Final answer:
Literary analysis often explores figurative language, including similes and metaphors, and sensory details like imagery and personification to understand a writer's creative expression. These devices engage the reader's senses and emotions, leading to a more immersive reading experience.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of literary analysis, various devices such as figurative language, sensory details, and rhetorical devices are employed by writers to create a vivid and memorable reading experience. Figurative language includes devices like similes and metaphors, which compare one thing with another in a creative way. A simile explicitly uses words such as 'like' or 'as' to draw the comparison (e.g., 'My darling, you are like a rose'), while a metaphor implies the comparison without using 'like' or 'as' (e.g., 'My love, you are a rose').
Personification is another figure of speech where inanimate objects or abstract ideas are given human characteristics, such as 'the virus packed its bags and spread across the ocean.' Imagery makes use of descriptive, immersive details to stimulate the five senses and paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind. This can encompass visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory descriptions. When analyzing a narrative, it is important to identify these elements as they contribute to the overall impact and meaning of the text.