lit devices: types of writing 2

myth: a traditional story that attempts to explain a natural phenomenon or justify a certain practice or belief of a society example: Icarus and Daedalus

narrative: an account of events; anything that is narrated

nonfiction: an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact credit

novel: a lengthy fictional story with a plot that is revealed by the speech, action, and thoughts of the characters example: Grendel

novella: a prose work longer than the standard short story, but shorter and less complex than a full-length novel example: Heart of Darkness

oral tradition: the transmission of material by word of mouth and memory; materials such as the folk epic, the ballad, folklore, proverbs, and many songs that originated among illiterate, semiliterate, or preliterate people were presented aloud to their audiences and transmitted by memory rather than in writing example: Beowulf

parable: a short, descriptive story that illustrates a particular belief or moral example: The Prodigal Son

parody: a form of literature intended to mock a particular literary work or its style; a comic effect is intended example: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

persuasion: one of the major types of composition whose purpose is to convince others of the wisdom of a certain line of action

poetry: an imaginative response to experience reflecting a keen awareness of language; there are many elements used in writing effective poetry example: "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

prose: the term is applied to all forms of written or spoken expression not having a regular rhythmic pattern

satire: a literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness, often with the intent of correcting, or changing, the subject of the satiric attack example: A Modest Proposal

science fiction: a form of fantasy in which scientific facts, assumptions, or hypotheses form the basis, by logical extrapolation, of adventures in the future, on other planets, in other dimensions in time or space, or under new variants of scientific law example: 2001: a Space Odyssey

short story: a brief fictional work; it usually contains one major conflict and at least one main conflict example: The Most Dangerous Game

tragedy: a literary work in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw and by forces beyond his or her control example: Othello