Literary Devices

Alliteration – when a group of words all have the same first sound.

Allusion – brief, indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea that creates additional meaning. To “riff.”

Anaphora – deliberate repetition of words and phrases from the first part of a sentence.

Antihero – A protagonist who has the opposite attributes of a hero.

Assonance – repetition of internal vowel sounds in nearby words that do not end the same – for example: “asleep under a tree” or “each evening” or “asleep in the deep.”

Catharsis – the release of the emotions of pity and fear by the audience at the end of a tragedy.

Character, characterization – a person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, and characterization is the process by which a writer make that character seem real to the reader.

Conflict – The struggle within the plot between opposing forces. The PROTAGONIST engages in the conflict with the ANTAGONIST, which may take the form of a character, society, nature, or an aspect of the protagonist’s personality.

Connotation – Associations and implications that go beyond the literal meaning of a word, which derive from how the word has been commonly used and the associations people make of it. I.e.: red = blood/danger; eagle = freedom. These are cultural constructions.

Denotation – The dictionary meaning of a word.

Didactic poetry – Poetry designed to teach an ethical, moral, or religious lesson.

Elegy – A mournful, contemplative lyric poem to commemorate someone who is dead, often ending in consolation.

Epiphany – When a character suddenly experiences a deep realization about him or her or their self.

Foil – A character in a work whose behavior and values contrast with those of another character in order to highlight the distinctive temperament of that character.

Foreshadowing – The introduction early on in a story of verbal and dramatic hints that suggest what is to come later.

Form – The overall structure or shape of a work, which frequently follows an established design.

Genre – “Type” as in type of literature. Some examples are poetry, fiction, drama, and essays.

Hyperbole – exaggeration such as “I am dying of shame.”

Imagery – using figurative language to appeal to a person’s senses.

Irony – words are used in a way that the intended meaning is different. This speaks to the difference between appearance and reality.

• dramatic irony – characters are unaware of some important information, but the audience is aware.
• situational irony – characters and audience are unaware of implications of the reality of a situation.

Metaphor – implicit, hidden, or implied comparison with two unrelated things.

Narrator -The voice of the person (not the author!!) telling the story.

• First-person narrator: The “I” in the story presents the point of view of only one character. The reader is restricted to the perceptions, thoughts, and feelings of that single character.
• Omniscient narrator – all-knowing narrator who is not a character in the story and who can move from place to place and pass back and forth through time, slipping into and out of characters as no human being possibly could in real life.
• Limited omniscient – when a narrator is restricted to the single perspective of either a major or minor character.
• Neutral omniscient – Narration that allows the character’s actions and thoughts to speak for themselves.

Onomatopoeia – A word that imitates the natural sound such as “gushing” stream or “whisper.”

Oxymoron – two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect such as “cruel kindness.” This typically happens between just a few words.

Paradox – something that is contradictory but true. Paradox is close to oxymoron but happens on the sentence level. Consider Orwell’s writing: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” (Animal Farm)

Personification – thing, idea, or an animal given human attributes. This gives the reader the ability to look at something as a human, which many argue helps us to understand the idea, thing, or animal better.

Point of view – this refers to who tells us a story and how it is told.

• Third-person narrator: he, she, they. Narrator does not participate in the action.
• First-person narrator: I

Protagonist – The main character of a narrative; its central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy.

Resolution – The conclusion of a plot’s conflict and complications. This is also known as “falling action” following the climax.

Sarcasm – to speak bitterly.

Simile – A comparison using “like” or “as”.

Subject – big idea of the text.

Symbolism – an object that is itself and something more.

Theme – main idea – or the thing that is being captured.

• Subject = War; Theme = A writer’s feelings about how war is a curse for humanity.

Tone – the perspective or attitude that the author adopts with regards to a specific character, place or development. Tone can portray a variety of emotions ranging from solemn, grave, and critical to witty, wry and humorous. Tone helps the reader ascertain the writer’s feelings towards a particular topic and this in turn influences the reader’s understanding of the story.