Literary Terms 1
Shakespeare was a master of this, often having his characters engage in rapid-fire, witty banter full of double meanings.
What is wordplay?
If a writer mentions "opening Pandora's box," they are using this device to reference Greek mythology.
What is an allusion?
The statement "I must be cruel to be kind" from Hamlet is a famous example of this seemingly contradictory device.
What is a paradox?
Lord Voldemort serves this primary narrative role in the Harry Potter series.
What is an antagonist?
Calling someone "thrifty" implies a positive trait, whereas calling them "cheap" carries a highly negative this.
What is connotation?
In Poe's The Raven, the line "While I nodded, nearly napping" showcases this rhythmic device.
What is alliteration?
A fantasy author achieves this when their fictional magic system has strict, logical rules that make the world feel grounded and real.
What is verisimilitude?
The word "smog," created by combining "smoke" and "fog," is a classic example of this linguistic blend.
What is a portmanteau?
If you tell a quick story about your dog's antics to explain why you were late, you are employing this narrative device.
What is an anecdote?
A company might say they are "downsizing" or "restructuring" as this type of polite substitution for mass firings.
What is a euphemism?
This occurs in a horror movie when the audience sees the killer hiding in the closet, but the main character walks in blissfully unaware.
What is dramatic irony?
In The Hunger Games, the mockingjay pin serves as this, eventually representing the entire rebellion against the Capitol.
What is a symbol?
The Great Gatsby deals heavily with this emotion, as Gatsby is dangerously obsessed with recreating his romantic past.
What is nostalgia?
Winston Churchill's "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds" uses this technique to build rhetorical momentum.
What is anaphora?
When Shakespeare writes "Juliet is the sun," he is employing this classic figure of speech.
What is a metaphor?
This device is often referred to as "planting seeds" early in a story that will bloom into major plot points later on.
What is foreshadowing?
Langston Hughes' line "Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?" uses this technique to compare a deferred dream to a shriveled fruit.
What is a simile?
In Macbeth, the recurring presence of blood throughout the play serves as this, reinforcing the theme of guilt.
What is a motif?
A writer using this technique might expand "The dog was big" to "The dog was a massive, hulking beast with paws the size of dinner plates."
What is amplification?
This device is at play when a character claims they have "a million things to do today."
What is hyperbole?
Derived from a French word meaning "unknotting," it represents the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work.
What is the denouement?
This technique relies on loaded language, emotional appeals, and sometimes outright lies to sway public opinion rather than present objective truth.
What is propaganda?
A wealthy, opulent mansion sitting right next to a dilapidated, crumbling shack is a visual example of this contrast-highlighting device.
What is juxtaposition?
Writers intentionally use this to create mystery, leaving the reader to decide between multiple valid interpretations.
What is ambiguity?
"The golden, warm sunlight melted across the crisp, orange autumn leaves" relies heavily on this descriptive technique.
What is imagery?