Literary Devices

Paradox A statement that seems to contradict itself or common sense, but which, when thought through, reveals a truth. Intrusive Narrator The narrator interrupts the story to comment, judge, give an opinion, or speak directly to the reader. Metaphor Saying one thing by means of 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 with which it has been identified. Antithesis Placing opposing ideas or words side by side, so that one illuminates the other through contrast. Leitmotif 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. Personification Giving a thing, an animal or an abstract idea the actions, feelings or speech of a person. Foreshadowing A sign, said or image that anticipates, sometimes only for those who reread, something that will happen later in the work. Rhetorical Question A question asked without expecting an answer, because the answer is already implied, or because what matters is the doubt it exposes. Euphemism Saying in a soft, indirect or disguised way something harsh, ugly or forbidden to name. Parallelism Phrases or verses set out with the same construction, so that the reader compares what changes from one to the other. Hyperbole Deliberate exaggeration, which no one takes literally, to give emphasis to a feeling or a situation. 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, like "sweet bitterness." Repetition Returning to the same word, phrase or construction, at the start of successive verses or sentences (anaphora) or throughout the text, to give rhythm, emphasis or insistence. Simile Bringing two different things together with an explicit word, such as "like," "just as" or "seems." Unlike metaphor, the comparison makes clear that they are two things. Irony Saying one thing while meaning another, often the opposite. The true meaning is left to the reader or listener. Allusion A brief reference, without explanation, to a person, a text, a myth or a fact known outside the work, which carries with it the meaning of that other story. Free Indirect Discourse The narrator speaks in the third person, but with the words, tone and way of thinking of a character, without quotation marks or "he thought": the voice of the narrator and that of the character blend. Satire Criticism of people, customs or institutions through ridicule, exaggeration or irony. Flashback The narration interrupts the order of time and returns to events earlier than the point the story has reached.