What are art techniques for? First of all, in order for the work to correspond to a certain style, which implies a certain imagery, expressiveness and beauty. In addition, the writer is a master of associations, an artist of words and a great contemplator. Artistic techniques in poem and prose make the text deeper. Consequently, both the prose writer and the poet are not alone in a linguistic layer, they are not limited to using only the superficial, basic meaning of the word. In order to be able to penetrate into the depth of thought, into the essence of the image, it is required to use various artistic means.
In addition, the reader needs to be lured and attracted. For this, various tricks are used that add particular interest to the story and some secret that needs to be solved. Artistic means are called differently trails. These are not only integral elements of the overall picture of the world, but also the author’s assessment, the background and the general tone of the work, as well as much more, which we, when we read another creation, sometimes do not even think about.
The main artistic techniques are metaphor, epithet and comparison. Although the epithet is often regarded as a kind of metaphor, we will not go into the jungle of science "literary criticism" and traditionally highlight it as a separate means.
Epithet
Epithet is the king of description. Not a single landscape, portrait, or interior is complete without it. Sometimes the only correctly selected epithet is much more important than a whole paragraph created specifically for clarification. Most often, speaking of him, we mean the participles or adjectives that give this or that artistic image additional properties and characteristics. The epithet should not be confused with a simple definition.
So, for example, to describe the eyes, one can suggest the following words: living, brown, bottomless, large, painted, crafty. Let's try to divide these adjectives into two groups, namely: objective (natural) properties and subjective (additional) characteristic. We will see that words such as "big", "brown" and "painted over" convey in their meaning only what anyone can see, since it lies on the surface. In order for us to imagine the appearance of this or that hero, such definitions are very important. However, it’s “bottomless”, “lively”, “crafty” eyes that will best tell us about its inner essence, character. We begin to guess that in front of us is an unusual person, prone to various inventions, having a lively, mobile soul. It is in this that the basic property of epithets lies: to point out those traits that are hidden from us during the initial examination.
Metaphor
Let's move on to another equally important path - a metaphor. This is a hidden comparison expressed by a noun. The author’s task here is to compare phenomena and objects, but very carefully and tactfully, so that the reader cannot guess that we are imposing this object on him. Exactly so, insinuatingly and naturally, it is necessary to use any artistic techniques. Examples of the metaphor are “tears of dew,” “fire of dawn,” etc. Here, dew is compared to tears, and dawn is compared to fire.
Comparison
The last major artistic device is a comparison that is made directly through the use of such unions as “like,” “like,” “like,” “exactly,” “as if.” Examples include the following: eyes, like life; dew, like tears; tree like an old man. However, it should be noted that the use of an epithet, metaphor or comparison should be not only for the sake of the “red words”. There should be no chaos in the text, it should gravitate towards grace and harmony, so before using this or that path, you need to clearly understand for what purpose it is used, what we want to say by this.
Other, more complex and less common artistic techniques are hyperbole (exaggeration), antithesis (opposition), and inversion (reverse word order).
Antithesis
Such a trail as an antithesis has two varieties: it can be narrow (within the limits of one paragraph or sentence) and expanded (placed on several chapters or pages). This technique is often used in the works of Russian classics in the case when it is required to compare two heroes. For example, Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin in his story “The Captain's Daughter” compares Pugachev and Grinev, and a little later Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol will create portraits of famous brothers, Andriy and Ostap, also based on the antithesis. Artistic tricks in the novel Oblomov also include this trail.
Hyperbola
Hyperbole is a favorite technique of such literary genres as epic, fairy tale and ballad. But she is found not only in them. For example, the hyperbole “he could eat a wild boar” can be used in any novel, short story, or other work of a realistic tradition.
Inversion
We continue to describe artistic techniques in the works. Inversion, as you might guess, serves to give the work additional emotionality. It can most often be observed in poetry, but often this prose also uses this path. We can say: "This girl was more beautiful than others." And you can shout: "This girl was more beautiful than others!" Immediately arises and enthusiasm, and expression, and much more, which can be seen when comparing the two statements.
Irony
The next path, irony, in another way - hidden author's mockery, is also used quite often in fiction. Of course, a serious work must be serious, but the subtext hidden in irony sometimes not only demonstrates the wit of the writer, but also forces the reader to take a breath and prepare for the next, more intense scene. In a humorous work, irony is irreplaceable. The great masters of this means of artistic expression - Zoshchenko and Chekhov, using this trail in their stories.
Sarcasm
Closely connected with this technique is another - sarcasm. This is not just a good laugh, it reveals flaws and flaws, sometimes thickens colors, while irony usually creates a bright atmosphere. In order to have a more complete picture of this trail, you can read several of Saltykov-Shchedrin's tales.
Personification
The next trick is personification. It allows you to demonstrate the life of the world around us. There are such images as grunting winter, dancing snow, singing water. In other words, personification is the transfer of animate properties to inanimate objects. So, we all know that only a person and an animal can yawn. But in literature such artistic images as a yawning sky or a yawning door are often found. The first of them can help create a certain mood in the reader, prepare his perception. The second is to emphasize the sleepy atmosphere in this house, perhaps loneliness and boredom.
Oxymoron
Oxymoron is another interesting technique, which is a combination of incongruous. This is a righteous lie, and hot ice, and the Orthodox devil. Similar, unexpectedly chosen words can be used both by science fiction writers and lovers of philosophical treatises. Sometimes only one oxymoron is enough to build a whole work that has the dualism of life, and insoluble conflict, and subtle ironic overtones.
Other art techniques
Interestingly, the “and, and, and” used in the previous sentence is also one of the artistic means called multi-union. What is it for? First of all, to expand the narrative range and show, for example, that a person has beauty, and intelligence, and courage, and charm ... And the hero knows how to fish, swim, write books, and build houses ...
Most often, this trail is used together with another, called "rows of homogeneous members." This is the case when it is difficult to imagine one without the other.
However, this is not all artistic techniques and means. Note rhetorical questions. They do not require an answer, but at the same time make readers think. Perhaps everyone knows the most famous of them: "Who is to blame?" and "What to do?"
These are just the basic artistic techniques. In addition to them, one can distinguish parcellation (division of a sentence), synecdoch (when the singular is used instead of the plural), anaphora (a similar beginning of sentences), epiphora (repetition of their endings), litota (understatement) and hyperbole (on the contrary, exaggeration), periphrase (when a certain word is replaced by its brief description, all of which can be used both in poetry and in prose, and artistic techniques in a poem and, for example, a story, are essentially the same.