figures of speech

the father of English Criticism

is the analysis,

comparison, evaluation, and

interpretation of a work of literature.

Often engaging in debates with other

critics to help prove their points and make

value judgments.

focuses only on the work itself and completely ignores the author of the work, time and background information of the work, and the audiences’ feeling or perception about the work

is an object-centered theory of critical approach to literature

compares two dissimilar things using “like” or “as.” The goal is to give the reader a more vivid understanding of something.

Example: It was the first real day of summer, and by the time she came back indoors, she was as red as a tomato.

is the direct comparison of dissimilar things to create more vivid imagery or understanding.

Example: He was an onion; to understand him, she had to peel back the layers.

is assigning human attributes to nonhuman things.

Example: The floorboards groaned under the weight of each step.

is a situation that subverts a reader’s expectations.

Example: One of the characters in your story is a hypochondriac, always convinced that they have an exotic and uncurable disease. An ironic ending for that character would be if they died of a common cold.

is a deliberate exaggeration that adds emphasis, urgency, or excitement to a statement.

Example: If I don’t eat soon, I’m going to die of hunger.