Literary Devices

metonymy: figure of speech in which a word is substituted for another word that it is closely associated with. For example, “the White House” is often used as a metonymy for the presidential administration

parable: a short and simple story that teaches a religious or moral lesson

allusion: reference to a well-known person, character, place, or event that a writer makes to deepen the reader's understanding of their work.

verbal irony: a statement in which the speaker's words are incongruous with the speaker's intent.

colloquialism: a literary device often used by authors as a way to convey personality and authenticity to characters. It is an informal, commonplace language specific to a demographic or time period.

internal conflict: occurs when a character in literature experiences tension within themselves.

quatrain: a piece of verse complete in four rhymed lines

parody: a humorous or mocking imitation of something, using the same form as the original.

apostrophe: a speech or address to a person who is not present or to a personified object, such as Yorick's skull in Hamlet. It comes from the Greek word apostrophe which means "to turn away."

hyperbole: an extreme exaggeration specifically for literary or rhetorical effect

couplet: a pair of consecutive lines of poetry that create a complete thought or idea

external conflict: a type of conflict that places characters at odds with forces outside themselves

onomatopoeia: using or creating words that imitate or name a sound.

realism: a literary movement that represents reality by portraying mundane, everyday experiences as they are in real life

free verse: the name given to poetry that doesn't use any strict meter or rhyme scheme.

alliteration: a literary device that involves two or more words that appear close together and have the same initial stressed consonant syllable

foil: a character who contrasts with another character

mixed metaphor

flat character: two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work

oxymoron: a figure of speech that puts together opposite elements.

direct characterization: when an author describes a character in a straightforward manner, as if telling the reader directly.

dynamic character: one who learns a lesson or changes as a person (either for better or for worse).

implied metaphor: a type of metaphor that compares two things that are not alike without actually mentioning one of those things

assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close to each other in a sentence or phrase

analogy: a literary device used to compare similarities between two unrelated things as a way to make a point through the comparison.

antithesis

ellipsis: a narrative device omitting a portion of the sequence of events, allowing the reader to fill in the narrative gaps.

ethos: Focuses attention on the writer's or speaker's trustworthiness

imagery: uses vivid description that appeals to a readers' senses to create an image or idea in their head.

pathos: persuade an audience by purposely evoking certain emotions to make them feel the way the author wants them to feel.

anaphora: he repetition of a word or sequence of words at the beginning of successive clauses, phrases, or sentences.

anthropomorphism: a literary device that assigns human characteristics to nonhuman entities like animals or inanimate objects.

crux: a textual passage that is corrupted to the point that it is difficult or impossible to interpret and resolve