Literary Devices

'Language is the dress of thought'. Imagine a person's feelings, emotions or views on a subject, stated plainly without the aid of a literary device. It would be a dull task. We all love to see our favorite movie stars delivering those wonderfully scripted dialogs with great passion and intensity. All these expressions are a manifestation of the beauty of words, which we refer to as literary devices. The English language encompasses a host of literary devices that make it so rich and expressive. They provide a broad structure under which all the types of literature are classified, studied and understood. The importance of literature in the portrayal of human emotions is best understood by the application of these devices. Some of the common ones in use are described in brief as follows.

Allegory: It is a symbolic aspect of a story that conveys a lesson or a teaching which is not present in it. Generally, its a narrative that contains an abstract idea to be delivered or conveyed through a figurative use of one subject for the other. Classics such as Aesop's Fables or John Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress' and films like 'The Matrix' or 'Casablanca' are examples of allegory.

Alliteration: Words or sentences that begin with similar-sounding words are said to employ alliteration. 'Careless cutting cars', ' wonderfully whistling woods' or tongue twisters like, 'she sells sea shells by the sea shore' are examples of alliteration.

Allusion: This device is a reference to any event or happening in real life or a literary work. For example, 'The battle between the countries was World War II revisited' or 'Oh, don't be such a Romeo!'. Here, World War II and Romeo are allusions.

Anastrophe: Also known as inversion, it is a sentence or a poetic expression which reverses or changes the order of words for greater emphasis. 'Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown' or 'Ten thousand saw I at a glance' are anastrophic expressions.

Aposiopesis: Its the sudden breaking applied in a prose or a poem to increase the emotional aspect or dramatic feel. The following extract from Shakespeare's play, 'King Lear' is a good example of aposiopesis. 'I will have a revenge on you both, That all the world shall.... I will do such things, What they are, and yet I know not'.

Apostrophe: It is a direct address to the dead or an inanimate object creating an emotional surge. 'Caesar, only if you were alive' or 'O stone, O might, O heart of man-made God, Thou art the emblem of our hope', are examples of apostrophe.

Climax: It is the arrangement of ideas in an increasing order of their importance. It emphasizes the meaning in a clear and effective way. Examples include, ' He came, he saw, he conquered, 'Her village, her state, her nation were her pride', 'Eat, drink and sleep' and so on.

Ellipsis: It is the omission of a word or words from a sentence which may sound grammatically incorrect but the meaning is easily conveyed. Examples: 'He won all the games, hands down', or 'I got Sam and Sam me'.

Hyperbole: It is an exaggeration, used often to ridicule, create humor or any drastic emotional appeal. 'The waves rose as high as the mountains,' 'I am so hungry that I can eat a whole cow' or 'She wept and wept until there was a sea of tears', are sentences which substantiate the use of hyperbole.

Irony: It is the expression of ideas which are exactly opposite to the implied meaning. There is a discord or disagreement between the presented words and their use. 'A student of psychology going insane', a quote such as, 'A bank lends you money provided you show that it's not needed' or the warning found on every cigarette pack, 'Smoking is injurious to health' is an irony!

Litotes: It is an understated expression when the actual idea to be expressed is quite significant. It is like downplaying an idea when it seems to be the best possible course of action or description. Statements such as, 'I am not a bit amused' or 'He has a modest earning in billions of dollars' are some examples of litotes.

Metaphor: The direct comparison of two entities where one entity is expressed as the other. Examples are, 'He was a lion in the fight', 'The birth of laughter', 'stealing eyes', 'noisy looms' and so on.

Metonymy: It is an associative substitution technique like, 'A press conference by the Pentagon'. Here, Pentagon refers to the officials of the Pentagon who will be holding the press conference. The English grammar permits the use of a reference word in place of the actual subject as long as the meaning is clear.

Onomatopoeia: 'Crackling sound', 'hissing away', 'screeching noise', 'Boo-hoo' are examples of onomatopoeia. It is a sound expression where the word is similar to the sound made.

Oxymoron: This figure of speech includes words or ideas opposite in meaning placed one after the other. 'True lies', 'open secret', 'pretty ugly face', 'feeling alone in a crowd', are some forms of this literary device.

Parallel construction: In this literary device, the idea to be stated is repeated in some other form to emphasize the articulation. 'She cried, she wept but he was unmoved', or 'Show me your strength, your stamina, your energy only where it is needed' are some expressions of parallel construction.

Personification: It is a representation of abstract ideas or inanimate objects as having human attributes or qualities. 'Death laid its icy hands on kings', 'Love and friendship had crippled his sense of judgment' and 'Tormenting idea' exemplify the use of personification.

Pun: It is an idea or expression which has two meanings implied at the same time. Quite often it is used to pass a witty remark or bring about a sarcastic effect. Examples are, 'I knead the dough so that I can eat', 'learn the art of silence such that nothing is left unsaid', 'there are three types of people: The ones who can count and the ones who can't'.

Satire: It is a mimicry, a mockery, a witty remark or a ridicule related to a person, place, animal or a thing, generally for leisure and is completely wrong or absurd. TV shows like 'Saturday Night Live' or movies like 'The Tailor of Panama' are examples of satire.

Simile: It is an indirect comparison made between two different entities showing some common aspect or relation. Examples include, 'as cool as a cucumber', 'as white as snow', 'Life is just like an ice-cream, enjoy it before it melts'.

Synecdoche: The representation of a whole aspect by a part or a part by the whole is called as synecdoche. Example: 'He has several mouths to feed'. Here mouths represent people. 'The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world'. Here 'hand' refers to the mothers in general.

Zeugma: It expresses the control of one subject or a part of speech over the entire sentence composed of different objects or other parts of sentence. 'He succumbed to the public pressure and the wounds inflicted by his lady', 'She crossed the seas and all the obstacles holding her back', or 'Beauty glows with sunshine, laughter and a sense of deep satisfaction', are some examples of this literary device.

Literature Review Format: How to Write a Literature Review

Writing different kinds of essays is a part of every student life. By the time a student reaches high school, along with descriptive essay writing, persuasive writing and narrative writing, he/she would also be expected to write a literature review. A literature review can be done on any subject, be it science, history, literature, etc. Writing a literature review does not require you to do primary research work (field work), rather you have to write a review based on the knowledge you have acquired on the subject by analyzing already existing research work on the subject. Here are some tips that would help you in writing a literature review in the correct literature review format.

How to Write a Literature Review?
The first step towards writing a literature review would be to select some already published literature works on a particular subject. For example, if you have selected literature as your subject, where you can choose a novel, short story or essay as your area of study. Once you do this, the next step would be to collect all the research material that has already been done by experts of the subject. You need not stick only to books for collecting information, rather you can also make use of the facilities offered by the Internet, where you can find all the information you want. The only thing you have to keep in mind is that all information that you have gathered are relevant as well as reliable.

Before writing the literature review, read every piece of literature related to your subject. It is important to acquire detailed information about every aspect of that particular subject. Once you feel that you have understood it very well, it is time to put your analysis on paper. Your review paper should be an amalgamation of the summary and critical review of related literature.

Literature Review Format
Before you start writing your literature review, it would be really beneficial if you create a literature review outline, where you have to chart out the way in which you would organize all the information that you have accumulated. After doing this, you can set out with your literature review. The literature review format that you have to follow is similar to that of the other essays. The literature review should begin with the thesis statement, where the student has to explain the central idea of the whole review in a sentence. This is followed by the introduction, main body which is divided into sub-parts for every new point and finally the conclusion.

The literature review should first summarize whatever knowledge you have gathered from the existing literature reviews. Followed by this would be the critical evaluation that you have done. This part should not include what other's have said about the particular subject, but your point of view. It should reflect your perspective and what you think about it. One should remember that every paragraph in the literature review should relate to the thesis statement given at the beginning.

While writing the literature review, one can mention some related literature reviews to explain or prove a point of view. However, it is important to acknowledge the fact that you have borrowed the idea from someone else. This is called documentation and an important part of literature review. The documentation method that you would have to follow could be different in different institutions. You may be asked to follow the APA style or the MLA style, according to which you have to prepare the bibliography and other required documentation.

Writing a literature review is a way of developing critical thinking skills. Knowing the literature review format well would definitely aid you in arranging the acquired information in an organized manner.

Literature Abounds at the Literature Network

For students, teachers, and literature enthusiasts of all kinds, there is no better home on the Internet than The Literature Network. This website, created by Jalic Inc., is one of the most extensive and thorough text archives available to the public on the Internet.

The Literature Network was first created in 1999, and was later restructured and launched again in 2000. The site’s database contains more than 1900 entire books, more than 3,000 poems and short stories, and more than 8,000 famous quotations. The extensive types of literature contains works by authors from Henry Adams to Emile Zola. Each author’s page offers site visitors a biography as well as a searchable collection of literary works. Many of the author pages also contain extra content such as quizzes, polls, and user comment areas.

The Holy Bible searchable database on The Literature Network provides visitors with a searchable database of more than 8.000 phrases, passages, and proverbs from the King James version of the Bible. Each passage is traced to its source in ancient and modern literature.

