light/dark, young/old, life/death

personification

giving human characteristics to something nonhuman. Example: justice is blind

symbolism

giving objects or actions a certain meaning that is different from their original meaning or function in that it establishes theme and/or charactierzation. Examples: Harry Potter's scar and wand, the mirror and apple in Cinderella, Odysseus's journey

syntax

how sentence structure (such as length, variety, types of sentences) helps create theme, character, and/or tone.

hypophora

question asked then answered. Used for effect. Example: "How are we to survive? Solemnity is not the answer, any more than witless and irresponsible frivolity is. I think our best chance lies in humor, which in this case means a wry acceptance of our predicament."

narrative perspective

refers to what we learn from the person narrating. The audience must consider if the narrator is reliable, bitter, judgmental, naïve, etc. and how that affects our interpretation of the events. For example, if the narrator is in a mental hospital, we might question the narrator's sanity and whether or not we can believe what they tell us.

repetition

repeating a word, phrase, or sentence to add emphasis, unity, and/or power

details

specific words, incidents, images, or events an author uses to establish characterization, theme, etc. Example: "Her fingernails were gaudily painted, but badly bitten and not clean. Her lovers were a silent young photographer with a sullen laugh and two older men, brothers, who owned a small printing establishment across the street."

juxtoposition

two unlike ideas are placed side by side to highlight their differences. Example: "All's fair in love and war"

synecdoche

type of metaphor in which a part is used to reference the whole. Example: there are hungry mouths to feed

metonymy

type of metaphor that relies on associations closely related to the word rather than the word itself Example: "The pen is mightier than the sword" The idea related to "pen" is knowledge and discourse. The idea related to "sword" is violence. The metaphor implies that it is better to discuss differences and come to a compromise rather than resort to violence to resolve the dispute.

2nd person point of view

uses pronoun "you"

1st person point of view

uses pronouns" I/we/us" etc. - narrator is a character within the story

3rd person limited point of view

uses the pronouns "he/she/they" etc. - narrator is outside of the story and focuses on the thoughts of ONE character

3rd person omniscient point of view

uses the pronouns "he/she/they" etc. narrator is outside of the story and focuses on the thoughts of MORE THAN ONE character

simile

using "like" or "as" in a comparison. Example: "The Radley Place fascinated Dill. In spite of our warnings and explanations it drew him as the moon draws water..."

diction

word choice that establishes tone, creates imagery, and establishes ideas. Types include formal, informal, colloquial, childlike, etc.

stream of consciousness

writing in a way that mimics or parallels a character's internal thoughts and often the style incorporates the natural chaos of thoughts and feelings that occur in any of our minds. Example: "Gibraltar as a girl where I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another..."