Literary devices and elements

Setting

The time and location in which a story takes place

Plot

How the author arranges events to develop his basic ideas; it is the sequence of events in a story or play

Character

The person in a work of fiction OR the characteristics of a person

1st person

The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters. Uses pronouns I, me, we, etc.

Omniscient

The author tells the story by moving from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of his characters and he introduces information where and when he chooses

Omniscient Limited

The author tells the story in the third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). The reader knows only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell them.

Man v. Man

The leading character struggles with the physical strength against another man, forces of nature, or animals

Man v. self

The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.

Man v. Society

The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people

Man v. Circumstances

The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her

Resolution

The part of the narrative where the story's main conflict is resolved and the story comes to an end

Alliteration

Certain sounds are repeated at the beginning of words in a sentence or phrase

Flashback

A transition in a story to an earlier time, that interrupts the normal chronological order of events

Foreshadowing

A literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't occur until later in the story

Hyperbole

A purposeful exaggeration not meant to be taken literally

Imagery

A literary device used in poetry, novels, and other writing that uses vivid description that appeals to a reader's senses to create an image or idea

Dramatic Irony

When the audience or readers know more about a situation than the character does

Situational Irony

When the outcome is the opposite or completely different from what was expected

Verbal Irony

When what is said is the opposite of the literal meaning

Metaphor

A comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated

Mood

A piece of writing's general atmosphere or emotional complexion; the feelings the work evokes in the reader

Tone

The attitude that a character or narrator or author takes toward a given subject

Personification

A type of figurative language that gives human characteristics to nonhuman things or inanimate objects

Simile

A type of figurative language used to compare two things using the words "like" or "as"

Symbol

An object, action, or event in a story that represents a larger concept, idea or emotion