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In literature, paradoxes can create humor, express the confusion or frustration of a seeming impossibility, or make clear the absurdity of an unexpected situation.

All three forms of irony are used very frequently in literature, theater, and film. In addition, sometimes the irony found in any of these mediums is broader and doesn't fit into any of the …

Get all the key plot points of Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor on one page. From the creators of SparkNotes.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book or play.

Allegory in Literature Allegory is one of the oldest literary forms, with writers long relying on allegory's ability to convey a moral or political message efficiently and discreetly.

The best way to understand dynamic characters is to look at a few examples from literature. While a protagonist is most frequently the dynamic character in a story, any character—including an …

Examples of Climax in Literature Climax is used throughout literature, from poetry to fiction to nonfiction. Here are just a few examples. Climax in Melville's Moby Dick In this passage from …