Terms Library
80 terms available (80 default + 0 yours)
Showing 24 terms in Literary Devices
Allegory
Literary DevicesA story with a hidden symbolic meaning
Allusion
Literary DevicesAn indirect reference to another text, person, or event
Archetype
Literary DevicesA universal symbol, character type, or story pattern
Bildungsroman
Literary DevicesA coming-of-age story focused on character's moral and psychological growth
Dramatic Irony
Literary DevicesWhen the audience knows something characters don't
Euphemism
Literary DevicesA mild or indirect expression substituted for harsh reality
Foreshadowing
Literary DevicesHints or clues about future events in the story
Hyperbole
Literary DevicesExtreme exaggeration for emphasis or effect
Imagery
Literary DevicesDescriptive language that appeals to the five senses
In Medias Res
Literary DevicesBeginning a story in the middle of action
Irony
Literary DevicesA contrast between expectation and reality
Juxtaposition
Literary DevicesPlacing two elements side by side to highlight contrast
Metaphor
Literary DevicesA direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as"
Motif
Literary DevicesA recurring element that has symbolic significance
Onomatopoeia
Literary DevicesWords that imitate sounds
Oxymoron
Literary DevicesA figure of speech combining contradictory terms
Paradox
Literary DevicesA statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals truth
Personification
Literary DevicesGiving human characteristics to non-human things
Satire
Literary DevicesUse of humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize
Simile
Literary DevicesA comparison using "like" or "as"
Stream of Consciousness
Literary DevicesNarrative technique that depicts character's continuous flow of thoughts
Symbolism
Literary DevicesUsing an object, person, or situation to represent something else
Understatement
Literary DevicesDeliberately representing something as less important than it is
Unreliable Narrator
Literary DevicesA narrator whose credibility is compromised