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Elements of Literary Style

This document provides a checklist of 15 elements of literary style that can be analyzed in a written work, including sentence structure, pace, vocabulary, use of dialogue, characterization, tone, time sequencing, allusions, and experimental techniques. It prompts the reader to consider questions about each element, such as whether sentences are long or short, descriptions are elaborate or concise, characters are fully developed or stereotypical, and the tone is sarcastic or philosophical. Analyzing these elements can provide insight into an author's craft and how each component contributes to the overall work.

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Cruz Díez
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393 views2 pages

Elements of Literary Style

This document provides a checklist of 15 elements of literary style that can be analyzed in a written work, including sentence structure, pace, vocabulary, use of dialogue, characterization, tone, time sequencing, allusions, and experimental techniques. It prompts the reader to consider questions about each element, such as whether sentences are long or short, descriptions are elaborate or concise, characters are fully developed or stereotypical, and the tone is sarcastic or philosophical. Analyzing these elements can provide insight into an author's craft and how each component contributes to the overall work.

Uploaded by

Cruz Díez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Checklist: Elements of Literary Style

1. Sentence
Structure

Are the sentences long or short? Why do they
change?
Do they contain many subordinate clauses, or
are they often fragments?
Are there any digressions or interruptions?
s the !ord"order straightfor!ard or
uncon#entionally crafted?
2. Pace

s the !riting hea#ily descripti#e, !ith
emphasis on setting and atmosphere, or does
it focus on action and plot mo#ement?
3.
Expansive/Econo
mical Diction
s the !riting tight and e$cient, or elaborate
and long"!inded?
When does the author use one or the other
mode, and !hy?
4. Vocabulary

Are the !ords simple or fancy? Are they
technical, %o!ery, collo&uial, cerebral,
punning, obscure 'and so on((()?
5. Fiures o!
speec"

Are there any metaphors, similes, or symbols?
Are there any other uses of *gurati#e language
'personi*cation, metonymy, and so on)?
#. $se o!
Dialoue

+o! often does dialogue tell the story?
Do !e see !hole con#ersations or ,ust
fragments?
Does the con#ersation use slang or is it
formal? Does it appear natural or contri#ed?
Does the dialogue gi#e a sense of pacing, of
pauses, of the unsaid?
+o! much does it substitute for narration?
%. Point o! Vie&

-ossibilities: *rst, second, third, omniscient,
limited omniscient, multiple, inanimate, free
indirect discourse(
'. ("aracter
)evelopment


+o! does the author introduce characters, and
ho! do !e see their e#olution in the story?
What is their function and moti#ation?
What kinds of characters are they? .ull/round?
Stock characters? Stereotypes? Caricatures?
*. +one

What is the author0s attitude? What is the
mood of the story?
Does the author seem sarcastic? Aggressi#e?
Wistful? -essimistic? n lo#e? -hilosophically
detached? +opeful? ronic? 1itter? 'And so
on((()
Whate#er the tone, !here is it #isible in the
narrati#e?
1,. -or) (olor.
-or) Soun)

+o! much does the language call attention to
or depend on the &uality of its sound, e(g(
through alliteration, assonance, consonance,
dissonance, rhythm, unusual !ord choice, and
so on?
11. Pararap" /
("apter
Structure

Are paragraphs #ery short, or are they
enormous blocks running across many pages?
Are the chapters short or long? +o! many are
there, ho! are they organi2ed, and !hy is this
important?
12. +ime
Se/uencin /
("ronoloy
+o! has the author organi2ed the chronology
of e#ents? 3o !hat e4ect? What is the !ork0s
structural 5rhythm6?
13. 0llusions +o! and ho! often does the author refer to
other te7ts, myths, symbols, famous *gures,
historical e#ents, &uotations, and so on?
14.
Experimentation
in 1anuae
Are there any unusual techni&ues, such as
stream"of"consciousness, mi7ing styles and
genres, unusual layout on the page, breaking
rules of grammar and form, odd or unstable
narrati#e perspecti#es, onomatopoeia, aporia,
and so on?
15. 2eta3ctional
tec"ni/ues
Does the author call attention to his or her o!n
process of narration?
Are the narrator0s position, role, and thoughts
as a storyteller mentioned e7plicitly in the
te7t? What function does this ser#e?

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