Literary Devices

bildungsroman

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

elegy

a poem expressing lament for the dead

periphrasis

purposefully inefficient explanation (dancing around)

zeugma

using a single word to convey several meanings at once

apotheosis

when a character is elevated to a godlike status

catharsis

intense emotional realization and release

dramatic monologue

reveals the specific intentions or thoughts of the speaker through poetry with an audience

characterization

description of a character’s traits, emotions, and personality

rhyme scheme

pattern of rhymes at the end of poem lines

aside

a short speech directly towards the audience

rhythm

tempo at which a poem unfolds

meter

structure of stressed and unstressed syllables

alliteration

repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds within words

consonance

repetition of consonant sounds beginning or within words

sibilance

repetition of an S sound

invective

attacking or insulting language (high and low)

chiasmus

when words within clauses are inverted

metapropism

when a word is used incorrectly to sound fancy

hyperbole

exaggerated claims

onomatopoeia

a word that imitates a certain sound

aphorism

a short saying expressing a general truth

caesura

break in the flow of a poetic verse

metaphor

non-literal comparison

extended metaphor

when a comparison spans sentences, paragraphs, or the whole piece

simile

uses like, as, of, so, than

antithesis

opposition or contrast through parallelism

inversion

reversal of the syntactically correct word order

apostrophe

a phrase said by a character to someone not present

symbolism

using objects, actions, or events to represent a larger concept

diction

selection and arrangement of words to convey an idea

heroic couplet

a pair of successive rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter

vignette

short, descriptive passage enhancing the tone and setting

complication

building complexity (detail and nuance that establishes a conflict)

verisimilitude

simulation of the truth

tone

style or voice in writing (two word statements)

archetype

character, situation, or symbol type that appears across many different stories and cultures

doggerel

type of poetry that is often characterized by irregular rhythm and rhyme, typically considered to be of low quality or lacking in artistic merit. often humorous or nonsensical in nature.

existential character

struggle with the meaning of existence and understanding of the world; making meaning out of the meaningless; autonomous

pastoral poetry

centering around the themes of rural life, often romanticized

lyrical poetry

expressing the speaker’s emotions or mental state, often in first person

euphony

harmonious word arrangement

cacophony

discordant and grating word arrangement

flashback

an event that previously occurred

flash forward

anticipating a future event

antimetabole

phrase that is repeated with reversed word order; exact words

asyndeton

lack of a conjunction between words and phrases

polysyndeton

conjunctions are unnecessarily repeated

aubade

love poem or song revolving around the sun rise, often dealing with lovers parting

point of view

perspective of narrator or audience in relation to the events of the story (first, second, or third person)

deus ex machina

event in which a supposedly unsolvable conflict is resolved by the appearance of something

omniscient narrator

access to the perspective of every character

limited narrator

access to the thoughts and emotions of one character only

free verse

poetry without a regular meter or rhyme

narrative structure

framework of a story (linear, complex, in medias res)

satire

mocking in order to criticize or change behaviors

horatian satire

satire that prioritizes entertainment

juvenalian satire

a harsh, bitter satire

anthropomorphism

when non-human entities are given human traits

personification

describing non-human objects with human traits

sense imagery (tactile, visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory)

imagery that speaks to sense

allegory

a short story with a meaning conveyed through symbolism

parable

a short story with an underlying moral

soliloquy

monologue given by a character alone on stage

litote

intense understatement to negate the opposite of what’s being expressed

dramatic irony

the audience knows something the character doesn’t

verbal irony

when a character says something different than what they actually mean

situational irony

a discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually occurs

analogy

comparing two otherwise unlike things

anecdote

short story

pastiche

an imitation of an art style

conceit

a fanciful or elaborate metaphor in poetry

allusion

referencing other works within another

ambiguity

multiple interpretations from one work