Approximately six million people visit the site each month. Forums and blogs on the site allow visitors and members alike to explore the world of literature and discuss specific works in detail. The Literature Network Forums have more than 10,000 members, and hundreds more join every month. In addition, the site has sponsored two additional sites. The Poetry Post website is an online community where amateur poets can post their work. The second site, William Shakespeare’s Sonnet-a-Day, sends regular e-mail newsletters to more than 120,000 subscribers.

From Aristotle, to Karl Marx to Hans Christian Andersen, there is only one place online where you can find any piece of literature you’re looking for. Visit www.online-literature.com for all of your literature pursuits.

Naturalism in Literature

"Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become." - C.S. Lewis, a British novelist and scholar.

The naturalism in literature definition states that, 'Naturalism in literature was a literary movement, that began in the late nineteenth century (1865-1900) in film, art, literature and theater that portrays common values of an ordinary individual.' Naturalism in literature was a literary movement that suggested the involvement of environment, heredity and social conditions in shaping the human character. Naturalism in literature or literary naturalism, originated as a French movement, where the naturalistic writers were influenced by the theory of evolution of Charles Darwin and the ideas of Hippolyte Taine, a philosopher. Naturalistic writers wrote stories that adopted the perspective that a person's character is determined by one's lineage and environment. The term 'naturalism' was coined by Emile Zola, an influential French writer. He was also an important contributor towards the development of theatrical naturalism. Some other famous writers associated with naturalism in literature are Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Jack London and Theodore Dreiser.

Naturalism in Literature Characteristics

There are four main characteristics of naturalism in literature. They are listed as under

    * The main characteristic of literary naturalism is pessimism, where a character tends to repeat a phrase having a pessimistic outlook, which sometimes emphasizes the inevitability and quality of death.
    * Detachment from the main story is another characteristic of literary naturalism. The author tries to maintain an objective tone and sometimes achieves detachment or change by introducing nameless characters. This focuses mainly on the plot and character rather than focusing on the character only. This method was more common among modernist writers like Ernest Hemingway.
    * In determinism, which is the third characteristic of naturalism in literature, the notion that individual characters have a direct influence on their lives is replaced by a focus on fate or nature and is the opposite of the belief of free will. The author makes the reader believe that the fate of the character has already been predetermined by certain factors, specially environmental factors and he can do nothing to change it.
    * One common characteristic of literary naturalism is the surprising twist at the end of the plot. There is a strong sense in the naturalist stories and novels that nature is not affected by human struggle.

Realism vs Naturalism in Literature

Though naturalism and realism are inter-related, they are different from each other. Here are a few differences between realism and naturalism:

    * The history of naturalism in literature can be traced back to the nineteenth century and naturalism was supposed to be the extreme form of realism. As compared to romanticism and realism, naturalism is a more recent movement in the literary cycle.
    * The focus of realism is on literary technique, whereas naturalism connotes a philosophical pessimism, where writers apply scientific method to their writings and depict human beings as an objective and impartial character.
    * Realism portrays things the way they might appear to be, while naturalism shows a deterministic view of a person's life and actions. This can be seen in Stephen Crane's The Open Boat and The Blue Hotel
    * Realism shows that a person's decision is based upon his response to the situation, whereas naturalism concludes that a person's decision is predetermined by natural forces that make him act in a certain way.

Naturalism in literature is a literary movement that is derived from Realism, which not only depicts real life but also probes deeper to seek the characteristic reminiscent of Romanticism. Naturalism in literature has an identity of its own due to the philosophical inclination in its naturalistic writings.

Themes in Literature

What are themes in literature? Well, a theme can be defined as the basic idea or moral behind a piece of literature, be it a book, short story or an essay. Themes in any of the creative works in literature, are something that a person reading them has to identify on his own, through the story, plot, climax, characters, etc., as it is seldom made apparent by the writer. Also, interpretations of the same themes in literature may vary from individual to individual, as people have diverse ways of looking at the same thing. As is said, a glass half full of water may be seen as half empty by some. Read more on types of literature.

Since times immemorial, English literature has seen various themes that have been touched upon by writers and poets of different eras. These themes in literature help in giving important life lessons to the individual, and thus, help him in becoming a better human being. Here is a list of themes in literature, which have been used by authors time and again, since centuries.

Common Themes in Literature

Honesty is the Best Policy
This is perhaps one of the most common of themes in literature. Many great authors and writers have stressed upon the futility of leading a life full of lies. In most books, it is always the good which wins over the evil. Negative emotions such as jealousy, anger, manipulation are looked down upon and positive emotions such as love, care, honesty are rewarded.

Blood is Thicker than Water
"Family comes first" - one of the themes in literature, that stresses upon the importance of family, and nurturing family bonds, has been the core of many literary master pieces.

Love Conquers All
Many books in literature revolve around the theme of love. Love is depicted as something that one should not even hesitate to die for. Lovers resorting to war to get their beloveds, friends sacrificing themselves for each other, are some of the examples of themes in literature.

Human Struggles
Human struggles against the society, against oneself or sometimes even against God, are something which many authors have depicted beautifully through their creative works. Man is shown as someone who is perpetually struggling against the dictates of the society, of being at loggerheads with what the society expects of him and what he actually wants to do. Finding peace and God is another of the human struggles we find in many literary works.

Live in the Present
Living in the present, living life fully, enjoying every bit of life - are some of the themes in literature that tell us the importance of time.

Death is Inevitable
Many books in literature show how death in inevitable, and how it causes suffering to the ones who are left behind. Different stages of life, grief, tragedy and survival are some of the other themes in literature that are generally depicted along with death.

These are the different themes in literature, which have not lost their significance even now, and many books, poems and other literary works that are written today revolve around them. Some of the other everlasting themes in literature are birth, freedom, ethics, hope, rejection, alienation, ambition, violence, cruelty, nature, joy, caring for others, seasons, materialism and responsibility. Such themes have been part and parcel of literary works since the time of Shakespeare to Jane Austen to Yeats to Hemingway, and they seldom lose their appeal, as they touch the core of us humans at many different levels.

Anachronism Examples in Literature

What is Anachronism? This is probably the first question that will come to your mind, even before you hunt for anachronism examples in literature. The word anachronism, is taken from the Greek language. The term itself can be broken down into two parts, ana, which means up, against and back, while the word chronos, means time. Thus, anachronism is basically an error in chronology or timeline of a piece of art or literature.

Anachronism Definition and Meaning
The term anachronism is interpreted and understood by people in different manners. Many people believe that irregularity in chronology is anachronism. A better interpretation of the term is that anything that seems out of timeline or out of place, is anachronism. Furthermore, some literary experts comment that anachronism is any chronological inconsistency in a given piece of art. In some cases, anachronism is unintentional and is often classified as a mistake. However, in certain cases, it is also classified as an intentional engineering within the timeline that adds more effect to the art. It must be noted that people often stick to art works based upon real life to give an example of anachronism. Hence, works of imagination and science fiction are rarely presented as anachronism examples in literature, though there have been some exceptions.

A common anachronism example is seen in the world famous painting The Last Supper by the legendary painter Leonardo da Vinci. Oranges are clearly visible in the painting and art experts have pointed out their presence as a factual error. Historians state that oranges were bought to Europe in the 15th Century A.D. by Dutch sailors from the Indian subcontinent. In comparison to that, the events of the last supper occurred many centuries beforehand.

Anachronism Examples in Literature
Anachronism in Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare is a popular example.

Brutus: Peace! count the clock.
Cassius: The clock has stricken three.
(From Act II, scene i : lines 193 - 194 of Julius Caesar)

The year was 44 A.D, and there were no mechanical clocks at the time of Julius Caesar. Another dialog from the same play is prominent among anachronism examples in literature.

'he plucked me ope his doublet and offered them his throat to cut'

A doublet is a garment that was worn during the time of Shakespeare, and not during the time of Julius Caesar.

Another similar reference can be cited in the works of Shakespeare. In the play Hamlet, the main character who is also named Hamlet, is the Prince of Denmark, attending the University of Halle-Wittenberg, which was established in 1502 A.D, while the timeline of the entire play is set in the 7th century or 13th century (as some people argue).

BolesA,aw Prus, a Polish novelist and the author of the novel Pharaoh, was based on the timeline of the regime of Ramses XII. The novel has a timeline that lasts from 1087 to 1085 B.C.E. The novel also has a mention of a canal that has the same magnitude of the Suez Canal, the construction of which began in the 19th century. Though it must be noted that Prince Hiram's canal existed much, much before the timeline of the novel, but was very small in comparison to the Suez Canal.

One can also argue that Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, which was published in 1869, to be an example of anachronism. In fact the whole book contains many such examples, such as the submarine, nautilus, the technology within the submarine, etc. Facts such as discovery of the site of Atlanta, battle of Vigo Bay, the race for Antarctic, diving suits are quite out of the place.

Anachronism examples in literature are plenty. There is however no specific doctrine that can be followed to define one. The magical world of Harry Potter can also become an example of anachronism. The book also offers some examples of anachronism in a sentence, such as Mr Weasley's flying car. Cars in today's era don't fly, but manufacturers might come up with something like that with the advancement of technology. Here's where I put down my quill (sign off). Good luck!

