Literary Devices

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allegory

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A story or poem which relies upon symbols to teach a lesson.

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alliteration

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The repetition of initial sounds in words.

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allusion

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A reference to something or some person from literature, religious lore, or history.

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anachronism

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Something out of its place and time.

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antithesis

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Contrasting ideas expressed in a balanced grammatical structure.

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apostrophe

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To address a person or thing not present as if it were present.

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archetype

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A basic pattern or concept common to people of different times and cultures.

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aside

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Comments meant for only the audience to hear. Usually for ironic effect.

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assonance

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Repetition of the same vowel sound in a line of poetry.

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cacophony

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A harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones

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connotation

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The field of associations which surround a word.

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consonance

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The repetition of identical consonant sounds.

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denotation

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The exact dictionary definition of a word.

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diction

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The use of words in a literary work. It may be described as formal, informal, colloquial, or slang.

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didactic poem

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A poem which is intended primarily to teach a lesson.

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enjambment

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The syntax or cadence in a line of poetry carries the reader into the next line.

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euphemism

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The use of a pleasant-sounding word or phrase to avoid talking about the unpleasant reality.

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euphony

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A style in which combinations of words pleasant to the ear predominate

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extended metaphor

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An implied analogy, or comparison, which is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem

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foreshadowing

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Indicating or suggesting before it happens what will occur later in the work of literature.

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hyperbole

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Obvious exaggeration of the facts either for comic or serious effect.

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imagery

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Word-pictures. Often used to convey a certain mood.

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internal rhyme

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Rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end.

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lyric poem

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Any short poem that presents a single speaker who expresses thoughts and feelings. Sonnets and odes are this type of poem.

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metaphor

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A direct comparison between two things (not using like or as).

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meter

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This emphasizes the musical quality of the language. Each unit is known as a foot.

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metonymy

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An object is given the name of something else with which it is associated.

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mood

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The emotional environment or atmosphere created by the writer.

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narrative poem

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A non-dramatic poem which tells a story

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onomatopoeia

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The sound of the word mimics the sound to which it refers. Eg: buzz.

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oxymoron

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An expression that combines opposite or contradictory ideas.

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paradox

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An apparently contradictory statement, with an element of truth in it.

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pathetic fallacy

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Nature reflects the feelings of the characters and the mood of the events in the story.

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personification

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The characteristics of persons are attributed to inanimate objects, animals or abstract ideas.

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poetic justice

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Justice as it should be – the good are rewarded and the evil punished.

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pun

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A play on words that are identical or similar in sound but different in meaning.

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rhyme

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Close similarity of sound between accented syllables in the same position in two or more lines of verse.

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rhythm

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The recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables.

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satire

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Literature exposing the follies or weaknesses of a person or institution.

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simile

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A comparison between two things of unlike nature using like, as or than.

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soliloquy

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A character, alone on stage, reveals their innermost thoughts / desires.

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stanza

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Usually a repeated grouping of three or more lines with the same meter and rhyme scheme.

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symbolism

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Something that suggests or stands for something else.

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synecdoche

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A part of something signifies the whole.

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tone

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The artist’s attitude towards the subject of his writing or towards the audience.

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litotes / understatement

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Saying less about something than is true. A statement that minimizes the importance of what is meant.