Final answer:
The sentence from the question demonstrates the literary element of imagery, which uses descriptive language to evoke sensory experiences in the reader. The example also exhibits minimalist poetic prose and auditory imagery, conveying the atmosphere and emotion of the scene.
Step-by-step explanation:
The literary element demonstrated by the sentence "The dusky devastates got quiet as some mice with bedroom slippers on" is imagery. Imagery involves using descriptive language to paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind. In this example, the silent and poetic lines create a serene or foreboding atmosphere, depending on the context within the larger text. The peacefulness of mice moving quietly, as if wearing bedroom slippers, contrasts with the earlier devastation, suggesting a sudden and eerie calm. This creates an effect where the reader can practically hear the silence and feel the stillness of the scene, which is a hallmark of effective imagery.
Such writing, which evokes sensory impressions, is a technique often found in minimalist, poetic prose. The comparisons and vivid descriptions, as shown in various excerpts, help establish a mood and tone that intrigue and engage the reader. For instance, the line "The fireplace, of the fluttering of swallows in the chimney, of the sawing of innumerable insects in the night outside" uses auditory imagery to give the reader a multi-sensory experience of the scene. Similarly, the sense of impending doom in "The silence of the waning afternoon breathed hateful portent" is conveyed through the personification of silence, portraying it as something that can 'breathe' a sense of dread or danger. The richness of these descriptions is crucial in translating the narrative's atmospheric tensions to the reader.