Imagery Examples

Imagery is one of the most powerful ways of expressing oneself in literature. It is also the most appealing way of conveying a writer's or a poet's feelings. In this article, I introduce you to the concept of imagery in literature and acquaint you with this style of expression which you are already familiar with. The imagery examples that are I present serve to illustrate the usage of this literary style.

What is Imagery in Literature?
We experience the world through our five senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Expressing these sensory experiences through words is using imagery as a literary tool. Though the word imagery itself might hint that imagery is confined to description of images in the mind's eye, it is not restrictive. Imagery is used by writers and poets to invoke these sensory impressions in the mind of the reader. It is a very effective style of writing which reaches out to the reader more easily.

Examples of Imagery
Examples of imagery in literature abound in every language. It gets the point across through an effective analogy, that conveys the gist of what a writer wants to say or feels. Imagery examples for kids can be found in most nursery rhymes. If you start looking for imagery examples in literature, you will find many. Read the nature poets like William Wordsworth or the philosophical yet rousing poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson. You will find imagery in almost every poem. Here are some imagery examples in poetry and prose.

Imagery Examples In Prose
Let us have a look at some of the imagery examples in prose. Here are some.

    * He fumed and charged like an angry bull.
    * He fell down like an old tree falling down in a storm.
    * The taste of that first defeat was bitter indeed.
    * He felt like the flowers were waving him a hello.
    * The eery silence was shattered by her scream.
    * After that first sale, his cash register never stopped ringing.
    * The sky looked like the untouched canvas of an artist.
    * He could hear his world crashing down when he heard the news about her.
    * She was like a melody in flesh and blood.
    * The F-16 swooped down like an eagle after its prey.
    * The word spread like leaves in a storm.
    * The lake was left shivering by the touch of morning wind.
    * He lost his voice in the cacophony of conformity.
    * Her face blossomed when she caught a glance of him.
    * He could never escape from the iron grip of desire.
    * He could hear the footsteps of doom nearing.
    * The ants began their daily marching drill.
    * She was like a breath of fresh air infusing life back into him.
    * They fought like cats and dogs.

Imagery Examples In Poetry
Let us have a look at imagery examples in poetry. I quote some poems rich with imagery. Here are a few of my favorites.

DAFFODILS

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

- William Wordsworth

SUMMER NIGHT

Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white;
Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk;
Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font:
The firefly wakens: waken thou with me.
Now droops the milk-white peacock like a ghost,
And like a ghost she glimmers on to me.
Now lies the Earth all Danaë to the stars,
And all thy heart lies open unto me.
Now slides the silent meteor on, and leaves
A shining furrow, as thy thoughts in me.
Now folds the lily all her sweetness up,
And slips into the bosom of the lake
So fold thyself, my dearest, thou, and slip
Into my bosom and be lost in me.

- Alfred Tennyson

A MAGIC MOMENT I REMEMBER

A magic moment I remember:
I raised my eyes and you were there,
A fleeting vision, the quintessence
Of all that's beautiful and rare.

I pray to mute despair and anguish,
To vain pursuits the world esteems,
Long did I near your soothing accents,
Long did your features haunt my dreams.

Time passed. A rebel storm-blast scattered
The reveries that once were mine
And I forgot your soothing accents,
Your features gracefully divine.

In dark days of enforced retirement
I gazed upon grey skies above
With no ideals to inspire me,
No one to cry for, live for, love.

Then came a moment of renaissance,
I looked up - you again are there,
A fleeting vision, the quintessence
Of all that`s beautiful and rare.

- Alexander Pushkin

These were some of the imagery examples that demonstrate the beauty of this literary style. It makes reading a passage or a poem, a 'real experience'!

Symbolism Examples

"A symbol means more than itself, but first it means itself. Like a developing image in a photographer's tray, a symbol reveals itself slowly. It's been there all along, waiting to emerge from the story, the poem, the essay - and from the writer herself." - Rebecca McClanahan

Symbolism or the use of images to represent other distinct thoughts and ideas, have always held a very mysterious appeal for most of us. Symbols are intriguing and they hold a certain gravitational pull forcing us to at least try and figure out the hidden meaning behind these representations. To a certain extent, I think that is the reason behind The Da Vinci Code becoming a worldwide phenomenon that it did. Dan Brown knew how to capture the attention of his target audience. But literary references apart, symbolism has come a long way from the 18th century use of the literary device to put forward mystical ideas. Today symbols are used for both practical purposes and for express abstract thoughts. This is evident from the many symbolism examples across many different spheres, for example mathematics, arts, politics, literature, philosophy, etc. The list of the same can be endless.

Use of Symbolism

Symbols are an integral part of our daily life and a single image or word at times is enough to give us an entire picture. Anything can be used as a symbol, a sign, an image, a picture, a character, a word. Any of these can be representative of an idea or a thought. For example, the moment you see the image of a skull and crossbones, you know there is danger ahead. If you notice that the traffic signal is amber, you slow down the vehicle because you know that the stop signal is next. If someone shows you the picture of Eiffel tower, you will immediately associate the same with Paris, which in itself is associated with romance, good food and culture. At the same time, if someone makes a comparison between an acquaintance of yours and Hamlet, then you would automatically assume that the person is troubled. You do so without a second guessing yourself because it is one of the best examples of symbolism in literature that can be used to associate with a troubled individual. That is the power of symbology. Without saying much, a lot can be communicated and expressed.

Symbolism is also used for more practical purposes. Roman numerals, musical notations, religious icons are all symbolism examples and are used by us everyday. We use them in artwork, in writing, music, movies, and a lot of other things, for example, every color is associated with an emotion, like red with anger and green with envy. Symbols can be used to identify a concept, it can be used to express facts that cannot have physical representations. They can represent unknown facts and to convey hidden and deeper meanings.

Symbolism Examples

Derived from the Greek word, sumballein, symbol literally means 'thrown together', with an association with the theory of contrast or comparison. Today, symbols do not necessarily have to denote contrast. They can be straightforward representations that have come to be associated with a certain idea. Given below are a few commonly used symbolism examples.

    * Mathematics is filled with many symbols, from the commonly used addition, subtraction (±), multiplication (×), division (÷) to the less used π or Pi which is a symbol for the value 3.14159...., which is an indefinite value. Most operations in mathematics have different symbols to represent them. This is one of the easiest symbolism examples for kids to understand as they use it more often.
    * There are also many religious symbols that are commonly used. The cross is a symbol of Christianity, Star of David is associated with Judaism. The swastika, which is a symbol associated with Hinduism, and is used to denote good luck, has more recently acquired sinister affiliations, thanks to its use by Hitler and the Nazi party.
    * The flags of most nations are good symbolism examples. The U.S. flag has thirteen stripes to represent the thirteen colonies that came together to form the nation and fifty stars to represent the fifty states. The Indian flag is a tricolor, where each color symbolizes a different meaning, saffron standing for courage and sacrifice, white for peace and truth, and green for faith and chivalry. The Ashoka Chakra represents the wheel of law.
    * Arts and literature is one field which is bursting at the seams with symbolism examples. There are many examples of symbolism in literature. One of the most notable examples is the use of the alphabet A, pinned to Hester Prynne, to symbolize adultery, in The Scarlet Letter. Another masterpiece that is replete with symbols and references is the Animal Farm, an allegorical novel by George Orwell, which uses farm animals with human qualities to represent communism and its ills. One of the most commonly cited symbolism examples in poetry is the use of the literary device in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas. Addressed to his father, the poem uses night as a representation of death and light or day to symbolize life.

Symbolism helps to enhance the quality of literature in a way that no other literary device quite manages. Similarly, symbolism used in daily life can help us in reducing the effort that sometimes needs to be put into explaining an idea. The symbolism examples that have been elucidated in this article are just some of the signs used to represent different ideas and thoughts.

Metaphor Examples in Litera

"Life is a cherished possession, death is an inevitable loss.."

The above statement is one of the simple metaphor examples in literature. A metaphor is a part of the figure of speech list in which two unlike entities are compared to convey some hidden message. It is not just a comparison but an assertion of the entities that they are nearly something to which they are being compared. There is yet another figure of speech known as simile which appears quite similar to a metaphor. The difference lies in the observation part of the usage of a simile and a metaphor. Read similes and metaphors examples to know more about the differences.

Types and Examples of Metaphors in Literature

"Oh God! He was so mad at me!" - This is an example of a simple metaphor in our colloquial language. Here mad means anger. This was a simple metaphor that has one link joining the metaphorical sense (mad) to the subject (anger). Metaphors are classified as common and uncommon types. The common types include extended and mixed metaphors whereas uncommon types comprise absolute, active, complex and compound metaphors. One must have a strong understanding of rules of English grammar and grammar and composition to understand metaphor examples in literature. Let us try to understand the different types of metaphors and some examples of metaphors in literature.

Absolute Metaphor: This is a metaphor in which there is little connection between the metaphorical sense and the actual entity. This is mostly intended to confuse the readers.

