A literary element is an element found in whole works of literature.
Literary elements are not "used" by all authors; but instead, they exist inherently in forms of literature and are derived by the readers of a work in question. Theme, characterization (direct and non-direct), conflict, Setting (fiction), protagonist, antagonist, rising action, falling action, resolution, climax, and point of view are among the many literary elements that exist. They can be about the setting, plot, or even the characters. An example of this is foreshadowing. Some examples of this can include: Motifs, Symbols, Conflicts, and Allusions.
A key way to remember the major literary elements and figures of speech is the acronym SHAMPOOPSI. This stands for: Simile, Hyperbole, Alliteration, Metaphor, Personification, Metonymy, Personification, Apostrophe (figure of speech), and Synecdoche.
Famous quotes containing the words literary and/or element:
“Simile and Metaphor differ only in degree of stylistic refinement. The Simile, in which a comparison is made directly between two objects, belongs to an earlier stage of literary expression; it is the deliberate elaboration of a correspondence, often pursued for its own sake. But a Metaphor is the swift illumination of an equivalence. Two images, or an idea and an image, stand equal and opposite; clash together and respond significantly, surprising the reader with a sudden light.”
—Sir Herbert Read (1893–1968)
“We must be very suspicious of the deceptions of the element of time. It takes a good deal of time to eat or to sleep, or to earn a hundred dollars, and a very little time to entertain a hope and an insight which becomes the light of our life.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)