Literary devices are techniques writers use to improve their work. They can hint at themes, convey the meaning of the story, or serve a wide variety of other purposes.
a
- AccumulationAccumulation is a literary device that relates to a list of words or phrases that have similar, if not the same, meanings.
- Active VoiceActive voice is used in a phrase in which the subject performs an action which is then expressed through a verb.
- Ad HominemAn ad hominem attack uses irrelevant information in an attempt to discredit someone's opinion or argument.
- AdynatonAdynaton is a literary device similar to hyperbole. It's an exaggeration that is stretched to the absolute extreme. The proffered scenario is impossible.
- Affective FallacyAffective Fallacy means wrongly evaluating a text by foregrounding its analysis on the reader's emotional responses.
- Alienation EffectThe alienation effect occurs when the writer makes a concerted effort to remind the audience that they’re engaged in something artificial.
- AllegoryAn allegory is a narrative found in verse and prose in which a character or event is used to speak about a broader theme.
- AlliterationAlliteration is the repetition of a letter or sound at the beginning of multiple words.
- AllusionAn allusion is an indirect reference to, including but not limited to, an idea, event, or person. It is used within both prose and verse writing.
- AmplificationAmplification is a rhetorical device that’s used to improve a sentence or statement with additional information.
- AnachronismAn anachronism is an error in the timeline or chronology of a piece of literature. This can be a purposeful or accidental error.
- AnacoluthonAnacoluthon occurs when the writer changes the expected grammatical structure of a sentence and interrupts it with another sentence.
- AnadiplosisAnadiplosis refers to the repetition of words so that the second clause starts with the same word/s that appeared in the previous.
- AnagnorisisAnagnorisis is the moment in a play, or other literary work, in which a character makes an important discovery.
- AnaphoraAnaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines, usually in succession.
- AnastropheAnastrophe, also known as inversion, is a literary technique in which a writer changes the normal order of words.
- AnecdoteAnecdotes are short stories used in every day conversation in order to inspire, amuse, caution and more.
- AntagonistThe antagonist, in literature, is a character who is considered to be the rival of the protagonist.
- AntanaclasisAntanaclasis is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used several times and the meaning changes.
- AntecedentAn antecedent is a literary device in which a pronoun or noun refers to an earlier phrase or word.
- AnthimeriaAnthimeria, also known as antimeria, refers to the use of a word in a new grammatical form, such as changing nouns to verbs.
- AnthropomorphismAnthropomorphism is used to make inanimate objects, forces and animals appear to actually be human beings.
- AnticlimaxAn anticlimax occurs when the author builds a reader’s expectations. Then, they fail to fulfill them in some fundamental way.
- Anti-HeroAn anti-hero is a character who is characterized by contrasting traits. This person has some of the traits of a hero and of a villain.
- AntimetaboleAntimetabole is the repetition of words, in reverse order, in successive clauses.
- AntistasisAntistasis, also known as antanadasis, is a powerful literary technique that has been used by poets for centuries. It involves the repetition of a word or phrase in order to create emphasis and rhyme.
- AntistropheAntistrophe is a rhetorical device that’s concerned with the repetition of the same word or words at the end of consecutive phrases.
- AphorismAphorisms are short, serious, humorous, and philosophical truths about life.
- AphorismusAphorismus is a figure of speech that occurs when a word’s use is called into question.
- AposiopesisAposiopesis is defined as a figure of speech in which the writer stops a line of text in the middle of a sentence.
- ApostropheApostrophe, in poetry, is a figure of speech in which a character or speaker addresses someone who is absent.
- ArchetypeArchetypes are universal symbols. They are characters, themes, and settings that appear throughout literary works.
- AsideAn aside is a dramatic device that is used within plays to help characters express their inner thoughts.
- AssertionAn assertion is a strong statement someone makes. It’s spoken as though it's true, even though it may not be.
- AssonanceAssonance occurs when two or more words that are close to one another use the same vowel sound.
- AtmosphereAtmosphere is a literary technique that is concerned with the feeling readers get from the elements of a narrative.
- AttitudeIn literature, attitude refers to the tone a writer takes on whatever they are writing. It can come through in a character’s intentions, histories, emotions, and actions.
- AudienceThe audience of a piece of literature, a film, or a song, is the group for which an artist or writer makes a piece of art or writes.
- Authorial IntrusionAuthorial intrusion occurs when the writer breaks the wall of their work and addresses the reader. This can happen in any genre.
- AuxesisAuxesis is a literary device that is used to intensify the meaning and importance of a word, phrase, or idea.
b
- BandwagonBandwagon is a persuasive style of writing that is used to convince readers of an argument or make them understand a certain perspective.
- BathosBathos is defined as a sudden, jolting change in the tone of a work. This could occur in a poem, play, story, or film.
- Black HumorBlack humor is a literary device that's used in all forms of literature in order to discuss taboo subjects in a less distressing way.
c
- CacophonyCacophony in literature is the combination of loud and harsh-sounding words.
- CadenceCadence is the natural rhythm of a piece of text, created through a writer’s selective arrangement of words, rhymes, and the creation of meter.
- CaesuraA caesura is a break or pause in the middle of a line of verse. These breaks can be towards the beginning, middle, or the end of a line.
- CaricatureA caricature is a device used in writing, as well as in visual arts, when a character or subject is exaggerated.
- CatalogA catalog is a collection of people, objects, ideas, and other elements in list form within poetry or prose.
- CatastropheA catastrophe is a turning point in a story, usually a tragedy, in which something terrible happens to the main character/s.
- CatharsisCatharsis occurs when pent-up emotions are released through an art form, whether that be visual arts or literary arts.