Example - "A television set is the autobahn of a living room."
This is an example of an absolute metaphor where the object has absolutely no relation with the metaphor used for the former's assertion. Sometimes, this is also referred as paralogical metaphor. The main intention of such metaphorical usages are to confuse the readers, allowing them to draw their own interpretations.

Complex Metaphor: A complex metaphor is one that is used to identify with some other entity by layering over a simple metaphor.

Example - "Let me throw some light on this subject of philosophy."
This is an example of a complex metaphor where "throw some light" is used as metaphor to clear some point. In literary sense, there is actually no light.

Extended Metaphor: This is a metaphor in which there is one primary subject and several other secondary objects used for comparison.

Example - "All the world's a stage and men and women merely players. "
This is the famous line from William Shakespeare's play - 'As you like it'. It is supposedly one of the best extended metaphor examples in literature. The world is described as a stage which is the primary entity and men and women are the subsidiary subjects who are a part of the stage.

Implicit Metaphor: As the name suggests, here the core context of the text is not explicitly stated as it is implied as self understandable.

Example - "It was extremely hot during the day. We were almost roasted!"
This is an example of an implicit metaphor where roasted gives the underlying meaning of how hot it was during the day.

Mixed Metaphor: Mixed metaphor is a collection of metaphors which may not necessarily align well with each other. Their usage is most of the time deliberate and spontaneous. Sometimes they add a comic punch to the statements.

Example - "Driving down the dangerous terrains of Guatemala was nothing but playing with fire in the belly."

This is a mixed metaphor example in literature where driving has been compared with fire in the metaphorical sense. Take a sample - "Jenny was pretty cool the day before the Chemistry paper. She is weak in Chemistry and was never good at it. Jenny has topped the subject now. Needless to say, her aunt was her Chemistry teacher. I smell a rat for sure!" Here, "I smell a rat" is an instance of a mixed metaphor example in literature, where relating the "smelling a rat" to an instance has no logical relation. To know more examples, do read list of metaphors on our website.

Pataphor: Pataphors are extreme metaphors. They go way beyond in expressing a statement by using extensions of a simple metaphor.

Example - "James and Sandra are having a casual conversation where James coyly signals for a date. Sandra agrees to catch up on the coming Friday. Once she leaves, James messages Helen about going on a date on Thursday. James smiles as the message from Helen beeps "Yes". So finally he was done with his checkmating for the day!"

Here the pataphor is created by the word - "checkmating", where there is an imaginary chessboard with characters although there is no literary context of the game attached to it.

Root Metaphor: These are tricky metaphors hidden within a language. They do not reveal explicitly as metaphors. At times these metaphors pave ways for other metaphors to spring from them. Root metaphors basically reflect the understanding of the individual about a particular situation.

Example - "The defense attorney - Mr Simon Andrews never misses on winning an argument.." Here the root metaphor is clear in the statement where an argument is analogous to war. There is a raw aggression factor attached to the statement where it says "winning an argument". It gives an impression that there was a tiff in which one party succeeded in subduing the other.

Submerged Metaphor: This metaphor is an elaboration of a simple statement in an expressive way. When we are told about something, we always tend to imagine a bigger picture of it. So the metamorphic linking to the subject is expressed in a big way.

Example - "Even before the project started, Jenny's thoughts were already on the wings"
Here the relation of thoughts to wings is an example of a submerged metaphor where the thoughts are projected in a wider picture by comparing them with wings of a bird. If you are interested in teaching about metaphors to your kids, read our article on metaphor examples for kids.

I hope the above stated metaphor examples in literature have been useful in understanding the meaning of a metaphor, its different types and their usages. This figure of speech is definitely tricky when it comes to conveying hidden but bold messages. After all, they help in making strong statements in a subtle manner.

Historical Periods in Literature

To accurately list out the various historical periods in literature is a highly academic task, but it is possible to simplify the process. Literature has been around for centuries, and there have been millions of writers that have come and gone. It is easy to see that the prevalent culture and condition of society also affects the nature of work of prominent authors of each time, and it is also easy to see a common theme between the various works of similar periods.

Over the years, American literature has progressed by leaps and bounds, and every year there are new ideas and even new words created by contemporary authors. But for someone who is truly interested in the history of literature, there is so much more to learn. There are many historians and academicians who have dedicated their entire life to studying the ebbs and flows of the progression of literature and American history over time.

Historical Periods in Literature

No one knows the exact answer to when and where literature was born. But it is possible to pinpoint the changes in themes and writing moods over the years. Here are some of the major historical periods in literature, presented in a very brief manner.

Puritanism Literature: 1620 - 1730 A.D.
This was a highly religious time, and the main focus of literature here was theism, and the proclamation of faith and belief in God. Everyone lived pious lives at this time, and were considered sacred to the Gospel, and this showed in the manner of writing as well. A majority of literary works were concerned with the preaching of God's message of love and brotherly affection, and some also dealt with the handling of witchcraft and other 'Anti-God' rituals. Some famous authors of this time were Jonathan Edwards, William Bradford, Anne Dutton and Samuel Rutherford.

Colonialism and Enlightenment Literature: 1740 - 1820 A.D.
In this era, traditional thoughts were discarded and scientific and empirical proof was demanded for various happenings. The rise in scientific knowledge of the time played a huge role in this development, and natural laws of the world were viewed under a new light. Rather than focusing on an individual's religious thoughts, society now started concerning itself with democracy and other forms of social development instead. Notable authors were Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Phillis Wheatley, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine.

Romantic Literature: 1820 - 1860 A.D.
This is perhaps the most important of all the historical periods in literature. Romanticism here does not refer to the mushy perspective that we possess today, it talks about the focus on individualism and the liberation of the soul instead. In this time, God was viewed as an entity fused with nature, and this changed people's viewpoints drastically. Rather than focusing on the outside world, the focus here shifted to one's inner self, and the process of self actualization began. Philosophy and transcendentalism also saw a massive upsurge in this time. Notable authors of this time were Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville and Edgar Allan Poe.

This period further saw the transformation of literature into various critiques of slavery, a lot of regionalism and south-western humor (Mark Twain), realism, finally followed by naturalism (in the form of a personal favorite, Jack London).

Modernism Literature: Since the 20th century
Here is where the various historical periods in literature start confusingly overlapping each other. Industrialism and other factors led to a rapid rise in the intellect and awareness of people, and hundreds of new genres started appearing all over the place. Existentialism and scientific thought also started taking precedence, and this showed in the works of these notable authors of the time - Charles Darwin, Ernest Hemingway, Sigmund Freud, Thomas Fitzgerald and even Karl Marx. As society grew, so did some people's sense of belonging, and more and more people started feeling alienated and aloof, also leading to a loss of faith in God and other religious works.

Soon after this post-modernism took over, and that is the period that we find ourselves in today. Admittedly, there are a slew of literature genres surrounding us today, simply due to the universal nature of information. It would be impossible for the literature from any one particular region today to not be influenced by the writing of another region. These borders have now been eradicated, and this changed the face of literature completely.

Please note that there are many more smaller historical periods in literature and many lesser known authors than are mentioned here. This passage focuses on American literature, without taking into consideration the literature from other parts of the world.

Feminist Literature

Feminist literature, as the name suggests, is based on the principles of feminism, and refers to any literary work that centers around the struggle of a woman for equality, and to be accepted as a human being, before being cast into a gender stereotype. Not all these works follow a direct approach towards this goal of equality. It is only through such media that women believed a change was possible in the way they were perceived in society. Not all feminist literature has been written by women, but also by men who understood women beyond the roles they were expected to fit into, and delved into their psyche to understand their needs and desires. Some works may be fictional, while others may be non fictional. Here, we take a look into the characteristics of feminist literature, and give you a list of some of the many works of feminist literature, that make for a good read if you truly desire to learn extensively about this form of writing and what it stood for.

Characteristics of Feminist Literature

Feminist literature is identified by the many characteristics of the feminist movement. This will help you understand exactly what is feminist literature. Authors of feminist literature are known to understand and explain the difference between sex and gender. They believe that though a person's sex is predetermined and natural, it is the gender that has been created by society, along with a particular perception about gender roles. Gender roles, they believe, can be altered over time. The predominance of one gender over the other, is a common concept across almost all societies, and the fact that it is not in favor of women is an underlying, yet blatant, characteristic of feminist or women's literature. Here, it is argued that any society that does not provide channels of learning and knowledge to both genders equally is not a complete and impartial society.

Critics argue that there wasn't much difference between male and female authors, and that there was no need to identify a separate class of literature termed as feminist or look for traces of feminism in literature. However, if you read any such work, you will realize how such writers criticized society's andocentric (male-centered) approach, and tried to understand the beliefs and needs of the opposite sex with a subjective, and not an objective, approach. Take for example Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The protagonist, Elizabeth Bennett was a woman of her mind. Despite the societal pressure (put on her by her mother) to choose a partner, and to lead a life that was decided for all women, she decided to choose her own path towards what she wanted. And none of this was blatantly approached. She did not put an outward fight, in order to choose her life course. The entire piece of work is subtle, and the only clear characteristic of the protagonist you will notice is her assertiveness. And that is one clear characteristic of the feminist approach toward literature.

