Literary Devices

• tone

  the attitude a writer takes towards the subject of a literary work, which can sometimes change throughout the work depending on their word choice
• theme

  the underlying thought or central idea behind the story that demonstrates how the author feels about some universal truth
• speaker/persona

  (in poetry) the character who 'speaks to' the reader or audience
• symbol

  an object used to stand for something beyond its literal meaning
• simile

  a comparison between things using 'like' or 'as
• sarcasm

  a mocking taunt intended to wound
• rhetorical question

  a question asked for persuasive effect with an implied answer
• personification

  attributing human qualities or traits to objects
• pathos

  a quality which incites pity, sorrow, or sympathy
• paradox

  an apparent contradiction or a contradictory statement or proposition
• pathetic fallacy

  when the weather reflects or represents the mood
• onomatopoeia

  a device in which a word imitates the sound it represents
• oxymoron

  combining contradictory words or phrases to produce a rhetorical effect
• mood

  the emotional state of the author evoked by the writing
• metaphor

  making a figurative comparison without using the words like or as
• metonymy

  when the name of one thing is made to represent the whole
• juxtaposition

  an elaborate contrast of imagery or ideas to enhance meaning, putting two separate things/ideas next to each other to highlight their differences
• (verbal) irony


  a mode of expression, through words conveying a reality different from usually opposite to the expectation, where the writer may say the opposite of what is actually intended
• imagery

  the use of language to appeal to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) and form mental images, figures, or likeness of things
• hyperbole

  obvious and deliberate exaggeration by the writer
• hubris

  excessive pride or self-confidence
• foreshadowing

  a hint from the author about what is going to happen later in the story
• flashback

  an event from a character's memory that took place before the action of the story, used to introduce background information after the conflict has begun
• euphemism

  substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant
• conflict

  the problem around which the action centers, usually between characters or between a character and some outside force, such as nature. A character can also have an inner conflict where one must make a choice
• catharsis

  the purging of emotion
• assonance

  repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within nearby words
• archetype

  an embodiment of the 'universal' human experience
• anachronism

  something or someone not in its correct historical or chronological time
• alliteration


  repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words
• allegory

  a story with underlying abstract concepts or qualities
• allusion

  a reference to a mythological, historical figure, literature, the Bible, or any other sacred or religious text