Theaetetus Literary Elements

Theaetetus Literary Elements

Genre

Dialogue novel

Setting and Context

The book is written between 365BC to 399 BC in the context of knowledge.

Narrator and Point of View

The book is written in first-person narration point of view.

Tone and Mood

Inquisitive, informative and optimistic

Protagonist and Antagonist

The protagonist is Theaetetus.

Major Conflict

The major conflict comes when Socrates asks Theaetetus to define knowledge. Instead of going directly to the answer, Theaetetus starts giving classic examples of knowledge that favours the case for Socrates.

Climax

The climax is attained when both Socrates and Theaetetus fail to agree on the meaning of Logos, implying that knowledge is a complex field of study.

Foreshadowing

The definition of knowledge by Theaetetus foreshadows the complexity of understanding knowledge as a study.

Understatement

'The true belief with an account of logos' is an understatement by Theaetetus when he tries to define knowledge. Socrates reminds him that ‘logos’ is a broad component that should be broken down further to get the true meaning of knowledge.

Allusions

The story alludes to philosophical comprehension of knowledge.

Imagery

The conversation between Theaetetus and Socrates on knowledge depicts the sense of hearing to readers.

Paradox

The main paradox is that knowledge is mysterious, and it is a hard concept to comprehend. However, knowledge seems an easy context that can be easily defined. Ironically, Theaetetus fails to offer a vivid definition of knowledge.

Parallelism

N/A

Metonymy and Synecdoche

Logos refer to a broader spectrum of the definition of knowledge.

Personification

N/A

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