Women in literature of the feminist nature are always featured as the protagonist, who, more often than not, do not readily accept the traditional role of women as decided by society. They are ready to make their own decisions, to express this choice of personal decision-making, and are ready to deal with the consequences of these choices, actions, and decisions. Though a daughter, a mother, a sister, or a wife, any piece of feminist literature first deals with a woman as a woman. It is not these relationships, roles, or stereotypes that give these female characters in literature their identity. Their identity is defined by their choices and their beliefs which are then associated with these roles. It is important to note, that, not all works of feminist literature have happy endings, both for the character, and for the author of the work. Women have been ostracized by society for openly demanding equality, and have had to face several negative consequences of their decision to go against the waves.

Not only feminist literature, women have been treated as important subjects even in many literary works by men. For instance, Henrik Ibsen, a Norwegian author and playwright, often focused on women, women's issues, their troubles faced by society, and the decisions they made based on their personal values and beliefs. If you take a look at the play called 'A Doll's House', by this very same author, you will clearly notice the strength and character of the protagonist.

Not all, but some pieces of feminist literature (particularly non-fiction) showcase and stress on women's suffrage and a demand for equality in society, for political, social, and economic rights. In modern feminist literature, the attack on a male-dominated society became more forthright and straightforward, where women demanded a closer look into the patriarchal and capitalistic approach towards feminism.

Feminist Literature Reading List

With some clarity on the nature of feminist literature, you can understand any piece of work of this nature in a better and more clear manner. Here is a list of famous feminist literature, after reading which, you will be able to identify with the aforementioned characteristics of this type of writing. Before we take a look at some good books and novels that showcase feminist literature, let's take a look at writers who strove to make this movement felt through their works. These wrote fictional works, that had an underlying feminist principle.

    * Virginia Woolf
    * Margaret Atwood
    * Jane Austen
    * Audre Lorde
    * Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
    * Jeannette Winterson
    * Octavia Butler
    * Ursula Le Guin
    * Angela Carter
    * Grace Paley
    * Aimee Bender
    * Edwidge Danticat
    * Suzan Lori-Parks
    * Wendy Wasserstein

Some famous works of feminist literature, that include both non-fiction and fiction writing have been enlisted here.

    * Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics - Bell Hooks
    * A Room of One's Own - Virginia Woolf
    * The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
    * The Feminine Mystique - Betty Friedan
    * Women Without Superstition: No Gods, No Masters - Annie Laurie Gaylor
    * Feminist Fairy Tales - Barbara G. Walker
    * Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism - Bell Hooks
    * The Adventure of the Black Lady - Aphra Behn
    * Woman in the Nineteenth Century - Margaret Fuller
    * Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Harriet Jacobs
    * The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman
    * The Second Sex - Simone de Beauvoir
    * This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color - Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua
    * Makaan - Paigham Afaqui
    * Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body - Susan Bordo
    * A Doll's House - Henrik Ibsen
    * Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    * Like One of the Family - Alice Childress
    * Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi
    * When Everything Changed - Gail Collins
    * The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

Though a lot has changed in today's time, there is still an underlying feminist movement that is being carried out by women all over the world. While in the urban setting, women have almost been given their dues, in the rural setting, women are still expected to live by the stereotypes cast by society. Even in the urban setting, though women have achieved a lot more than society has given them credit for, they are still expected to fulfill certain roles and stereotypes that have been the norm for centuries. Feminist literature of different periods will depict different desires and different wants under the purview of feminism. The roles of daughters, wives, and mothers in literature will keep changing, and so will their requirements and beliefs. The concept of gender equality that focuses primarily on women's rights has come a long way, and feminist literature has been a great medium to bring about any visible changes in the attitude towards women. Yet, it is a long battle that is being fought, and it will be a while before gender equality and the role of women in society will be clear in the ideal sense.

Women in Literature

Women in literature were more written about in books back in the day on feminism in literature, since this concept revolved around core book structures of being a downtrodden sex. They tried to bring in the ideology of equality, with men not being the domineering sex. There's been much debate about it over the centuries, and now in most cultures women have their rights, and can command respect from men. It is a controversial arena where men think they have the upper hand, treating women in an uncongenial, overbearing fashion. That is not the case anymore today, where women do not have to fight to be noticed, and secure a place in society where they are not looked down upon. It is those cultures that have risen above the blinded idea of women being a lesser important sex, that are progressing. We look here at authors both men and women who've voiced these certain issues and addressed them openly through women related literature. Feminism has been approached in an upfront manner, covering these must read books of all time.

Feminist Literature

Given here is a list of authors, that over the centuries have written books based on feminism, that date back as far as the 15th century. Also featured here are world famous women for their literary works.

Name of Book     Author Name
The Treasure of the City of Ladies     Christine de Pisan
The Superior Excellence of Women Over Men     Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
Se l'egalite des deux sexes     Prancois Poullain de la Barre
Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Female Citizen     Olympe de Gourges
Her Protection for Women     Jane Anger
The Skeleton Count, or The Vampire Mistress     Elizabeth Caroline Gray
Indiana     George Sand
Lelia     George Sand
Woman in the Nineteenth Century     Margaret Fuller
The Woman with Prospects     Concepcion Arenal
Jane Eyre     Charlotte Bronte
The Adventures of a Women in Search of her Rights     Florence Claxton
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl     Harriet Jacobs
Papa's Own Girl     Marie Howland
A Doll's House     Henrik Ibsen
The Awakening     Kate Chopin
New Amazonia     Elizabeth Burgoyne Corbett
The New Woman     Boleslaw Prus
The House of Mirth     Edith Wharton
Three Guineas     Virginia Woolf
The Radical Women Manifesto: Theory, Program and Structure     Various Authors
A Room of One's Own     Virginia Woolf
Against Our Will     Susan Brownmiller
Literary Women     Ellen Moers
The Bloody Chamber     Angela Carter
When God Was a Woman     Merlin Stone
The Traffic of Women     Gayle Rubin
Pure Lust     Mark Daly
In a Different Voice     Carol Gilligan
Black Feminist Thought     Patricia Hill Collins
Race, Class and Gender in the U.S     Paula Rothenberg
Sexual/Textual Politics     Toril Moi
A Vindication of the Rights of Whores     Gail Pheterson
To Be Real     Rebecca Walker
Upanibesh     Sarojini Sahoo
Pratibandi     Sarojini Sahoo
Not my Mother's Sister: Generational Conflict and Third-Wave Feminism     Astrid Henry
Stripped Inside the Lives of Exotic Dancers     Benadette Barton

Female Characters in Literature

Female characters have been in literature, a symbolic icon where she stands for many characters, that convey a certain message. You will see these women through good times and bad, controversial debates or human trafficking, in love or being heartbroken, being lost and alone, as infidels looking for love and a whole more on the lives of the fictional and non fictional. Here are novels based on some of the best female characters in women in literature.

Name of Book     Female Character     Author Name
Pride and Prejudice     Elizabeth Bennett     Jane Austen
Inside Daisy Clover     Daisy Clover     Gavin Lambert
Anna Karenina     Anna Karenina     Leo Tolstoy
Madame Bovary     Madame Bovary     Gustave Flaubert
Gone with the Wind     Scarlett O' Hara     Margaret Mitchell
The Awakening and Selected Stories     Edna Pontellier     Kate Chopin
Agnes Grey     Agnes Grey     Anne Bronte
Wuthering Heights     Cathy     Emily Bronte
The Great Gatsby     Daisy Buchannan     F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Postman Always Rings Twice     Cora     James M. Cain
Vanity Fair     Becky Sharp     William Makepeace Thackeray
Dracula     Mina and Lucy     Bram Stoker
A Murder is Announced     Miss Marple     Agatha Christie
Rebecca     Mrs. Danvers     Daphne DuMaurier

Mothers in Literature

The women who've played the roles of the good moms and bad moms, have had people either adore them or hate them. Find out the best in written literature from these good books to read, from this book list covering good and bad mothers.

Name of Book     Mother Characters     Author Name
Little Women     Marmee     Louisa May Alcott
Sophie's Choice     Sophie Zawistowska     William Styron
Portney's Complaint     Sophie Portnoy     Philip Roth
Mother's Day     June Cleaver     Isaac Asimov
The Hours     Laura Brown     Michael Cunningham
A Doll's House     Nora Helmer     Henrik Ibsen
Precious     Mary Lee Johnston     Sapphire
Flowers in the Attic     Corinne Dollanganger     Virginia Andrews
Carrie     Margaret     Stephen King

These women in literature are the ones that keep us glued to our novels, hoping that the end is a happy one and not devastating. We get into these stories like it were real, and we relate to them when emotions and situations seem so life like. I hope that you build on a love for reading to avail yourself from these great books. Keep reading!

