Literary Devices
A comparison using the word like or as
What is a similie?
told in 3rd person from an all-knowing perspective
3rd person omniscient point of view
The time and place where a story occurs. The setting can be specific (e.g., New York City in 1930) or ambiguous (e.g., a large urban city during economic hard times). Also refers directly to a description thereof.
Setting
A figurative comparison between two things to emphasize aspects of them
The “voice” of a poem; not to be confused with the poet him/herself. Analogous to the narrator in prose fiction.
Speaker
a phrase or assertion that appears to contradict itself
What is a Paradox?
told in 3rd person, but from one character's perspective
3rd person limited point of view
The use of specific objects or images to represent abstract ideas. This term is commonly misused, describing any and all representational relationships, which in fact are more often metaphorical than symbolic.
Symbolism
Where the meaning is intended to be the exact opposite of what the words actually mean. (Sarcasm is a tone of voice that often accompanies verbal irony, but they are not the same thing.)
Verbal Irony
The main idea or message conveyed by the piece. A theme is generally stated as a complete sentence; an idea expressed as a single word or fragmentary phrase is a motif.
Theme
placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts
The identity of the narrative voice; the person or entity through whom the reader experiences the story. May be third-person (no narrator; omniscient or limited) or first-person (narrated by a character in the story who either merely observes or directly participates). Point-of-view is a commonly misused term; it does not refer to the author’s (or characters’) feelings, opinions, perspectives, biases, etc.
Point-of-view
here inanimate objects or abstract concepts are seemingly endowed with human self-awareness; where human thoughts, actions and perceptions are directly attributed to inanimate objects or abstract ideas
Personification
A contradiction in terms.
Oxymoron
Where future events in a story, or perhaps the outcome, are suggested by the author before they happen. Foreshadowing can take many forms and be accomplished in many ways, with varying degrees of subtlety. However, if the outcome is deliberately and explicitly revealed early in a story (such as by the use of a narrator or flashback structure), such information does not constitute foreshadowing.
Foreshadowing
The manner in which the various elements of a story are assembled.
Structure
Use of similar or identical language, structures, events, or ideas in different parts of a text.
Parallelism
a commonly used phrase that signifies something very different than its literal meaning
Idiom
A recurring idea or concept present in a literary work
What is a Motif?
the character's traits are implied and require an inference based on their actions, or words, or other characters reactions
Indirect characterization
near or oblique rhyme. words within or at the end of lines ALMOST rhyme
Slant Rhyme
A struggle between opposing forces which is the driving force of a story. The outcome of any story provides a resolution of the conflict(s); this is what keeps the reader reading. Conflicts can exist between individual characters, between groups of characters, between a character and society, etc., and can also be purely abstract (conflicting ideas)
Conflict