Literary Devices Flashcards
allegory
a work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas that relate to morals, religion or politics
alliteration
words that begin with the same sound (often the repetition of letters) placed close together
allusion
an unexplained or implicit reference to someone or something outside of the text
analogy
where two unrelated objects are compared for their shared qualities
anaphora
the repetition of the same phrase at the beginning of a sentence or clause
anecdote
a short and interesting story, or an amusing event, often proposed to support or demonstrate a point
antagonist
a character who opposes the main character
anthropomorphism
where an animal or non-human object is given human form, behaviour or personality
antithesis
a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else
aphorism
a short statement that is intended to express a general truth
apostrophe
addressing a person who is not present, or a thing that is personified
archetype
a typical example of something, or the original model of something from which others are copied
assonance
the repetition of similar sounds that are close together, created by the same vowels, or the same consonants and different vowels
asyndeton
where conjunctions are left out between words or parts of a sentence, often creating a list-like style
ballad
a type of poem that tells a narrative which was traditionally set to music and usually written in quatrains
bildungsroman
a narrative or novel about events and experiences in the life of the main character as they mature and become an adult
blank verse
a type of poetry that does not rhyme, usually with ten syllables in each line
caesura
a pause within a line of poetry
caricature
a highly exaggerated representation of a character in a text, often for comic effect
catharsis
the release of strong or repressed emotions, usually by an audience
characterisation
the act of creating and describing characters in literature, including their traits and psychological make-up
chiasmus
when words, grammatical constructions or concepts are repeated in reverse order
cliché
something or someone that is not at all original, surprising or interesting because it has very often been seen before
climax
the highest point of tension or drama in a piece of writing
colloquialism
the use of informal words or phrases in writing or speech
connotation
a feeling or idea that is implied by a word that is separate from its dictionary meaning
consonance
the same consonant sound repeated within a group of words
couplet
a pair of consecutive lines of poetry that create a complete thought or idea
denotation
the literal meaning or dictionary definition of a word
denouement
the resolution of conflict in a narrative plot structure
deus ex machina
an unnatural or very unlikely end to a story or event, that solves or removes any problems easily
dialogue
the exchange of spoken words between characters in a piece of writing
direct characterisation
when an author explicitly tells a reader directly what a character is like
dramatic irony
when the audience or reader knows something the characters in the story do not
dramatic monologue
a poem written as if someone is speaking to an unseen listener about important thoughts
dystopian
an cruel or unfair society, especially an imaginary society in the future, in which there is a lot of hardship or suffering
elegy
a serious, melancholic poem, often written to mourn the loss of someone who has died
end rhyme
when the last syllables or words in two or more lines rhyme with each other
end-stopped line
a line of poetry ending in a grammatical break, for example with a full stop
enjambment
the continuing of a sentence from one line of a poem into the next line
epigraph
a poem, quotation, or sentence, usually placed at the beginning of a piece of writing
ethos
an argument that appeals to an audience’s morality by highlighting the speaker’s credibility or trustworthiness
euphemism
a word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word
exposition
the description or explanation of background information within a work of literature
extended metaphor
a metaphor that is further developed throughout all or part of a piece of writing
falling action
the part of the plot that occurs after the climax has been reached and the major conflict has happened
fiction
literature in the form of prose that describes imaginary events and people
figurative language
the use of non-literal phrases or words to elicit an emotional response from a reader or audience
first person
when a story is narrated by one character from their own perspective, usually using the pronouns “I”, “me” and “my”
flashback
a device that moves the reader from the present moment in a chronological piece of writing to a scene in the past