Colloquialism Examples in Literature

What is colloquialism? The word is derived from the Latin word colloqui which in turn is derived from the words com meaning 'with' and loqui meaning 'conversation'. It is a phrase that is appropriate only for casual conversation but has been used in formal speech and literary writing. From the works of the Bronte sisters to the Harry Potter series most famous works in literature have colloquialism. There are many colloquialism examples in literature. In this article we look at some of these examples.

List of Colloquialism Examples in Literature

Colloquialism is not one of the many literary techniques that is employed by an author. But it often creeps into a fictional piece in the dialogues of the characters of the book. Every writer is influenced by the place he belongs to, the way people around him speak, and the phrases that are used by them. These colloquialism examples in literature are responsible for the depth of the novel and also for the creating a connection between the reader and the characters. Colloquialism makes a literary piece more real.

    * Mark Twain or Samuel Langhorne Clemens was one of the most famous proponents of using colloquialism examples in literature. One of the most quoted examples from the works of Mark Twain was in Huckleberry Finn, where the opening line says, "You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain’t no matter."
    * Another very good example of colloquialism in literature is from A&P by John Updike in the sentence, "I look around for my girls, but they’re gone, of course. There wasn’t anybody but some young married screaming with her children about some candy they didn’t get by the door of a powder-blue station wagon."
    * The classic novel The Catcher in the Rye was a gift box of colloquialism examples in literature. J.D. Salinger, the author used many different catchphrases prevalent in the time in the text of the novel. One of the oft quoted examples is, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."
    * William Faulkner also used many colloquial phrases in his literary work, As I Lay Dying. For example in the part, "He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn't need a word for that anymore than for pride or fear."
    * House of Leaves, Mark Danielewski's path-breaking work that combined three different genres, horror, romance, and satire also is a storehouse of colloquialism examples in literature. For examples, "Suffice it to say, Lude & I spent the last hours of the year alone, scouting for new bars, new faces, driving recklessly through the canyons, doing our best to talk the high midnight heavens down with a whole lot of bullshit. We never did. Talk them down, I mean."
    * In Everyday Use by Alice Walker, an example of colloquialism can be found in the lines, "Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie walks.".
    * Another classic novel that has several colloquialism examples in literature is To Kill a Mockingbird. Based in a town in Southern Alabama, the language of dialogues in the book was predominantly similar to the language spoken by the locals. So the book was peppered with dialogues like, "Cut that out! What do you think you're doing?"

These were just some of the colloquialism examples in literature. While it is rarer to find colloquialism in poetry, it is not uncommon as is seen in Barrack-room Ballads by Rudyard Kipling in the verse given below.

When 'Omer smote 'is bloomin' lyre
He'd 'eard men sing by land and sea;
An' what he thought 'e might require
'E went an' took — the same as me!

Almost every book of fiction in English language have an example of colloquialism. This colloquialism list was just some of the oft quoted examples. There are many such colloquialism examples in literature that you will be able to find if you just kept an eye out for it.

Romanticism in Literature

The romantic movement or romanticism in literature emerged as a response to the industrial revolution during the second half of the 18th century. Having originated in Europe, the movement quickly spread all over the world. With the rapid industrialization that took place all over the world and the age of enlightenment, romanticism in essence contradicted the beliefs that formed the very foundation of these periods. While the enlightenment age believed in focusing on human life, relationships, and institutions with a scientific approach, the romantic movement in literature paid more attention to aesthetics, to the surreal, and catered to the emotions rather than succumbing to the practical approach that was then becoming the norm. Not only literature, the romantic movement resulted in the creation of other disciplines such as romantic music and romantic art. The romantic movement was defined by some very specific characteristics, which we will discuss here.

Romanticism in Literature: Characteristics

Romanticism in literature was popularized by poets and authors such as John Keats, Shelley, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. These romantic literature authors believed in creative expression through pieces of prose and poetry, a movement that soon began to affect the world in terms of emotions and relationships. Romanticism in literature is alive to this date, and traces of this genre can be viewed in some pieces of writing. Romantic authors made an attempt to view the mundane in a very extraordinary manner. A good example is the poem Daffodils by William Wordsworth. An analysis of Daffodils by William Wordsworth clearly exhibits the many characteristics of romanticism, one of which has been mentioned above.

Another among the many important characteristics of romanticism is the view of life in its minor aspects and not as a whole. In his popular work Defence of Poetry, Shelley argued that human beings must understand and learn to appreciate the little things that life has to offer, to make the pain and pleasure of another individual one's own to truly comprehend the meaning of life. The basic effort of the romantic movement was to incorporate creative expression, transforming the ordinary to the extraordinary, and experiencing emotions at not a superficial but at a deeply intense level.

All in all, romanticism in literature made a profound attempt to experience life more passionately, be it the self or another, be it an emotion or an object. Instead of focusing on a practical, logical, or scientific approach, as popularized during the Enlightenment or the industrial revolution, romanticism was directed towards focusing within oneself for solutions and newness, and encouraged people to trust themselves and their instincts. Romantics also made an attempt to focus on nature, to give it importance above the scientific revolution that had overtaken the world. This they believed, would change the way the world was perceived, and would help individuals understand themselves better.

While understanding romanticism in literature, examples of which include works of the aforementioned authors, one should also focus on a sub-genre of this field, dark romanticism. While romanticism in itself focused on beauty and an out of the world view of life, dark romanticism focused mainly on tragedies and horror. Though a sub-genre of romanticism, dark romanticism turned out to be almost an opposite of romanticism in itself. This sub-genre was more of an extension of American romanticism in literature, which later spread to other parts of the world. Some popular works of dark romanticism include those by William Blake and Edgar Allan Poe.

All in all, it can be said that romanticism in literature restored hope in the human race, hope for the fact that not everything could be mechanized and rendered lifeless. By coming a full circle, romanticism taught people how to experience pleasure in the little things in life, to think out of the box, to dream, and to explore. In today's day and time, once again, romanticism in literature, definition of which has been reduced to pure mush will regain lost ground. Not everything can be looked at with a practical approach, not everything has to be logical. By returning to the beliefs of romanticism, one may in effect be able to bring back to life that little hope, that little desire to dream and believe, and make life a little more colorful, to say the least. Hopefully, this piece on romanticism in literature has been able to give you a gist of what this great movement stood for.

What is Epiphany

Epiphany is one of the most interesting concepts that you'll ever come across and one that has been used widely in English literature. But before getting to the examples of what is epiphany in English literature, we need to first know what is epiphany in general. Epiphany is the sudden realization about something about oneself or others in the larger sense of the term. This information is something that one was not privy to before and the realization of the same puts certain things into perspective or opens new avenues of thinking. This feeling or knowledge could be spiritual in nature or maybe not so. To understand this concept in its entirety, we'll need to take you through some examples in the following article. Continue reading for a better understanding.

What Does Epiphany Mean

Let's give you an example - Let's say a girl is madly in love with a boy who does not love her. But she is so blinded by his love that no matter what others say to warn her about him, it makes no difference to her. She continues to be with him, even if he continues to treat her like any other girl. She is with him through every trouble, every insult and whatever else that the relationship brings, always hoping that one day he will declare his love for her and marry her. Then one day when they're at a party together and he's outrageously flirting with a waitress (just like any other time), she has an epiphany- a sudden realization that he is never going to marry her, he's never going to change and never ever give her any importance in his life. And that is when she suddenly realizes the dead relationship she is in and walks out on him. The decision changing her life forever.

Or another example - A man who smokes and is told by everyone that it is unhealthy but with no heed. Until he sees his 2 year old son going for a used cigarette in the ashtray and has an epiphany of just how bad it is and gives it up.

Thus, an epiphany is a feeling, a thought, a realization that strikes from within. The essential last piece of the puzzle that brings forth a completely different outlook to the whole picture and sets forth a new perspective to life.

Many discoveries and inventions in history have also had an epiphany at their base. Like Archimedes and his discovery of how one could estimate the volume of a given mass, which prompted him to get out of his bath and run through the streets nude. Similarly, there are several such experiments, the workings of which have been working in the head of the inventor for a long time, only to have the answers come to him/her through an epiphany.

Examples of Epiphany in Literature

What is epiphany in literature? Epiphany in literature is used as a tool to bring new meaning to characters. To bring a twist in the tale and to portray the characters strengths or weaknesses. Here are a few examples that will clear your doubts and help you understand this concept better.

In Edward Albee's play 'Who's afraid of Virginia Wolf' a comment has been made on the extremities of married life and the paths married couples sometimes take to deal with the failures in life. In the story, Martha and George have no children, and to deal with the pain, they make up a false character and give it a shape and form of a real child. Their only promise is that the 'child' should never be mentioned in public. When Martha breaks the rules and mentions him in front of the guests they have over Nick and Honey, George starts reciting the Dies Irae, the Latin mass for the dead. Martha becomes hysterical and begins to scream that George cannot take the decision to kill off their son on his own. That is when Nick has an epiphany that they never had a son to begin with and that they had been making pretenses all eve through.

Similarly, in Earnest Hemingway's story 'Cat in the rain', the cat becomes a representative of the main character's loneliness and isolation. The audience has an epiphany when the woman starts to talk about how lonely the cat is and we realize that she is talking about herself through the whole speech.

