Literary Devices: Metaphors, Figures of Speech, and Stylistic Techniques

extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

metonymy

A figure of speech wherein the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.

mood (or atmosphere)

The feeling created by a literary work or passage, often suggested by descriptive details.

motif

A word, character, object, image, metaphor, or idea that recurs and usually bears an important relationship to the theme of a work.

onomatopoeia

A sound of a word that imitates a natural sound (thud, sizzle, crack, boom, snap, pop, hiss, buzz, creak, crunch, thump, rip).

oxymoron

A figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.

paradox

A statement that appears to be contradictory or opposed to common sense, but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.

parallelism

The consistent use of a particular grammatical form/structure throughout a sentence.

parody

A literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect and/or ridicule.

personification

A figure of speech in which human qualities are given to something non-human (an object, animal, or idea).