Literary Devices

Antithesis Setting side by side opposite ideas or words, so that one lights up the other through contrast. Parallelism Sentences or verses in a row with the same construction, so that the reader compares what changes from one to the next. Irony Saying one thing while meaning another, often the opposite. The true meaning is left to whoever reads or hears. Metaphor Saying one thing by means of another, with no 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 is identified with. Hyperbole Deliberate exaggeration, which no one takes literally, used to add emphasis to a feeling or a situation. Dramatic Irony The reader or audience knows something the character does not, so the character's words and deeds take on a meaning he himself does not perceive. 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. Story Within a Story A story told, staged, or written within the work itself, which mirrors or comments on the main story. Simile Bringing two different things together with an explicit word, such as "like," "just as," or "seems." Unlike the metaphor, the simile makes plain that there are two things. Pun Wordplay on words of similar sound or on the several meanings of a single word, to make a joke or to say two things at once. Intrusive Narrator The narrator interrupts the story to comment, judge, give an opinion, or speak directly to the reader. Repetition Returning to the same word, the same sentence, or the same construction, at the start of successive verses or sentences (anaphora) or throughout the text, to give rhythm, emphasis, or insistence. Apostrophe The speaker addresses someone absent or dead, a thing, a place, or an idea, as if they could hear. Paradox A statement that seems to contradict itself or common sense but, when thought through, reveals a truth. Foreshadowing A sign, saying, or image that anticipates, sometimes only for a rereader, something that will happen later in the work. Metonymy Naming one thing by another connected to it: the part for the whole, the object for its owner, the place for the people, the cause for the effect. Personification Giving a thing, an animal, or an abstract idea the actions, feelings, or speech of a person. Situational Irony What happens is the opposite of what was expected or planned, in a way that reveals something about the characters or the world of the work. Oxymoron Joining, in a short phrase, two words of opposite meaning, such as "sweet bitterness." Allusion A brief reference, without explanation, to a person, text, myth, or fact known outside the work, which brings with it the meaning of that other story. Satire Criticism of people, customs, or institutions through ridicule, exaggeration, or irony. 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.