Literary Devices Bulk Set

Alliteration

The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words. It helps create tone and mood within a text

Alliteration example

Fair is foul and foul is fair

Allusion

A brief or indirect reference to a person

Allegory

A story

Anachronism

A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists

Analogy

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

Analogy example

Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior

Anaphora example

Every day

Anecdote

A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

Antagonist

A character or group of characters that oppose the protagonist

Aphorism

A brief

Aphorism example

Early to bed

Apostrophe example

Hamlet's To be or not to be....

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds which may slow down the pace

Assonance example

The thundering crumbling seas

Asyndeton

A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

Binary thinking/oppositions

A way of thinking characterized by the use of two opposing terms

Blank verse

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

Caesura

A natural pause or break in a line of poetry

Catalog

A list of things

Catharsis

A release of emotional tension

Conceit

A fanciful expression

Connotation

All the meanings

Consonance

A pleasing sound caused by the repetition of consonants in phrases or poetry

like alliteration

but the consonants can be in the middle or end of words

Consonance example

A bond that transcends the beyond

Counterargument

An opposing argument in an essay expressed in one sentence in the second or third paragraph of an essay

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

Deus ex machina

In literature

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

Dialogue

Conversation between characters

Dialect

The accent or everyday nonstandard language spoken by people in a particular country or region

Warsh'n machine instead of washing machine

Diction

The words an author uses to craft his or her work

Direct Characterization

Author directly describes character

Dramatic irony

The audience knows more about the present or future circumstances than the characters themselves

Dynamic character

A complex character that undergoes a significant change

for example

The Grinch undergoes a change from being very selfish to very giving

Dysphemism

An unpleasant term used instead of a pleasant or neutral one

Elegy

A poem of serious reflection

Ethos

A rhetorical appeal to credibility or ethics

Euphony

Pleasant

Euphony example

The gray sea and the long black land

And the yellow half-moon large and low - Robert Browning

Meeting at Night

Exigence

An issue

Figurative language

Language that conveys meaning through literary devices rather than being direct or literal. It is open to interpretation and is more poetic in style

First person point of view

'I' or 'we' is used to narrate the story

for example

I walked down the road and saw a rabbit run across the road

Flat character/static character

A minor character in fiction that does not undergo any changes. They are one dimensional and lack emotional depth

Foil character

A character whose main purpose is to highlight the strengths of another character

Foreshadowing

The author hints what is to come in the unfolding story. This serves to avoid disappointment or to arouse interest

Free verse

Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme

Hamartia

A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine

Harangue

A long

Hubris

Excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy

Hyperbole

An exaggeration of an idea

for example

He has the memory of an elephant

Hypophora Example

How do we know this to be true? We have observed it in the lab

Imagery

The author's use of vivid words and descriptions which appeal to the reader's senses and help the reader create an image in his or her mind

In media res

A piece of writing that begins in the middle of the action

Indirect Characterization

The character is revealed through their personality

Inversion

Inverted order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order)

Juxtaposition/juxtapose

The side by side comparison of two or more objects or ideals for the purpose of highlighting similarities or differences

Lampoon

A written satire used to ridicule or attack someone

Literal language

The most obvious and straightforward production of a text. There is no hidden or metaphorical meaning in the text

Logos

Rhetorical appeal based on logic or reason

Lyric poem

A type of poetry that explores the poet's personal interpretation of and feelings about the world

Metaphor

An analogy that compares one noun with another

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it

like "the crown" standing for a monarchy

or "Hollywood" referring to the film industry

Mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

Motif example

A rose's thorns may be symbolic but if it's repeated throughout the story and helps to indicate a main theme it's this

New Historicism

An approach to literature that emphasizes the interaction between the historic context of the work and a modern reader's understanding and interpretation of the work

Ode

A lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject

Onomatopoeia

A word that resembles or imitates a sound

Oxymoron

When two opposing words are placed side by side to create an effect

for example

pretty ugly

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory

for example

Everything I say is a lie

Pathos (emotional appeal)

When a writer appeals to the emotions of the intended audience

Personification

An object

Point of View

The perspective from which a writer presents or recounts his or her story

Prologue

A speech

Prose

Written or spoken language in its ordinary form

Protagonist

The central or leading character in a story

for example

Harry Potter

Pun

A humorous play on words that suggest more than one meaning

for example

Some aquatic mammals at the zoo escaped. It was otter chaos

Rebuttal/refutation

Refuting the counterargument in your essay immediately after offering it

Repetition

The duplication

Round character

A character that has a complex personality

Second person point of view

The word 'you' is used. The writer controls all of the information and the reader has little input into the story or information

for example

You open your eyes and the sun is already in the sky

Setting

The location

Simile

Romeo expresses “Too rude

Situational irony

Occurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem

Suspense

A feeling of fascination or excitement mixed with fear

Symbol

An object that represents or stands for an idea

Syntax

Sentence structure and word order