Literary devices are techniques that writers use to express their ideas and enhance their writing. Literary devices highlight important concepts in a text, strengthen the narrative, and help readers connect to the characters and themes.

Some literary devices double as rhetorical devices, which are used to convey meaning and/or persuade readers on a certain point. The difference is that literary devices can be used to enhance writing in many different ways, not all of which involve trying to convince readers of something. Basically, literary devices are artistic; rhetorical devices are informative and persuasive.

Some common literary devices:

• A simile draws resemblance between two things by saying “Thing A is like Thing B,” or “Thing A is as [adjective] as Thing B.” As a result, it is probably the most common literary device in writing — you can almost always recognize a simile through the use of “like” or “as.”

• A metaphor compares two similar things by saying that one of them is the other. As you'd likely expect, when it comes to literary devices, this one is a heavy hitter.

• Imagery appeals to readers’ senses through highly descriptive language.

• Irony creates contrast between how things seem and how they really are. There are three types of literary irony: dramatic (when readers know what will happen before characters do), situational (when readers expect a certain outcome, only to be surprised by a turn of events), and verbal (when the intended meaning of a statement is the opposite of what was said).

• Symbolism is the use of tangible symbols to represent abstract concepts and ideas in stories Symbols typically are derived from objects or are non-human — for instance, a dove might represent peace, or raven might represent death.

• Flashbacks to previous events split up present-day scenes in a story, usually to build suspense toward a big reveal.

• Foreshadowing is when the author hints at events yet to come in a story. Similar to flashbacks (and often used in conjunction with them), this technique is also used to create tension or suspense .

• Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that emphasizes the significance of the statement’s actual meaning. When a friend says, "Oh my god, I haven't seen you in a million years," that's hyperbole

• A motif is a symbol, concept, or image that recurs throughout the novel and helps develop the theme of the narrative. This might be a symbol, concept, or image.

• An allegory is a type of narrative that uses characters and plot to depict abstract ideas and themes. In an allegorical story, things represent more than they appear to on the surface. Many children's fables, such as The Tortoise and the Hare, are simple allegories about morality — but allegories can also be dark, complex, and controversial

• Juxtaposition places two or more dissimilar characters, themes, concepts, etc. side by side, and the profound contrast highlights their differences. Why is juxtaposition such an effective literary device? Well, because sometimes the best way for us to understand something is by understanding what it’s not.

• Point of view is, of course, the mode of narration in a story. There are many POVs an author can choose, and each one will have a different impact on the reading experience.

• Personification uses human traits to describe non-human things.

• Alliteration describes a series of words in quick succession that all start with the same letter or sound. Example: “Peter Piper picked a pot of pickled peppers.”

• An allusion is a passing or indirect descriptive reference to something. Example: “This list of literary devices will turn me into a bona fide Mark Twain.”

• Anachronism is when something happens or is attributed to a different era than when it actually existed. Example: Cassius in Julius Caesar says that “the clock has stricken three," even though mechanical clocks had not been invented yet.

• Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a series of clauses or sentences. Example: Martin Luther King’s“I Have A Dream” speech. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed … and I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia … I have a dream that little children will one day live in a nation...”

More literary elements and examples can be found at this link.

Vocabulary

• Analysis: The process or result of identifying the parts of a whole and their relationships to one another.

• Characterization: The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities.

• Climax: The turning point in a narrative; the moment when the conflict is at its most intense. Typically, the structure of stories, novels, and plays is one of rising action, in which tension builds to the climax.

• Conflict/Problem: A struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions.

• Literary Elements: The essential techniques used in literature (e.g., characterization, setting, plot, theme).

• Plot: The structure of a story. The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. The plot may have a protagonist who is opposed by an antagonist, creating what is called conflict.

• Resolution: The portion of a story following the climax, in which the conflict is resolved. The resolution of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is neatly summed up in the following sentence: “Henry and Catherine were married, the bells rang, and everybody smiled.”

• Rising Action: The part of a story where the plot becomes increasingly complicated. Rising action leads up to the climax, or turning point.

• Setting: The time and place in which a story unfolds.

• Theme: A central idea or message of a piece of writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work.

• Thesis Statement: The basic argument advanced by a speaker or writer who then attempts to prove it; the subject or major argument of a speech or composition.

Helps and Hints

Link to Illustrated List of Literary Devices, Terms, and Words