Literary Devices and Poetry Structures: Definitions and Examples

archetypes

common patterns that create certain expectations for how situations will progress and be resolved

complexity

the competing, conflicting, or inconsistent elements within a text that develop significance in style and content, which a reader engages with in order to develop a defensible thesis

euphemism

using indirection to avoid offensive bluntness

pun

the humorous use of a word so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings; a play on words

jargon

special language of a profession or group

alliteration

repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of two or more words within a line of poetry or prose

assonance

repetition of the same vowel sounds within a line of poetry or prose

consonance

repetition of a consonant sound, especially at the end of a word, in a passage of prose or verse

allusion

a reference in a work of literature to something outside the work, especially to a well-known historical or literary event, person, or work; allusions can also reference to mythology, art, and culture

Hyperbole

exaggerating an aspect of an object to focus attention on the trait and convey perspective about the object

understatement

minimizing an aspect of an object to focus attention on the trait and convey perspective about the object

irony

a technique of indicating, through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated

dramatic irony

depends upon the audience knowing something the protagonist has not yet realized (and thus experiencing simultaneously its own interpretation of events and that of the protagonist)

situational irony

when events in the text are inconsistent with the expectations the reader brings to the text or the expectations established by the text itself

verbal irony

when statements in the text are inconsistent with the expectations the reader brings to the text or the expectations established by the text itself; stating the opposite of what is meant

contrasts

the result of shifts, juxtapositions, and/or both

metaphor

a comparison expressed without the use of a comparative term "like" or "as"

simile

comparing two objects or concepts, usually with "like" or "as"; includes a main subject (the thing being compared) and a comparison subject (the thing to which it is being compared)

oxymoron

two contradictory terms side by side

paradox

a contradictory statement that is true

parody

imitates the style of another work for comic effect

satire

writing that exposes folly or vice; the purpose is always reform

personification

endowing the nonhuman with human characteristics

shifts

may be signaled by a word, structural convention, or punctuation

stereotype

a simplified and standardized conception or image of a group of people

symbol

something that is simultaneously itself and also a sign of something else

motif

a unified pattern of recurring objects or images used to emphasize a significant idea in large parts of or throughout an entire text

anaphora

repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive verses, clauses, or phrases

antithesis

the placing of a sentence or one of its parts against another to which it is opposed to form a balanced contrast of ideas

loose sentence

a sentence in which the main clause is first, followed by dependent clauses and/or modifying phrases

parallel structure

a similar grammatical structure within a sentence, phrase, paragraph, or stanza

periodic sentence

a sentence in which the main clause comes at the end of the sentence

rhetorical question

a question asked for effect, not in expectation of a reply

tempo

the speed at which textual events occur

modify

to restrict or limit in meaning (modifiers = adjectives and adverbs)

adjective

a descriptive word that qualifies or modifies the noun it describes and affects the reader's interaction with the text

adverb

a descriptive word that qualifies or modifies the verb it describes and affects the reader's interaction with the text, often ending in -ly

antecedent

that which goes before, especially the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

referent

affects interpretation when it is ambiguous and refers to more than one antecedent

clause

group of words with subject and verb; may be dependent (not a sentence) or independent (a sentence)

phrase

two or more words arranged and acting as a unit in a sentence

imperative

mood of a verb that gives an order

closed forms of poetry

include predictable patterns in the structure of lines, stanzas, meter, and rhyme that develop relationships among ideas in the poem

sonnet

a fourteen-line poem, written in iambic pentameter

open forms of poetry

may not follow expected or predictable patterns in the structure of their lines or stanzas, but they may still have structures that develop relationships between ideas in the poem

meter

the basic rhythmic structure of verse; the regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

speaker

speakerin poetry, relates accounts to readers and establishes a relationship between the text and the reader

Stanza

usually a repeated grouping of 2+ lines within a poem that has the same meter and rhyme scheme

end-stopped

a pause at the end of a line of poetry due to punctuation (period, comma, colon, semicolon)

apostrophe

direct address to someone or something not present

extended metaphor

created when the comparison of a main subject and comparison subject persist through parts of an entire text; when the comparison is expanded through additional details, similes, and images

conceit

a form of extended metaphor that develops complex comparisons—images, concepts, and associations in surprising or paradoxical ways

onomatopoeia

words whose sound suggests their meaning

rhyme

repetition of concluding sounds in different words

internal rhyme

rhyme within a line rather than at end of line

dramatic situation (narrative)

includes the setting and action of the plot and how the narrative develops to place characters in conflict(s), and often involves the rising or falling fortunes of a main character or set of characters

setting

the time and place of a play, story, or novel

exposition

sometimes included in the plot; focuses the reader's attention on the parts of the narrative that matter most to its development, including characters, their relationships, their roles within the narrative, and their relationships with the setting

pacing

the manipulation of time within a text that may evoke an emotional reaction in readers by the order in which information is revealed; the relationship between the information, when it is revealed, and other parts of the narrative; several factors contribute, including the frequency of details, repetition, the frequency of events, shifts in tense, or the chronology of events

flashback

a narrative structure that returns to prior events in the narrative (interrupting the chronology of the plot)—can directly affect readers' experiences with the text by creating anticipation, suspense, or building tension

stream-of-consciousness

a narrative structure that duplicates that inner workings of a character's mind (interrupting the chronology of the plot)—can directly affect readers' experiences with the text by creating anticipation, or suspense, or building tension

epiphany

a character's sudden realization that affects the plot when a character acts upon his/her new insight

narrator

in prose, the narrator relates accounts to readers and establishes a relationship between the text and the reader

unreliable narrator

a narrator whose biases require consideration in relation to the factuality and significance of events relayed

point of view

vantage point from which a story is told (3rd person omniscient, 3rd person limited, 1st person, or multiple voices); NOT to be confused with perspective

point of view (omniscient)

the narrator can know, see, and report whatever he/she chooses; the narrator can describe the thoughts of any of the characters, can skip about in time or place, & can speak directly to the reader; creates narrative distance

conflict (external)

often arises among characters because of tensions generated from different value systems

conflict (internal)

psychological struggle within the mind of a character, the resolution of which creates the plot's suspense