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Short Films about Literary Analysis

Below, you will find a collection of short films that introduce various literary elements and devices.

Literary devices

Allegory

An allegory is a story with a deeper meaning to; the story represents something different from what is literally described. Characters, objects, settings, and actions in the story are used to symbolise ideas, values, or beliefs.

Video: Anne Scott Hagen, Knut Inge Skifjeld / CC BY-SA 4.0

Alliteration

Alliteration is a literary device where a series of words begin with the same consonant sound.

Video: Anne Scott Hagen, Knut Inge Skifjeld / CC BY-SA 4.0

Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.

Video: Knut Inge Skifjeld, Anne Scott Hagen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Metaphor and simile

A metaphor is a figure of speech that is used to compare two dissimilar things without using comparison words. Similes also compare things that are distinctly different, but unlike metaphors, similes make the comparison using 'like' or 'as'.

Video: Knut Inge Skifjeld, Anne Scott Hagen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Symbols

Symbols are words that can be used to represent something other than what it ordinarily stands for. Often something concrete is used to represent something abstract. One example could be that white doves are used as a symbol of peace.

Video: Knut Inge Skifjeld, Anne Scott Hagen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Characterisation:

Characterisation is the description of a character's physical traits (how a character looks), point of view, personality, private thoughts, and actions. Characterisation can be direct (the author telling us what the character is like) or indirect (we decide what a character is like from their actions, thoughts, and what they say).

Video: Anne Scott Hagen, Knut Inge Skifjeld / CC BY-SA 4.0

Literary elements

Protagonist:

The protagonist is the main character of a story.

Video: Anne Scott Hagen, Knut Inge Skifjeld / CC BY-SA 4.0

Point of view

Who is telling the story? Does the narrator exist outside the action or are they part of the action?

Video: Anne Scott Hagen, Knut Inge Skifjeld / CC BY-SA 4.0

Setting

When and where is the story taking place? There are three major components to setting: social environment, place, and time.

Video: Knut Inge Skifjeld, Anne Scott Hagen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Theme

Theme is defined as the main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work.

Video: Anne Scott Hagen, Knut Inge Skifjeld / CC BY-SA 4.0

Conflict

When we hear the word 'conflict' it is easy to picture a fight. In literature, conflict is the challenge that must be overcome in order for the story to reach a conclusion. There are many different types of conflict, for example character against nature, character against technology, character against the supernatural, character against another character, character against society, or character against themselves.

Video: Knut Inge Skifjeld, Anne Scott Hagen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Plot

The plot is the main events of a play, novel, film, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interconnected sequence.

Video: Knut Inge Skifjeld, Anne Scott Hagen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Turning point and climax:

A story can have several turning points. A turning point is a moment in the story where the narrative changes focus and takes a new direction. The climax is the highest point of tension in a storyline, often with a confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist.

Video: Anne Scott Hagen, Knut Inge Skifjeld / CC BY-SA 4.0