Literary Term Archives • Page 28 of 30 • Eckleburg

April 27, 2017August 27, 2019

Writing Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of initial identical consonant sounds or any vowel sounds in successive or closely associated syllables, especially stressed syllables” (A Handbook to Literature). It is a rhetorical device used in both prose and poetry to create lyricism and fluidity in language.

Alliteration is the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds through a sequence of words—for example, “While I nodded, nearly napping” in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven. (The Norton Anthology of World Literature)

Origin of Alliteration

early 17th cent.: from medieval Latin alliteratio(n-), from Latin ad- (expressing addition) + littera ‘letter.’ (New Oxford American Dictionary)

Alliteration Writing Exercise

Choose a paragraph or stanza from a work you’ve already written. Create a new document and rewrite this paragraph or stanza with repeated beginning vowels or consonants. As you choose the repeated vowel or consonant, consider the tone of the section. Do you want the repetition to be in harmony with or conflict with the overall tone of the section?

Submit Your Work for Individualized Feedback

Please use Universal Manuscript Guidelines when submitting: .doc or .docx, double spacing, 10-12 pt font, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, first page header with contact information, section breaks “***” or “#.”

Sources

A Handbook to Literature. William Harmon.

“Cogito et Histoire de la Folie.” Jacques Derrida.

Eats Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Lynne Truss.

The Elements of Style. William Strunk.

New Oxford American Dictionary. Edited by Angus Stevenson and Christine A. Lindberg.

The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Martin Puchner, et al.

The Norton Introduction to Philosophy. Gideon Rosen and Alex Byrne.

Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English. Patricia T. O’Conner

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft. Janet Burroway, Elizabeth Stuckey-French & Ned Stuckey-French.

Writing the Other. Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward.

April 26, 2017August 27, 2019

Writing Amalgamation

A consolidation of two or more entities into a single entity. This can be a consolidation of people, places, iconic items and even narratives. Amalgamation is a craft technique used by many writers when writing fictional elements that draw from real life experiences.

Amalgamation Writing Exercise

Choose two of your favorite literary characters. Now, identify your worst personal characteristic, the characteristic that you pretend no one else knows about you so you don’t have to own it. Finally, amalgamate your two favorite literary characters with your worst characteristic and write a short scene with this amalgamated character.

Submit Your Work for Individualized Feedback

Sources

A Handbook to Literature. William Harmon.

“Cogito et Histoire de la Folie.” Jacques Derrida.

Eats Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Lynne Truss.

The Elements of Style. William Strunk.

New Oxford American Dictionary. Edited by Angus Stevenson and Christine A. Lindberg.

The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Martin Puchner, et al.

The Norton Introduction to Philosophy. Gideon Rosen and Alex Byrne.

Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English. Patricia T. O’Conner

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft. Janet Burroway, Elizabeth Stuckey-French & Ned Stuckey-French.

Writing the Other. Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward.

April 25, 2017August 27, 2019

Writing Allusion

An allusion is a [figure of speech in prose or poetry that makes a] brief, often implicit and indirect, reference within a literary text to something outside the text, whether another text (e.g., the Bible, a myth, another literary work, a painting, or a piece of music) or any imaginary or historical person, place, or thing. (The Norton Anthology of World Literature)

It seeks, by tapping the knowledge and memory of the reader, to secure a resonant emotional effect from the association already in the reader’s mind. (A Handbook to Literature)

Allusion Writing Exercise

Choose a scene or section from a work you’ve already written. This can be as small as a paragraph or a full chapter. Start a new document and rewrite the scene or section, including an allusion to a single work. This can be a famous novel, essay, song, painting…. One rule, do not name the title of the work.