Literary devices

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Allegory

• a story in which the characters and their actions represent general truths about human conduct

• The characters often represent abstract concepts (ex. Freedom, Justice, Faith)

Allusion

a reference to well-known fictional, mythological, or historical people, places, or events

Analogy

exploring a topic in terms of another object or experience

Cliché

an over-used expression

Connotation

the emotional associations with a word that go beyond its literal meaning

Contrast

two objects or ideas are put in opposition to emphasize the differences between them

Diction

word choice

• can have: formal, informal, colloquial, slang, dialect, technical, obsolete.

Flat Character

an undeveloped character who only shows one personality trait

Foil

a character that directly contrasts the personality and traits of another character

Foreshadowing

• a hint in a narrative that leads the reader to speculate about upcoming events

• Helps to create suspense.

Hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

Imagery

the use of words to produce mental images of specific experiences

• Literal imagery tries to directly reproduce actual objects or experiences

• Imaginative imagery uses figurative language to create vivid imaginary images

Inference

an understanding or conclusion which has been made through deduction from evidence within the text

Irony

situations and expressions that suggest a disconnect between appearance and reality

Verbal Irony

the speaker means the opposite of what was said

Situational Irony

the reader expects one thing, and the opposite happens

Dramatic Irony

is when the audience knows more than the characters in a narrative do

Juxtaposition

side-by-side placement of sentences to bring about a desired effect

Metaphor

a comparison without using like or as

Motif

a recurring idea that is woven into a narrative piece

Onomatopoeia

use of words that imitate the sound they describe.

• Ex. Buzz, Zip

Oxymoron

a figure of speech that places two contradictory ideas together to make perfect sense.

• Ex. “pretty ugly”

Paradox

a self-contradictory statement that may state a truth

• Ex. “The closer you are to danger, the farther you are from harm.”

Personification

giving human characteristics to inanimate objects or ideas

Sarcasm

• a cutting remark, either written or spoken that is intended to hurt or to offend

• Usually employs irony

Satire

A literary or artistic technique that uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize flaws in society, institutions, or human behavior

Subplot

• a secondary plot that relates to the main plot of a story

• It focuses on a minor complication rather than a major problem

Symbol

An object, character, or image that stands for (represents) a deeper idea

Tone

the emotional attitude of the author, narrator, or speaker that colours the narrative

• Ex. Hopeful, Indifferent, Affectionate, Challenging, Mocking

Verisimilitude

a quality found in a story that helps the reader believe that the story either is true or could be true because of the elements of reality throughout the story.

Alliteration

repeating the same consonant sound at the beginning of words

• Ex. She saw sea shells by the sea shore

Ambiguity

• When a word, phrase, or entire poem has more than one possible meaning

• It’s not confusion by accident — it’s a deliberate choice to enrich meaning

Assonance

repeating the same stressed vowel sound in a string of words or sentences

• Ex. The birds were hooting in the woodland

Figurative Language

language that conveys certain ideas in imaginative ways

Meter

• the rhythmic pattern in a line of poetry, created by the arrangement of stressed (´) and unstressed (˘) syllables. It gives the poem a kind of “beat” — like music.

• the technical pattern.

Rhythm

• The actual sound and flow of the poem when read aloud

• the musical effect you hear

Apostrophe

• speaker directly addresses someone who is absent, dead, or a non-human thing/idea as if it could hear and respond.

• It’s a way of giving voice to emotions or abstract ideas

Aside

• a remark or comment made by a character, that only they are aware of, and no other characters can hear

• It is sometimes spoken to the audience

Pun

a play on words

Tragedy

• one of Shakespeare’s genres of plays that he wrote

• a tragedy is characterized by seven stages:

  • 1. The protagonist must be of high noble standing

  • 2. The protagonist suffers from an internal flaw

  • 3. The flaw tends to lead him to his downfall (death)

  • 4. The protagonist’s struggle evokes pathos from the audience

  • 5. Pathos leads to catharsis

  • 6. In the end, good is wasted (This contributes to the tragic element of the play)

  • 7. The hero’s death affects a wide spectrum (the family, community, town, village, or perhaps even the country)