Now that you know what is epiphany and how it works in the literary sense and in the general sense, here's hoping that it has helped you understand the power of it. You'll find several texts and works in the English Language that exemplify this concept. Maybe a reading of the same will help you furthermore.

Juxtaposition Examples

Before I lay out some juxtaposition examples, wouldn't you want to know what a juxtaposition is? Well, it is a literary device which is employed to bring out the similarities and differences between two situations, thoughts, characters or emotions by placing them together. The characteristic of one makes those of the other prominent without the author having to separately sketch out the nuances of both separately. The word juxtaposition means placing two things in close proximity. Such placement of two objects, in literary terms, brings out the characteristic features and individuality of each in contrast to the other by way of comparison. For instance, if you place a black scarf beside a white one, the difference would be instantly evident even if you don't point out the differences verbally or descriptively. Examples of juxtaposition in literature and popular media usually employ this device to mark the contrasting differences of two characters, emotions, situations or thoughts with regards to a common background.

Literature and popular media are resplendent with examples of juxtaposition. Right from Shakespeare to Michael Moore, we've come across many instances of brilliant juxtaposition examples, most of the times without even realizing it! Don't believe me? Well, go through Act 2, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet and check out the different takes on love by Mercutio and Romeo respectively. Coming to Michael Moore, note one of the most brilliant yet subtle examples of juxtaposition when he plays the song What a Wonderful World in the background while a war scene is rolling on the fore. Continuing on this note, let's take a look at some juxtaposition examples to better understand this concept. After all, a demo is the best way to understand a subject and is often more effective than a descriptive account.

What are Some Examples of a Juxtaposition?

Since it is a literary device we are talking about, I would like to begin with an example of juxtaposition in literature. Let's take a detailed look at the above mentioned example in Romeo and Juliet. Here's how differently Mercutio and Romeo understand the emotion of love. While the former associates it with carnal impulses and sensual gratification, the latter's thoughts are, should we say, more pure.

MERCUTIO     ROMEO

Nay, I'll conjure too.
Romeo! humours! madman! passion! lover!
Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh;
Speak but one rhyme, and I am satisfied!
Cry but ‘Ay me!’ pronounce but ‘love’ and ‘dove’;
Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word,
One nickname for her purblind son and heir,
Young Adam Cupid, he that shot so trim
When King Cophetua lov'd the beggar maid!
He heareth not, he stirreth not, be moveth not;
The ape is dead, and I must conjure him.
I conjure thee by Rosaline's bright eyes.
By her high forehead and her scarlet lip,
By her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh,
And the demesnes that there adjacent lie,
That in thy likeness thou appear to us!......
…...This cannot anger him. 'Twould anger him
To raise a spirit in his mistress’ circle
Of some strange nature, letting it there stand
Till she had laid it and conjur'd it down.
That were some spite; my invocation
Is fair and honest: in his mistress’ name,
I conjure only but to raise up him.     (The legendary balcony scene)
He laughs at the scars of love when he’s never felt love’s pain.
(Juliet enters)
Quiet! what light breaks through that window?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun rising!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the jealous moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That you, her maid, are far more beautiful than she is.
Don’t be her maid, since she is so jealous.
Her chaste, white gown is only sick and green,
And only fools wear it. Take it off and throw it away.
It is my lady; O, it is my love!
O, I wish she knew that she was my love!
She speaks, but she says nothing. what does that mean?
Her eye seems to be talking. I will answer it.
I am too bold, she’s not speaking to me.
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do beg her eyes
To twinkle in their sockets till the stars return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,
As daylight shames a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would stream so brightly through the skies
That birds would sing and think it was morning.
See how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O I wish I were a glove on that hand
So that I might touch that cheek!

From this example, you can clearly deduce how differently each character perceives the phenomenon of love. Therefore, without specifically putting down the respective nature of each of the two characters, Shakespeare delivered a stroke of genius by artful use of juxtaposition. The fact that the placement of both these dialogues have been made in close succession in the same act and scene implies that the audience should judge their respective emotional depth or shallowness by contrasting each with the other.

The following juxtaposition example has been taken from H.L. Mencken's collection of his own choice writing works, A Mencken Chrestomathy. In this collection, the Sage of Baltimore puts forth (in Diligence):

Watchmen at lonely railroad crossings in Iowa, hoping that they'll be able to get off to hear the United Brethren evangelist preach. . . . Ticket-sellers in the subway, breathing sweat in its gaseous form. . . . Farmers plowing sterile fields behind sad meditative horses, both suffering from the bites of insects. . . . Grocery-clerks trying to make assignations with soapy servant girls. . . . Women confined for the ninth or tenth time, wondering helplessly what it is all about. . . .".

In this example, one can very well make out the condition of the various characters and creatures mentioned herein by the way they have been compared to and contrasted with other characters, creatures and objects. I hope that you must have got a decent grasp on the concept of juxtaposition after going through these juxtaposition examples. One of the most common forms of juxtaposition is oxymoron. Also, for drawing a comparison between the parameters of two or more adjacently mentioned subjects, the generous and almost ubiquitous use of conjunctions such as but and and is a common ploy.

Modernism in Literature

When you talk about Modernism in literature, you generally talk about the literary movement that started as an expression of the Modernist movement in art. They all developed with core ideas like individualism, mistrust of established traditions, and a disbelief in what was believed to be absolute truth. It started in the European continent sometime in the 1890's and took a whole new life as a reaction to the First World War. Modernist literature is heralded for having changed the form and content of literature and exploring new avenues in style and semantics.

Characteristics of Modernism

When Modernism was born, it was in reaction to the way of life that was becoming dominant in society at large, the dominance of the way of the city. And maybe that was the reason that unlike Romanticism which was a reaction to experience, Modernism has always been a conscious recognition to the surroundings and atmosphere. Many people confuse Modernism with Postmodernism. While the two movements have similar characteristics, there were differences between Modernism and Postmodernism, especially since the latter was a reaction to the former. In this section, we discuss some of the main characteristics of the literary movement known as Modernism.

    * Stylistically too, Modernism was very different from its predecessors in the literary world. There was the free use of indirect speech and allusion to myths and stories from another time. Another characteristic was the overwhelming use of figures of speech like personification, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, etc.
    * Many Modernist writers used the stream of consciousness method in their works. Also predominant was the use of comparison, symbolism, discontinuous narrative, and psychoanalysis. Often the works had multiple narratives.
    * Thematically, works of Modernism often depicted a breakdown of societal norms, depressive behavior in the face of uncertain future, loneliness, alienation from known things, etc. There was a sense of disillusionment and a rejection of social and cultural systems that seemed outdated.
    * There was an attempt to break away from traditions, especially political, religious, and social views that were established, and cornerstones of society.
    * According to Modernists, and the works that they created, truth was relative and there was no such thing as absolute truth. They were champions of the individual and celebrated the strength of soul that each individual possessed.
    * Their works had a deep concern for what is known as the sub-conscious and what was not said but felt and believed. They also believed in unordered life.
    * The writers often compared their use of language to the use of raw material by an artist or a sculptors. The form, style, and technique used became as important as the content itself.

Famous Works of Modernism in Literature

Modernism is often stated as starting out as a reaction to the senseless atrocity and horror that was synonymous with the First World War. It was from the blood and gore of the war that Modernism took birth. The belief that it was the institutions built for the civilized world that had caused the conflict was a thought held true by almost all Modernists. Since a belief system was shaken, they turned inside to find answers. This was especially true for the revolution of Modernism in England. The same thought process seeped into America, thanks to the work of writers like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. If you look at Modernism in American literature you would learn that it wasn't just the content of their works that disregarded tradition but also the form.

Some of the most famous works of the Modernism era in literature were Ulysses by James Joyce that invented new notions of plot, setting, characters, and form. Virginia Woolf in her work, To the Lighthouse explored the stream of consciousness method. Aldous Huxley with his Brave New World spoke about the dangers that city life and modern world can bring upon us as a society. The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot expressed his disillusionment with industrialization and the emptiness that it brought. In his work, The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway talks about the lack of meaning in the lives of the Lost Generation. F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous work The Great Gatsby focuses on the corruption of the American Dream.

Modernism was an important era in literature that showcased seminal work and changed the way literature was viewed by people. Mimicking the Modernist movement in art, it was one of the greatest periods of literature.

A Text and Its Reader

We, as human beings, define ourselves as rational creatures. We also identify our essence in "logos" (language) and consider the use of words to express our ideas as something that comes very naturally to us. The dawn of mankind is linked to the capability of forming meaningful sentences. However, in the domain of written works the situation changes a little.

Writing was not something that the first human beings knew how to do. It came in a little later by comparison to language, which began with the cuneiform method. Literature is even more recent and therefore certain questions appear, like: do we actually know how to read? In primary school, children learn how to read and write at a basic level. However, in the educational system it is believed that the children will naturally and spontaneously develop the capacity and ability to understand what they read.

The first time when the problem of comprehending texts was analyzed in a serious manner was in Ancient Greece when a gradual rupture with tradition took place and people found it difficult to understand written works that belonged to Homer. When Christianity became the main religion in Europe, cultured people turned to the Bible and wanted to identify the proper method of understanding it.

