Literary Terms and Devices

EnglishChu

alliteration a repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

examples:

over the cobbles he clattered and clashed
wooing wind

helps to:

give speed or driving force to a line of poetry

adds suspense or urgency to the tone

allusionreferences to familiar historical or literary persons or events that readers are expected to recognize and which enrich a work by introducing associations from another context

example:

“Mariana in the moated Grange” (Measure for Measure)

assonance the repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds, especially in stressed

syllables

example:

crusted / rusted

helps to:

slow the pace to add import to a line of poetry

promote thoughtfulness or melancholy to the tone

allow for approximate rhyme

antithesisa contrast of ideas expressed in a grammatically balanced statement

helps to:

create an obvious conflict or contrast for emphasis
provide a highly structured format as a vehicle for a strong idea

apostrophewhen the speaker directly addresses an absent or dead person, abstract quality, or something nonhuman as it is was present

helps to:

add the element of potential conflict, as if the person/thing being addressed might respond, therefore affecting tone

blank verseunrhymed iambic pentameter

helps to:

combine the structure of meter with the naturalness of speaking
add variety to patterns within a poem and sounds much like natural speech

characterization Characterization includes all of the techniques writers use to create and develop characters. These often include the characters’ words, actions, thoughts, and appearance.

cliché an overused phrase or expression

conflicta struggle between opposing forces

connotationideas and feelings associated with a word, as opposed to the dictionary definition

example:

“Father” and “pop” both refer to the same person, but have a different connotation. “Father” is a more respectful form of address.

helps to:

extend the possible connections to things familiar to the reader
allow for poetry license to create imagery, tone, etc.

consonancerepetition of final consonant sounds after different vowel sounds

example:

east-west
struts-frets
turn-torn

helps to:

allow for approximate rhyme
create continuity and flow through the poem or line of poetry

denotationA word’s denotation is its dictionary definition.

helps to:

provide a specific context for the reader
add precision to the poet’s theme, imagery, tone, etc.

dialoguethe words that characters speak aloud

dictionpoet’s choice of words

helps to:

support the poet’s style or reflects an era
provides clues to the tone and/or theme

dramaA drama, or play, is a form of literature meant to be performed.

fictionprose writing that tells an imaginary story

flashbackan interruption of the action to present a scene that took place at an earlier

time

foreshadowingwhen a writer provides hints about what will happen later in the story

free versepoetry which has no regular meter or rhyme

hyperbolefigure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, create

comic effects, or intense dramatic tone

helps to:

replace literal truth with a sense of intensity about the nature of something
allow the poet to make a significant point without excessive wording

imagerywords and phrases that appeal to the senses

helps to:

create tone, support theme, reveal allusions, etc.

ironya contrast between what is expected and what actually happens

metaphorfigure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike

things without using a connective word (like or as)

example:

The room was pig sty.

Metaphors…

may be directly or indirectly stated depending on a poet’s intentions
may be extended to develop an idea throughout the passage or poem

metonymyfigure of speech in which something closely related to a thing or suggestive of a thing is used as a substitute for the thing itself

example:

the crown = the king

helps to:

avoid trite or clichéd metaphors and standard imagery
add universality to the poem

moodthe atmosphere or feeling conveyed in a piece of literature

onomatopoeiathe use of words whose sound suggests their meaning

example:

whir
buzz
pop
sizzle

helps to:

reinforce meaning while creating evocative and musical effects
provide interest/depth to imagery or tone

oxymoronfigure of speech that combines apparently contradictory words in to a new

idea

paradoxan apparent contradiction that is actually true – two opposing ideas that are

combined to create a new idea with deeper meaning

parallelismrepetition of words or phrases that have the same grammatical structure or that restate a similar idea

helps to:

make lines emotional, rhythmic, and memorable

personificationthe giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

example:

The trees whispered in the breeze.

helps to:

provide an understandable context or connection for the reader
add a spiritual or supernatural quality to the poem – therefore depth

puna play on the multiple meanings of a word or on two words that sound

alike but have different meanings

helps to:

create a riddle effect within a poem
suggest a deeper or alternate meaning to the poem or its theme

refraina repeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines

helps to:

create rhythm, build suspense, or emphasize important words or ideas

repetitionrepeating words or phrases

rhymethe repetition of sounds at the end of the words

Types of rhyme:

End Rhyme
Internal Rhyme
Approximate Rhyme

rhythmpattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that creates a “beat”

similea comparison of two things that have some quality in common using the

words like or as

example:

She was blushing like a rose.

symbola person, place, object, or action that stands for something beyond itself

synaesthesiadescription of one kind of sensation in terms of another such as

substituting color for sound or taste

synecdochefigure of speech in which the part stands for the whole

helps to:

provide euphemisms commonly known to the reader
support allusions and motifs

tonethe writer’s attitude