Literary Elements

If you had asked me a week ago to name a couple literary elements I would not have been able to name one.  But now I can! Character, point of view, time, place, plot, mood, symbol and symbol and extended metaphor, to name a few.  They seem like simple enough aspects to writing but they are rarely given the attention they deserve.  These elements are what make or break a book and without an understanding of literary elements the reader can miss out on so many aspects of a story.

You might be asking why someone who didn't even know what literary elements are is all of the sudden such a strong advocate for them, and that is a good question.  In a class discussion on literary elements in the book The Higher Power of Lucky my eyes were opened to so many things I hadn't noticed previously in my ignorance.  I was seeing things I hadn't before, making connections and enjoying the book so much more because of this new found knowledge of literary elements.

When told the list of literary elements (character, point of view, time, etc.) you would probably recognize them but can you explain their importance to the story?  According to Peterson and Eeds, literary elements "enable us to enter even further into story worlds and see and understand them much better."  If used properly, these elements pull the reader into the text and keep them there.  The reader connects with the book, grows with the characters and is affected by the mood of the story.  If you are reading without understanding literary elements then you are reading only one dimensionally and you are missing out on the whole encompassing experience.  By gaining knowledge on literary elements and paying attention to them then you are given the power to be both a better reader and writer.

Need an example?  We all know stories have characters, they are necessary for the story to work and that's it, right?  Wrong.  There is so much more to a story book character.  It is through a story's characters that the reader has a chance to step into another's shoes and feel what it is like to be them.  You get to know the character and travel along with them as they grow and change throughout the story.  You gain insight to things you might never have had the chance to on your own because of a story's characters.  The character is your guide and it is from them that you also learn and grow.  Have you ever given a character in a story this much thought?  My guess is not but next time you pick up a book you might catch yourself thinking about these things.  It is through your understanding of literary elements, like characters, that leads to appreciation and a fuller reading experience.