In Ancient History it was believed that the relationship between a text and its reader is one between a subject and an object. This meant that analyzing a text was perceived as being similar to analyzing a plant. A plant cannot hide its secrets from a scientist that uses the right instruments. Similarly, it was considered that if the reader uses the writing instruments he will be able to identify the message. The natural consequence of a meeting between a text and a reader was comprehension. Moreover, it was believed that a text had only one meaning, one message and that its discovery depended more not on the reader, but on his methods. The Greeks suggested that in order to understand a text you do not need to know anything about its writer and that instead you must turn to the text itself and the historical context in which it was written. However, this view left a lot to be desired.

Beginning with the 19th century, new theories start to appear. The influences of Descartes and Kant made their impact: that the subject is the one who constructs the world in knowledge. The old subject-object relationship in which there was no relationship between them dropped. The object is influenced by the subject who sees it in his own way. The new idea was: a text is a creation made by a human being at a certain point in his life that he made with a certain intention; to understand the text it is also important to identify that intention. How can that be realized? It was suggested that the reader had to imagine himself in the period and society when and where the writer lived and try to emotionally identify with him. However, that raised another question: how do you know you have emotionally identified with him?

In conclusion, where does that leave us? Well, all the theories mentioned above were dropped. They were replaced with new ones saying that the reader has a mind full of ideas that originated from his experience with the world around him. No matter how hard he will try, he will never be able to empty his mind in order to approach the text with no preconceived ideas. Therefore, he will make an analysis of the text based on his past experiences. There is no point in trying to identify that objective message behind the text, because the reader will never be eye to eye with the writer. In the process of reading two worlds collide: the horizon of ideas that belong to the reader and the one that belongs to the author of the text. The outcome can be difficult to predict. This is the reason why there are so many interpretations of a poem or a novel that made many of us in school ask ourselves: did the author really want to say that?

The most important thing to remember is that reading, when properly done, is a process with an existential implication: understanding a text changes the reader. What we read does not stay "outside" of us, because what we interpret and comprehend changes our life.

Types of Imagery

People who are pro-efficient in the English language, tend to use many different figures of speech. These figures of speech help make their proses, poems and everyday language use more flowery and expressive. One such form of speech is use of imagery. An imagery is a language that evokes sensory experience. There are different types of imagery in literature. Imagery writing helps convey to the reader the feelings of the five different senses. These include: the senses of vision, auditory, smell, touch and taste. Let us understand the different types of imagery with the help of the examples covered below.

Forms of Imagery and Their Examples

Imagery helps in evoking the emotional responses with the help of literature. This is a descriptive form of language. These emotional responses triggered in form imagery are as follows:

Visual Imagery
Visual imagery is one of the most widely used type of imagery. This form helps in evoking the sight of a particular image explained. For example:

"For the life of him, he couldn't figure why these East Enders called themselves black. He kept looking and looking, and the colors he found were gingersnap and light fudge and dark fudge and acorn and butter rum and cinnamon and burnt orange. But never licorice, which, to him, was real black." ~ Maniac Magee

"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast. And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed." ~ Byron's The Destruction of Sennacherib

Auditory Imagery
The next widely used imagery is the auditory imagery. It is used to represent sound. Some of the auditory imagery examples are as follows:

"Anna, the minute she set her eyes on him, let loose the scream of her life."

"The rumbling sound of clouds, indicated start of monsoon."

Olfactory Imagery
Olfactory is related to the nose, that is, smell. Thus, this form of imagery helps to conjure up smells to the reader. For example:

"Smell of petrol."

"She smelled as sweet as roses."

"I was awakened by the strong smell of a freshly brewed coffee."

Gustatory Imagery
The gustatory imagery helps evoke the sense of taste in one's mind. For example:

"She served the bland sea-shell pasta with the sweet marinara sauce."

"The taste of toothpaste was as bitter as gall."

"I touched the naked wire. It was the biggest mistake of my life."

Tactile Imagery
Sense of touch is represented with the use of tactile imagery. For example:

"Fluffy came running and touched every nook and corner of my face with his slobbering tongue."

"The cold water touched her skin and she felt a shudder run down her spine."

Kinesthetic Imagery
Kinesthetic imagery is a broad term that is used to describe various emotions. It includes sense of touch, movement, feeling and temperature, internal emotions and physical interactions. For example:

"Her heartbeat was so loud, she felt it could be heard across the room."

"Slowly, the water trickled down his back, tickling him and making him uncomfortable. But, he dare not move or risk begin caught."

"Tossing their heads in sprightly dance" ~ Daffodils by W. Wordsworth.

These are the different types of imagery used by poets and writers in English literature. Many times smilies and metaphors are also used as form of imagery. So, what is imagery? It is a form of speech that evokes the senses and guides the reader through images constructed with the help of words.

Modernism Vs. Realism

The essential difference between modernism vs realism, the two forms of thinking patterns or philosophies is that it was the conflict between the old traditional values, beliefs and the new rational, logical views. Modernism, in strictest sense was a refusal to accept the conservative views, ideologies and theories of realism. Modernism was revolutionary in the sense that it challenged the issues that blocked the human progress. It focused deeply on human efforts, its self consciousness to examine all aspects of human life and correct the things that were wrong. Right from commerce and trade to philosophy, modernism questioned everything and encouraged individuals to find answers to problems by deep thinking, self experiments and knowledge.

In realism, that preceded modernism, the main thought was that the reality in the everyday life is the ultimate truth. It is not dependent on the power of observers and so, it must be depicted as it is, in arts and literature. Modernism challenged realism, as it focused on inner self-consciousness and the power of scientific experimentation to challenge and consequently change reality.

Modernism Vs. Realism in Literature

Literary Time Period

Modernism
It is said that Modernism flourished between 1900 - 1930. However, literary scholars agree on the fact that the modernism as a form of literary style has penetrated deeply in the 20th century and existed even after half of the 20th century. It is also believed that the era after Vietnam war, roughly close to 1990s, kick started the post-modernism era.

Realism
Realism preceded modernism in literature and the period between 1860 - 1900 was regarded as the realism period in literature.

Chief Characteristics

Modernism

    * It has a pessimistic tone regarding various issues dealt in the writing.
    * It portrays reality of life, without any romanticism or much optimism as in the Victorian or Romantic literature.
    * Variety and complexity in novels made modernistic writing difficult to comprehend.
    * Numerous themes of modern literature included the search within self, the inner dilemma human beings face, questions regarding existence of God in the modern world, overwhelming technological changes and the struggle of man to fit in urban life.
    * Many characters and multiple experiences of people in the story.
    * It uses tools like "stream of consciousness", self experience for representing inner mind, thoughts and views about life.
    * No central heroic figure in the story.
    * Not sequential and connected events unlike realism literature, with fixed time lines.
    * Questions deeply about isolation of an individual in a society fragmented by growth and development. Characters in modern literature were usually from middle class families.

Realism

    * It generally dealt with everyday lives of the middle class people.
    * The works in realism literature focused on the quality of individual's life, his daily tasks and that is why, in realism, character is always more important than the plot.
    * No poetic, romantic language is used in realism. The voice of speech represents average man and so it is simple but the tone may be comic or satiric.
    * Events and plot in realism will be reasonable and valid, and truthful. It doesn't discuss anything that is sentimental or over dramatic
    * The most unique feature of realism is that everything, right from characters, plot and language is free of ornamentation. It is explained as it is, without any decorative language.

Renowned Writers

Modernist Writers
Some of most prominent poets of the modernism era were T. S. Eliot, John Mansfield, W.B. Yeats, Rupert Brook, Robert Bridges, W. H. Auden, Stephen Spencer and Dylan Thomas. American novelists like Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner and Toni Morrison incorporated modernist writing styles in their novels. Authors from different countries who made modernistic writing very popular were James Joyce, Aldous Huxley, Joseph Conrad, Gertrude Stein, Virginia Woolf, and Ezra Pound.

Realist Writers
Realism was a very difficult phase in the American history where America was on the verge of a serious overhaul in different spheres of life. Be it political, social, economical or individual liberty, realism period witnessed rise of writers who presented the American people as they were. Some of the popular literary figures who used realism as a literary tool included Henry Adams, Horatio Alger, Frank Baum, Edward Bellamy, Kate Chopin, William Dean Howells, Henry James, Stephen Crane, Joseph Kirkland, Ambrose Bierce, Hamlin Garland, George Eliot, Gustave Flaubert, Maupassant, Sherwood Anderson, Walt Whitman, Willa Cather, Thornton Wilder and Mark Twain.

Both realism and modernism had significant effects on contemporary arts, culture, music and literature. For scholars and art lovers, debate between realism vs modernism has always existed. Some say, realism is no more than a dead weight now, while various others believe that modernism has been long ago taken over by post-modernist trends. Reading popular novels and books related to modernism (like Ulysses by James Joyce) and realism (like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain) will help you understand the intricacies of these eras and the writing styles, in a more profound way.