Literary (Stylistic) Devices Flashcards

Flashcards for literary and stylistic devices.

Literary (Stylistic) Devices

Techniques used by an author to make a story more exciting to read, more interesting to analyze or more meaningful.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a well-known person, thing, place, quality, piece of literature, event in history or the Bible.

Foreshadowing

A hint to events that will occur later in the story (an indication of things to come).

Flashback

A move back in time to an earlier incident that perhaps affects the outcome of the story.

Symbolism

The use of an object (or colour, animal, etc.) which represents more than it would seem on the surface (stands for something larger than itself - idea, belief, value).

Verbal Irony

When a character says one thing but means the opposite.

Situational Irony

When the outcome of a situation is opposite of what the reader is led to expect (reversal of events).

Dramatic Irony

When the reader/audience knows something that another character(s) does not know.

Pathetic Fallacy

When the setting is used to echo or symbolize what is happening emotionally to the characters.

Personification

Giving human traits to inanimate objects.

Suspense

A feeling of tension/anticipation created when the reader is unsure of what is going to happen next (often created by foreshadowing or by speeding up/slowing down the action before a crucial moment).

Simile

A comparison between two seemingly unlike things using the words like or as.

Metaphor

A comparison between two things where one becomes the other rather than making a comparison using like or as.

Imagery

Using language that appeals to the senses - touch/taste/feel (tactile), smell (olfactory), sound (auditory), sight (visual) - through the use of concrete details, adjectives and figures of speech.