Literary Devices
A comparison of two unlike things in which no word of comparison is used
metaphor
When the author SHOWS the reader personality traits of the characters. These are the main tools of indirect characterization:
Indirect Characterization
A character has a problem deciding what to do in a situation (usually within the character’s mind)
person vs. self
an appeal to what is felt (the emotions)
pathos
The narrator is outside the story, but only tells the reader the thoughts, feelings, and background of one or two characters
3rd person limited
the pairing of two things or concepts that are opposite of one another or highly contrasting
juxtaposition
A character with a myriad of traits, some good, some bad, some sympathetic, some not
round or complex character
One character has a problem with another
person vs. person
The deliberate repetition of the first part of a sentence (repetition for emphasis)
anaphora
The story is told by one of the characters
first person or participant
a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically unacceptable conclusion.
paradox
A character who changes in the course of the story; often, the protagonist of a story is a dynamic character.
dynamic or developing character
A character has a problem with a force of nature(avalanche, earthquake, heat, etc)
person vs. nature
Pleasant word to replace harsher / more critical word:
ex: “He passed away…” instead of “He died.”
euphemism
The story is told by a narrator who is not a part of the story. The narrator is like god in that he or she can tell the reader about the thoughts, feelings, histories, and motivations of all of the characters
Non-participant or 3rd person omniscient
The implied meanings of a word; the personal and cultural associations the reader has with the word
connotative meaning
A sidekick whose purpose in the story is to reveal character traits about the protagonist or antagonist
foil
A character has a problem with an uncontrollable problem; fate or a supernatural force appear to be at work
person vs. fate
Asking a question and then directly answering it.
hypophora
Allows the narrator to record the action from his or her own point of view, unaware of any of the characters’ thoughts; narration is dispassionate and seeks to “report” the facts of the story
3rd person objective
An expression or vocabulary that is usually part of informal conversations and settings, heavily influenced by geography and/or culture
Colloquialism
A protagonist who experiences an inner struggle because of a character flaw; the struggle ends in the defeat of the character. Ex: Othello
A protagonist who experiences an inner struggle because of a character flaw; the struggle ends in the defeat of the character
A character has a problem with society (school, the law, the accepted way of doing things)
person vs. society
make an understatement by using a negative to emphasize a positive. Ex: “She’s NOT a bad singer…”
litotes
The narrator tells the story via his or her own thought exactly as they occur, all random and jumbled together.
stream of consciousness