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Elements of Fiction: Diction

Diction = Word Choice

Levels of Diction

  • formal: large, sophisticated, and traditional vocabulary (Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown")
  • informal: level of language or vocabulary that characterizes the written language of ordinary people (Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums")
  • colloquial: level of language or vocabulary that is informal in that it is the language of ordinary people but tends to imitate or suggest ordinary spoken rather than written language (Anderson's "I'm a Fool")
     

Levels of Abstraction

  • general vs. specific: motorcycle vs. Harley Davidson
  • concrete vs. abstract: sharp vs. ominous
     

Levels of Meaning

  • denotation: the literal, dictionary meanings of a word
  • connotation: associations and implications that go beyond a word's literal meanings (be aware of the unexpected connotations of words used by authors of other times and places)

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Acknowledgements
Dr. Robert Burroughs, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA.

Perrine, Laurence.  Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense.  4th ed.  NY: Harcourt, 1983.

Roberts, Edgar V. and Henry E. Jacobs. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 4th ed. NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995.

 

Updated: 08.18.07
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