Literary Devices
Literary devices are words that we use to discuss different aspects of literature. These devices are the means by which authors create meaning through language, and by which readers gain understanding of and appreciation for their works. These are concepts that you need to be able to recognize and employ.
Alliteration – A repetition of sounds
Assonance – A repetition of vowels
Consonance – A repetition of consonants
Allusion – a reference to a person, place, or event in another work of literature or in history, art, or music.
Antithesis (Greek for "setting opposite", from ἀντί "against" + θέσις "position") is used when two opposites are introduced in the same sentence, for contrasting effect.
Comic Relief – comedy intended to alleviate tension and add variety
Foreshadowing – A hint of an action to come
Imagery – Using language to represent abstract ideas: metaphor, personification, simile, etc
Irony (3 Types)
Verbal Irony – When the author says the opposite of what he means
Situational Irony – When a situation turns out opposite of what is expected
Dramatic Irony – When the audience knows something the characters do not
Metaphor – An indirect comparison between two unlike things not using like or as
Mood – The “atmosphere” of a whole work, expressed as an adjective like “dark” or “playful”
Motif – An image or concept that is repeated throughout a work of literature
Paradox – Apparent contradiction that is nevertheless true (to love and hate someone at the same time)
Personification – Giving an inanimate object life-like qualities
Pun – a play on words
Onomatopoeia – When the sounds of words are similar to the objects they describe
Oxymoron – Apparently contradictory terms placed side by side (loving hate)
Satire – A piece of writing that ridicules or criticizes manners, individuals or institutions. Usually satire ridicules some representative vice for the general benefit of mankind. Satire holds up man’s follies to scorn.
Simile – A metaphor that uses like or as
Symbol – An object that stands for an idea, belief or intangible concept
Theme – The central idea in a piece of literature. A theme is not a single word, but a complete idea. For example, “love is easier to express than hate” is a theme, “love” is not.
Tone – The author’s attitude toward his characters or his subject, you can usually find the done by looking at the language. Usually the tone is something like satiric, approving or condemnin.
Other possible literary devices not listed above:
Alliteration – A repetition of sounds
Assonance – A repetition of vowels
Consonance – A repetition of consonants
Allusion – a reference to a person, place, or event in another work of literature or in history, art, or music.
Antithesis (Greek for "setting opposite", from ἀντί "against" + θέσις "position") is used when two opposites are introduced in the same sentence, for contrasting effect.
Comic Relief – comedy intended to alleviate tension and add variety
Foreshadowing – A hint of an action to come
Imagery – Using language to represent abstract ideas: metaphor, personification, simile, etc
Irony (3 Types)
Verbal Irony – When the author says the opposite of what he means
Situational Irony – When a situation turns out opposite of what is expected
Dramatic Irony – When the audience knows something the characters do not
Metaphor – An indirect comparison between two unlike things not using like or as
Mood – The “atmosphere” of a whole work, expressed as an adjective like “dark” or “playful”
Motif – An image or concept that is repeated throughout a work of literature
Paradox – Apparent contradiction that is nevertheless true (to love and hate someone at the same time)
Personification – Giving an inanimate object life-like qualities
Pun – a play on words
Onomatopoeia – When the sounds of words are similar to the objects they describe
Oxymoron – Apparently contradictory terms placed side by side (loving hate)
Satire – A piece of writing that ridicules or criticizes manners, individuals or institutions. Usually satire ridicules some representative vice for the general benefit of mankind. Satire holds up man’s follies to scorn.
Simile – A metaphor that uses like or as
Symbol – An object that stands for an idea, belief or intangible concept
Theme – The central idea in a piece of literature. A theme is not a single word, but a complete idea. For example, “love is easier to express than hate” is a theme, “love” is not.
Tone – The author’s attitude toward his characters or his subject, you can usually find the done by looking at the language. Usually the tone is something like satiric, approving or condemnin.
Other possible literary devices not listed above: