Literary Devices

Allegory

A narrative that uses symbolic figures, actions, or events to convey a deeper moral or political meaning.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a series of words.

Allusion

A reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.

Anapest

A metrical foot consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable.

Antagonist

A character or force in conflict with the main character, or protagonist.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which a speaker addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction.

Aside

A dramatic device in which a character speaks to the audience, not intended for others on stage to hear.

Aubade

A poem or piece of music appropriate to the dawn or early morning.

Ballad

A form of verse, often a narrative set to music.

Blank verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.

Caesura

A pause in a line of poetry, typically occurring in the middle of a line.

Catharsis

The emotional release and purification experienced by the audience through a work of art.

Character

A person or an animal that takes part in the action of a literary work.

Climax

The point of highest tension or drama in a narrative work.

Comic relief

Humor inserted into a serious work to lighten the mood.

Conflict

A struggle between opposing forces, often the main problem in a story.

Connotation

The implied or suggested meaning of a word, beyond its literal definition.

Convention

A widely agreed-upon practice or technique in literature.

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.

Dactyl

A metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.

Denotation

The literal or dictionary meaning of a word.

Denouement

The resolution or conclusion of a story, where conflicts are resolved.

Diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Elegy

A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.

Deus ex machina

A plot device where an unsolvable problem is suddenly resolved by an unexpected occurrence.

Dramatic monologue

A poem in the form of a speech by a single character.

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence or thought across a line break in poetry.

Epic

A lengthy narrative poem that often deals with heroic deeds and events.

Epigram

A brief, witty, and often satirical poem or saying.

Euphony

Pleasant, harmonious sound in literary work.

Exposition

The introduction of background information within a story.

Fable

A short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral.

Flashback

A scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point.

Foot

The basic unit of measurement in a line of poetry.

Figurative language

Language that uses words or expressions with a meaning different from the literal interpretation.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.

Form

The structure or framework of a literary work.

Free verse

Poetry that does not follow specific patterns of rhyme or meter.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Iamb

A metrical foot consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

Idyll

A simple descriptive work that deals with rustic or pastoral life.

Image

A representation of an object, person, or scene that appeals to the senses.

Imagery

Descriptive language that evokes sensory experiences.

Impressionism

A literary technique that captures a subjective experience and mood.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality, often with a twist.

Lyric poetry

Emotional poetry that expresses feelings and thoughts rather than telling a story.

Magic realism

A literary genre in which magical elements are a natural part of an otherwise mundane, realistic environment.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'.

Meter

The rhythmic structure of lines in poetry.

Metaphysical poetry

Poetry that explores complex philosophical ideas, often using paradox and conceit.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept.

Monologue

A long speech given by one character in a play or poem.

Motif

A recurring theme, subject, or idea in a literary work.

Narrator

The person or character who tells the story.

Narrative poem

A poem that tells a story, often with a beginning, middle, and end.

Octave

A stanza or poem of eight lines.

Ode

A lyrical poem addressed to a particular subject, often of elevated tone.

Onomatopoeia

The formation of a word by imitating the sound it is associated with.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms.

Parable

A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but may reveal a truth.

Parallelism

The use of similar grammatical constructions in writing.

Parody

A humorous or satirical imitation of a piece of literature.

Pathos

A quality that evokes pity or sadness.

Personification

Attribution of human qualities to non-human entities.

Plot

The sequence of events that make up a story.

Point of view

The perspective from which a story is told.

Protagonist

The main character in a literary work, often facing a conflict.

Quatrain

A stanza of four lines.

Resolution

The part of the story where the conflict is resolved.

Rhetorical question

A question asked for effect, not meant to be answered.

Rhyme/Rime

The repetition of similar sounds at the end of words.

Rhythm

The pattern of sounds in a piece of writing, especially poetry.

Rhyme scheme

The pattern of rhymes in a poem.

Romanticism

An artistic movement emphasizing emotion and individualism.

Satire

A genre that ridicules or criticizes societal norms, often through humor.

Scansion

The analysis of the metrical patterns of a poem.

Sestet

A stanza of six lines, often used in sonnets.

Sestina

A poetic form consisting of six stanzas of six lines followed by a three-line stanza.

Setting

The time and place in which a story unfolds.

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.

Soliloquy

An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when alone or regardless of any hearers.

Sonnet

A poem of fourteen lines with a specific rhyme scheme and meter.

Spondee

A metrical foot consisting of two stressed syllables.

Stage directions

Instructions in the script of a play regarding movement and positioning of actors.

Stanza

A grouped set of lines in a poem, often separated by a blank line.

Structure

The arrangement and organization of a literary work.

Style

The distinctive way in which an author expresses their ideas.

Subplot

A secondary plot that runs parallel to the main plot.

Subtext

The underlying message or theme of a literary work.

Symbol

An object or action that represents a deeper meaning beyond its literal sense.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole or vice versa.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences.

Tercet

A stanza of three lines.

Theme

The central idea or message in a literary work.

Tone

The attitude of the writer toward the subject or audience.

Tragic hero

A protagonist with a fatal flaw that leads to their downfall.

Trochee

A metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable.

Understatement

A figure of speech used to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it is.