Literary Terms and Devices: Definitions and Examples

mixed metaphor

A metaphor whose elements are either incongruent or contradictory by the use of incompatible identifications, such as 'the dog pulled in its horns' or 'to take arms against a sea of troubles.'

mode

The way the author conveys the mood of the piece; focuses on style and genre.

monologue

A written or oral composition presenting the discourse of one speaker only.

montage

A series of images that appear one after another.

motif (leitmotiv)

A recurring concept or story element in literature, including types of incident or situation, plot devices, patterns of imagery, or archetypes and character types.

myth

A fictional tale, originally with religious significance, that explains heroes, gods, nature, and/or natural phenomena.

narrative

A story.

narrative point of view

See point of view.

narrator

Speaker or persona, the one who tells a story. Reliable narrator: everything this narrator says is true. Unreliable narrator: may not know all the relevant information.

naturalism

Writing that demonstrates a deep interest in nature, often seeing nature as indifferent to the plight of man.

near rhyme

A rhyme in which the sounds are similar, but not exact, such as home and come or close and lose.

neoclassicism

Restoration literary movement in which writers turned to Greek/Roman models for inspiration.

non-sequitur

Latin for 'It doesn't follow.'

novel

An extended prose narrative.

objective point of view

A perspective that presents the story without bias.

octave

An eight-line stanza.

ode

A long, formal lyric poem with a serious theme, usually focusing upon a single object or person.

omniscient

Know-all narrator, no restrictions.

onomatopoeia

The use of a word to represent or to imitate natural sounds.

oxymoron

Technique used to produce an effect by a seeming self-contradiction.

parable

A short story to prove a point with a moral basis.

paradox

A statement which contains seemingly contradictory elements or appears contrary to common sense.

paralipsis

The suggestion that much of significance is being omitted.

parallel structure

A repetition of sentences using the same structure.

parallelism

The repetition of syntactical similarities in passages closely connected for rhetorical effect.

paraphrase

A restatement of an idea in such a way as to retain the meaning while changing the diction and form.

Parnassian

Of or related to poetry, after Parnassus, a mountain in Greece regarded as the seat of poetry and music.

parody

Ludicrous imitation, usually for comic effect, of the style and content of another work.

pastoral

Bucolic, idealized countryside; a literary work that has to do with shepherds and rustic settings.

pathetic fallacy

Overdone writing that sees the inadequacy of human reason to explain the enigma of the universe.

pathos

Greek term for deep emotion, passion, or suffering, usually referring to tragic emotions.

pentameter

Poetic line that has 5 metrical feet (usually 10 syllables).

periodic sentence

Saves the subject and verb of the independent clause until the end of the sentence.

persona

The mask worn by an actor in Greek drama; the character of the first-person narrator in verse or prose narratives.

personification

Figure of speech in which inanimate objects are given qualities of speech and/or movement.

picaresque

Involves clever rogues or adventurers who are usually lower class and live by their wits in a corrupt society.

playwright

A person who writes a play.

poetic justice

When characters 'get what they deserve' in the end of a story.

plot

The structure of a story or the sequence in which the author arranges events.

point of view

The narrator or speaker perspective from which a story is told.

polysyndeton

The repetition of a number of conjunctions in close succession.