Literary Devices
Instructions: Track your understanding of the following devices in order to apply them to your textual analysis.
Device Definition Example
Literary Elements
A literary element is an essential characteristic of all works of written and spoken narrative fiction.
Setting The time and place a story takes place Can be real → New York
Can be imagined → Hogwarts
Time Period → Past/Present/Future
Character A person in a play, novel, or movie Harry Potter / Draco Malfoy / Four / Tris
Plot The main events in a story, play, or movie Exposition, Rising Action, Conflict, Falling Action, Resolution
are all a part of the plot
Conflict The problems that occur in a story Man vs Self / Man vs Man / Man vs Nature / Man vs Society /
Man vs Supernatural
Theme The central idea of the story - implied rather than Beauty / Good vs Evil / Coming of age / Loyalty / Betrayal /
stated Life or Death / Justice / Family / Love
Point of View The author’s way of deciding who is telling the story to First Person / Second Person / Third Person (Limited or
whom in which perspective Omniscient)
Tone Expresses the author’s attitude or feelings toward the Airy / Comic / Condescending / Heavy / Intimate / Ironic /
topic or subject at hand Playful / Sad / Sinister
Literary Technique
A literary technique is a deliberate construction of language or style that an author chooses to employ to create deeper meaning.
Metaphor Figure of speech that describes an object or action “A firecracker is full of energy and vibrancy. That firecracker
that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or child is probably running around the house and full of sass”
make a comparison
Simile Figure of Speech involving the comparison of one “Brave as a lion” / “Crazy like a fox”
thing with another of a different kind – used to make a
description more vivid
Hyperbole Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to take “I’m so confused – my head is spinning”
literally
Personification Giving a human attribute or trait to a nonliving thing “The trees danced in the wind”
Irony The use of words to express something that is the “The Unsinkable Titanic” - goes ahead and sinks on its first
exact opposite to the literal meaning – used to create trip
humor
Foreshadowing A warning or indication of a future event “As she waved goodbye to Tom when he left for work that
morning, Esther couldn’t help feeling something was very,
very wrong” - Tom’s car crashes in the evening
Imagery Visually descriptive or figurative language “As she stepped outside the office building, she thought the
bright, beaming sunlight would blind her”
Juxtaposition Two contradicting ideas words, or elements Night & Day / Good & Evil / War & Peace
Symbolism The use of words or images to represent something Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe represents
beyond its literal meaning Christ
Allusion An implied or indirect reference to an external idea “See what a grade was seated on this brow, / Hyperion’s curls,
(person, event or thing, or to another part of text) the front of Jove himself, / An eye like Mars’ to threaten and
command”
References: Hyperion (1 of 12 Titan children with curly hair),
Jove (another name for Zeus or Jupiter with a prominent
forehead), and Mars (Roman name for the God of War)
Analogy Used to compare similarities between two unrelated “Tis but thy name that is my enemy; / Thou art thyself, though
things as a way to make a point through the not a Montague. / What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, /
comparison nor arm, nor face, nor any other part / Belonging to a man. O,
be some other name! / What’s in a name? That which we call a
rose / By any other name would smell as sweet; / So Romeo
would, were he not Romeo call’d, / Retain that dear perfection
which he owes / Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, /
And for that name, which is no part of thee / Take all myself.”
Able to compare a rose, its smell, and its name to Romeo, his
character, and his name. Not only does it make the speech
romantically poetic, but effectively communicates an abstract
idea in a concise and relatable way.
Allegory A symbolic fictional narrative that conveys a Parables, myths, and fables are all considered types of
secondary meaning(s) not explicitly set forth in the allegories.
literal narrative
Motif A recurring concept or idea in a story – an image, Heart is the symbol for love
word, sound, or symbol
Mood Refers to the emotional response that the author Funny / Sad / Creepy / Cheerful / Nostalgic / Curious
wishes to provoke in the readers
Satire A humorous way of criticizing people or ideas to show The Simpsons - satires on family, TV, religion, and the
that they have faults or are wrong American lifestyle
Oxymoron Figure of Speech in which contradictory terms appear “Deafening silence” or “Organized Chaos”
in conjunction
Voice Rhetorical mixture of vocabulary, tone, point of view, “George watched as the boat slowly sank. He felt relief mixed
and syntax, that makes phrases, sentences, and with guilt.”
paragraphs flow in a particular method
