Literary and Figurative Techniques in Literature and Plays

This set covers key literary and figurative techniques identified in literature and dramatic plays, providing definitions for each term as found in the lecture notes.

Metaphor

A direct comparison without "like" or "as."

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as."

Personification

Giving human traits to non-human things.

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration for effect.

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds.

Oxymoron

Contradictory terms combined.

Paradox

A statement that seems illogical but reveals truth.

Allusion

Indirect reference to history, art, or literature.

Imagery

Vivid sensory language.

Symbolism

Objects or actions representing deeper ideas.

Irony (Verbal)

Saying the opposite of what is meant.

Irony (Situational)

When the opposite of what is expected happens.

Juxtaposition

Contrasting ideas placed side-by-side.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the start of lines.

Epistrophe

Repetition at the end of phrases.

Euphemism

Mild phrasing for harsh reality.

Apostrophe

Addressing an absent person or object.

Synecdoche

Using a part to represent the whole.

Metonymy

Substituting a related term for the actual thing.

Malapropism

Absurd misuse of words, often comedic.

Pathetic Fallacy

Nature reflecting human emotions.

Chiasmus

Reversed parallel structure.

Zeugma

One word governing two incongruous terms.

Litotes

Understatement using negation.