LITERARY BLOG HOP-7/7-7-10: Literary Devices

It's time for the Literary Blog Hop, hosted by The Blue Bookcase. I've missed the last few and have been trying to get back to it. For those interested, here are the rules:


This blog hop is open to blogs that primarily feature book reviews of literary fiction, classic literature, and general literary discussion.

How do I know if my blog qualifies as "literary"? Literature has many definitions, but for our purposes your blog qualifies as "literary" if it focuses primarily on texts with aesthetic merit. In other words, texts that show quality not only in narrative but also in the effect of their language and structure. YA literature may fit into this category, but if your blog focuses primarily on non-literary YA, fantasy, romance, paranormal romance, or chick lit, you may prefer to join the blog hop at Crazy-for-books that is open to book blogs of all kinds.

Instructions for entering the Literary Blog Hop:

1. Grab the code for the Button.



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2. Answer the question:

What is one of your favorite literary devices? Why do you like it? Provide a definition and an awesome example.


I had an idea for what I thought I would answer, but after looking up a handy reference of "literary devices," I’m not sure my answer would count. So, I’ll go first of all with bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age story. The protagonist shows personal growth (moral, spiritual and/or psychological growth) throughout the timeline of the story.

Generally speaking, this is something we look for in most good literature, isn’t it? We want our main characters to grow? I guess in some of the heavily plot-driven stories the main point is to get the characters from point A to point B action-wise, but for me, if the character isn’t changed by what he has gone through, there isn’t much point to all the hullabaloo.

One example of bildungsroman that comes to mind simply because it’s a book I read recently (and because the writing doesn’t get much better) is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Over the course of the book, Scout loses her innocence and gains an understanding of the prejudices of her small town. But her own moral position also solidifies.

Now that I’ve answered that, I’ll just mention the literary device/gimmick that is actually nearest and dearest to my heart. I’m a sucker for epistolary novels. (Included in that can be diaries, letters written to oneself.) I think that to successfully tell a story – and make it riveting – make the characters come alive – but do it in a letter format, has got to be a difficult feat for an author. One obvious example of someone who achieved this was Anne Frank.

Another favorite of mine, read back in college was Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos, the story of two French aristocrats who challenge each other to greater and greater feats of immorality, and boast to each other in their letters. (Eventually they get their comeuppance.) I plan to reread it for the Back-to-the-Classics challenge and see if I enjoy it as much the second time around.