Wilde was known for using dialogue as a literary device to create witty conversations between his characters for the audience’s entertainment. When reading a dramatic work such as Wilde’s famous play, the reader understands who is speaking as a result of the character’s name associated with specific lines of dialogue. When plays are performed on stage, the audience can see and hear which character is speaking in addition to their physical attitude, vocal tone, inflection, etc. Since plays are dramatic literary works to be performed, they often rely almost exclusively on dialogue between characters as a means of presenting the narrative. I should have remembered that when one is going to lead an entirely new life, one requires regular and wholesome meals. Well, would you mind my reforming myself this afternoon? You might make that your mission, if you don’t mind, cousin Cecily. Example 2: The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde) Readers are left to wonder if the symbolic dialogue in the poem is between the poet and perhaps God. In this way, the dialogue, or conversation, is between the poet who represents human curiosity and an unknown speaker with the authority to reassure and confirm “answers” to these symbolic questions. The poet’s questions can be understood as those that humans would ask about the path of life and expectations in death and the afterlife. However, Rossetti’s poem can also be interpreted as symbolic dialogue. The unknown speaker replies with logical answers to these questions at a literal level. The poet is, on the literal surface, asking about the direction of the road, how long the journey will take, and what they may find once they reach the top of the hill. This dialogue structure is effective in the poem in that the poet’s questions can be understood in a literal as well as symbolic manner. The poet asks questions of an unknown speaker and receives answers in return. However, in Rossetti’s literary work, the structure of the poem is in dialogue form. It can be rare in poetry to find dialogue as a literary device due to a poem’s typical nature of not featuring characters. Will there be beds for me and all who seek? Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak? They will not keep you standing at that door. Then must I knock, or call when just in sight? May not the darkness hide it from my face? Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?īut is there for the night a resting-place?Ī roof for when the slow dark hours begin. Here are some examples of dialogue in well-known literature: Example 1: Up-Hill (Christina Rossetti) This allows readers to better understand characters, plot, and even the theme of a literary work. create authenticity for reader Famous Lines of Dialogue from Well-Known MoviesĪs a literary device, dialogue can be utilized in almost any form of literature.set character’s voice, point of view, and patterns of expression.establish deeper meaning and understanding of a story for the reader.convey subtext (inner feelings and intentions of a character beyond their surface words of communication).efficient means of conveying aspects and traits of characters.provide exposition, background, or contextual information.Here are some examples of why writers use dialogue in literary works: Instead, when characters are “speaking” in first-person in a narrative, the story can become more dynamic. Dialogue allows writers to pause in their third-person description of a story’s action, characters, setting, etc., which can often feel detached to the reader if prolonged. Dialogue, when used effectively in a literary work, is an important literary device.
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