Lit Device Dictionary

Bildungsroman

a novel that deals with the growth of a character over time

The Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird

Bildungsroman

Archetype

a universal symbol or character that reappears across different works

The Hero, The Hero’s Journey, The Villain

Archetypes

Diction

An author’s choice of words and style of expression, which helps create tone, mood, and meaning

Shapes how readers perceive characters and themes

Diction

Pastiche

An artistic work or style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period

Wicked to the Wizard of Oz

Pastiche

Heroic Couplet (iambic pentameter)

a pair of rhyming iambic pentameters

ten syllables arranged in five iambs (unstressed, stressed)

iambic pentameter

pastoral poetry

idealizes rural life, nature, and country living

lyric poetry

expresses personal feelings and emotion in the first person, often with songlike qualities

Existential Character

the human struggle with the freedom to create their own meaning in a seemingly absurd and purposeless world, leading to personal responsibility, authenticity, alienation, and anxiety

Complication

a difficulty or obstacle that complicates the main plot, creating challenges for the protagonist and increasing tension in the story

Visual Imagery

Sight

Auditory Imagery

Sound/Hearing

Tactile Imagery

Touch

Gustatory Imagery

Taste

Olfactory Imagery

Smell

Soliloquy

revealing of internal thoughts (typically on stage and when alone)

Dramatic Monologue

internal thoughts characterized, typically a poem in specific, direct audience

doggerel

Crude, comic or irregular

doggerel

trivial or comical poetry

analogy

compares two unrelated things while highlighting their shares qualities in order to explain a main idea

Vignette

a short descriptive scene/moment that details a specific mood or character without having a definitive plot

allusion

indirect reference to a person, place, event, or another literary work that the author expects the reader to recognize and understand

Personification

the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman

Anthropomorphism

the attributions of human characteristics or behaviors to an animal or object

Fables

Anthropomorphism

Allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

parable

a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson

free verse

poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter or pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

blank verse

verse without rhyme, but has a regular meter usually iambic pentameter (alternating stressed and unstressed syllables)

Irony

expression of ones meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effects

situational irony

when the actual outcome of a situation is the opposite of what you would normally expect

verbal irony

when the speaker says something but means the opposite

dramatic irony

when the audience knows a piece of information that the characters do not

Inversion

figures of speech that flip or reverse word order to create emphasis or memorable phrasing

chiasmus

rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their grammatical structure

antimetabole

a specific type of chiasmus where the exact words from the first clause are repeated in the second clause, but in reverse order

She has all my love, my heart belongs to her

chaismus

ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country

antimetabole

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told

first person POV

narrator is inside the story

Second person POV

narrator directly addresses the audience

Third person Omniscient

narrator knows everyone’s thoughtst

third person limited

narrator knows one character’s thoughts

symbolism

a poetic or artistic style that uses a setting or images to express emotions, idea, or states of mind

epistolary narrative structure

story told through letters, diary entries, emails, or documents rather than through a traditional narrative voice

ambiguity narrative structure

when a story’s elements are unclear, leaving the audience with multiple valid interpretations rather than a single, definite meaning

freytag’s pyramid

five part dramatic structure for storytelling (exposition>rising action>climax>falling action>resolution)

multiple narrative voices

when the chapters alternate narrators

frame story

“story within a story” technique

antithesis

uses parallel grammatical structures to place two opposite ideas side by side to highlight their differences.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

antithesis

flashback

interrupts the chronological flow of the main narrative to present an event from earlier in the story/characters past

flash forward

interrupts the chronological flow of the main narrative to present a scene from the future

Deus Ex Machina

seemingly unresolvable conflict or situation is suddenly resolved by an unexpected event or higher power

Anecdotes

brief narrative that focuses on a particular event or experience related to the topic of discussion

Apostrophe

used in writing to refer to an absent or deceased person

sonnet structure

14 line poem with very strict rhyme scheme written in iambic pentameter

Serenade

song or piece of music performed in the evening, often to express love or admiration

aubade

poem or song about lovers parting at dawn. Bittersweet and usually means goodbye

tone

shown through word choice and style. How the author feels about the topic expressed

Juvenalian Satire

bitter, harsh, and serious tone with a purpose to expose corruption, immoralities, and social failings.

Animal Farm and George Orwell

Juvenalian Satire

Horatian Satire

light hearted, witty, amusing with a purpose to poke fun at human behavior, flaws, and social norms in a joking manner

The simpsons

Horatian satire

asyndeton

against conjunctions (no ands, buts, etc…) separate only by commas

polysyndeton

many conjunctions (lots of ands and buts, less commas)

conceit

two metaphors that between two dissimilar things, create layers of nuance and meaning

Understatement

presents something as less intense or important than it is

litotes

form of understatement that uses a negative construction to create emphasis or irony

verisimilitude

the appearance of being true or real