Literary Devices Flashcards
Exposition
The introduction to a story, including the primary characters’ names, setting, mood and time.
Paradox
A statement that appears to contradict itself but upon further inspection reveals a deeper truth, meaning, or joke.
Juxtaposition
When you place two concepts or objects next to or near each other, thereby highlighting their innate differences and similarities.
Cliffhanger
A literary device that ends a section of a story in a stunning event or a big dramatic question.
Metaphor
A comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated.
Extended Metaphor
When a writer compares unrelated objects or ideas with figurative language for more than a sentence.
Similie
A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.”
Analogy
A literary device used to compare similarities between two unrelated things as a way to make a point through the comparison.
Allusion
An implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text.
Motif
A repeated pattern—an image, sound, word, or symbol that comes back again and again within a particular story.
Symbol
A literary symbol is an object, a person, a situation, or an action that has a literal meaning in a story but suggests or represents other meanings.
Imagery
A vivid, detailed description of an object or scene.
Archetypes
A recognizable character type that appears again and again in narratives across cultures.
Onomatopoeia
A literary device that uses the letter sounds of a word to imitate the natural sound emitted from an object or action.
Hyperbole
A literary device used to emphasize or draw attention to a certain element in a story.