Literary Devices

Repetition Returning to the same word, the same phrase, or the same construction, at the start of verses or of successive sentences (anaphora) or throughout the text, to give rhythm, emphasis, or insistence. Metaphor Saying one thing through another, without a word of comparison: instead of saying that something is like another thing, one says that it is. The image transfers to the subject the qualities of the thing it has been identified with. Paradox A statement that seems to contradict itself or common sense but which, once thought through, reveals a truth. Antithesis Placing opposing ideas or words side by side, so that one illuminates the other through contrast. Irony Saying one thing while meaning another, often the opposite. The true meaning is left to the reader or listener. Rhetorical question A question asked without expecting an answer, either because the answer is already implied or because what matters is the doubt it exposes. Comparison Bringing two different things together with an explicit word, such as "like," "just as," or "seems." Unlike metaphor, comparison makes clear that there are two things. Parallelism Sentences or verses in a row with the same construction, so that the reader compares what changes from one to the next. Dramatic irony The reader or audience knows something the character does not, so the character's words and deeds take on a meaning that the character does not perceive. Leitmotiv A word, phrase, or image that returns several times throughout the work, tied to a character or an idea, and gains meaning with each return. Hyperbole Deliberate exaggeration, which no one takes literally, used to give emphasis to a feeling or a situation. Allusion A brief reference, without explanation, to a person, a text, a myth, or a known fact from outside the work, which carries with it the meaning of that other story. Sensory imagery A description that appeals to the senses (what is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched) and makes the reader perceive the scene, not only understand it. Euphemism Saying in a soft, indirect, or disguised way something harsh, ugly, or forbidden to name. Situational irony What happens is the opposite of what was expected, or of what someone planned, in a way that reveals something about the characters or about the world of the work. Oxymoron Joining two words of opposite meaning in one short expression, such as "bittersweet." Satire Criticism of people, customs, or institutions through ridicule, exaggeration, or irony. Story within a story A story told, staged, or written within the work itself, which mirrors or comments on the main story.