Literary Devices Flashcards
allegory
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
foreshadowing
a device used by a writer to provide hints or clues to the reader or audience about what will happen later on in the text
form
the type or genre of a text that a writer has chosen to use
formal verse
a poem which uses a strict metre, rhyme and form, especially in fixed forms such as sonnets, villanelles, etc.
free verse
a poem that does not use a strict metre or rhyme scheme
genre
a specific literary style that involves a particular set of characteristics
haiku
a specific type of Japanese poem which has 17 syllables divided into three lines of five, seven, and five syllables
hamartia
the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy
heroic couplet
a verse form found in epic poetry, where the lines are in rhyming pairs
hubris
excessive pride or self-confidence
hyperbole
deliberate exaggeration used for effect
iambic pentameter
a verse line consisting of ten syllables, organised into five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables
idiom
a short expression or phrase that means something more than just its literal meaning
imagery
the use of words to describe ideas or situations
indirect characterisation
revealing details about a character without explicitly or directly stating what they are like
in medias res
a story which begins in the middle of events, without any introduction
internal rhyme
rhyme that occurs between words within a verse line
intertextuality
the relationship a text may have with other texts
irony
when there is a noticeable, often humorous, difference between what is written and its intended or expected meaning
juxtaposition
the placement of two or more things side by side, often in order to bring out their differences
language
the words, phrases and literary devices a writer uses for effect
litotes
understatement used for rhetorical effect
logos
an argument that appeals to someone’s sense of reason
malapropism
the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one of similar sound, often with humorous results
metaphor
a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison by relating one thing to another unrelated thing
metonymy
a figure of speech that refers to something by using a word that describes its qualities or is closely associated with it
metre
the regular and rhythmic arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables according to a particular pattern
monologue
an extended speech uttered by one character, either to others or as if alone
motif
a recurring image or idea in a piece of writing
narrative
the description of a series of events, usually in a novel
ode
a poem, especially one that is written in praise of a particular person, thing, or event
omniscient narrator
a narrator who is all-knowing about plot, characters as well as characters’ motivations and emotions
onomatopoeia
words whose pronunciations imitate the sounds they describe
oxymoron
a figure of speech that puts together opposite elements
paradox
a statement that contradicts itself, or that must be both true and untrue at the same time
parallelism
where similar ideas are arranged in phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that balance one element with another of equal importance and similar wording
parody
a humorous piece of writing, drama, or music which imitates the style of a well-known person or represents a familiar situation in an exaggerated way
pathetic fallacy
the use of inanimate objects, most commonly the weather, to reflect human feelings and tone
pathos
an appeal to an audience’s emotion, often evoking pity, sadness, or tenderness
persona
the narrative voice that a writer adopts for a specific piece of writing
personification
giving human characteristics to an inanimate object, abstract thing or an animal
perspective
the narrator’s point of view in a story
plot
the sequence of events that make up a narrative
polysyndeton
the overuse of the same connective (for example, using “and” in between every item in a long list)
prolepsis
where the order of events in a narrative is disrupted so that a future plot point is told earlier in the narrative than it actually occurs
prose
written language in its ordinary form (structured in sentences and paragraphs) rather than set out as poetry
protagonist
the chief character in a literary work
pun
the humorous use of a word or phrase that has several meanings or that sounds like another word
quatrain
a stanza of four lines
refrain
a word, line, or phrase repeated in a poem
repetition
the intentional repeating of certain words, phrases or other literary devices in a text
rhetoric
speech or writing intended to influence or persuade people
rhetorical question
a question that is used for dramatic effect that does not expect an answer
rhyme
a word that has the same last sound as another word
rhyme scheme
a poet’s chosen pattern of lines whose last syllables rhyme with other lines in a poem (for example ABAB, or CDCD)
rhyming couplet
a pair of rhyming lines of poetry, typically of the same length, next to each other
rhythm
a strong pattern of sounds or words in verse or prose, determined by the relation of long and short or stressed and unstressed syllables
rising action
the section of the narrative that leads towards its climax
satire
the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people’s stupidity or vices
second person
using the pronouns “you”, “your” and “yours” to refer to someone
sibilance
words which make a “s”, “z” or “sh” sound
simile
a description that uses “like” or “as” to compare two things that are not obviously similar, but share a common quality
soliloquy
a dramatic speech uttered by one character speaking aloud while alone on the stage (or while under the impression of being alone)
sonnet
a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter with a strict rhyme scheme
stanza
one of the parts into which a poem is divided
stream of consciousness
a type of narration where a character’s every thought and feeling is expressed directly to the reader
structure
the deliberate organisation of a text by an author
symbol
any image or thing that stands for something else
symbolism
a literary device in which a writer uses one thing to represent something more abstract
synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa
tautology
the use of different words to say the same thing twice in the same statement
tercet
a set or group of three lines of verse rhyming together or connected by rhyme with an adjacent triplet
theme
a central idea or topic in a literary or non-fiction text
third person
when the narrator of a story stands outside of the world of the story and relates the events using the pronouns “he”, “she”, “it” and “they”
tone
the attitude that a character, narrator or writer takes towards a given subject
trope
an idea, phrase or image that is recurrent in a writer’s work
villanelle
a 19-line poetic form consisting of five tercets (made up of three lines) followed by a quatrain (consisting four lines)
volta
a change in mood or focus in a poem
a literary work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas relating to morals, politics or religion
alliteration
words that begin with the same sound (often the repetition of letters) placed closely 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
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 the same or similar vowel sounds close together
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
caricature
a highly exaggerated representation of a character in a text, often for comic effect
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
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
dramatic irony
when the audience or reader knows something the characters in the story do not
direct characterisation
when an author explicitly tells a reader directly what a character is like
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
