Common Literary Devices/Techniques:
These are a handful of common literary devices/techniques. Think of these the tools in
an author’s toolbox that he or she uses to construct meaning/theme. Your job is,
always, to unpack meaning by looking at how a work is constructed.
Theme: A major idea or unifying subject that can be found throughout a reading. A
theme is more than one word; it is an idea that an author reveals through his/her
choices.
 “Love”=not a theme
 “All is fair in love an war”=closer to a theme, but is weak
 “While the clique states that all is fair in love and war, this narrow focus does not
consider the pain that these actions, completed in the name of love, might cause
to innocent parties in the lovers’ peripheral”=a theme
Symbol: A person, a place, a thing, or an event that has meaning in itself, and that also
stands for more than itself. In literature, a symbol may be widely known, or the author
may create symbol that is specific to the text and/or a character. Ex.: dove=symbol of
peace vs. mirror in “Dr. H’s Experiment”=Dr. H’s guilt.
Motif: A recurring element (symbol, device, idea/construct, reference, incident, etc) in a
work that serves to support and illuminate the development of theme. Ex.: fire in
Fahrenheit 451, the fog in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Allegory: A story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other
people and events, or for abstract ideas or qualities. We read an allegory on one level
for its literal meaning, and on one level for its allegorical meaning. Ex.: Animal Farm,
“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” The Wizard of Oz.
Archetype: A universal pattern in stories and mythologies that appears in literature
across cultures. It can be applied to a character type, a plot pattern or situation, an
image, an idea, a symbol, a theme, a place, etc. EX: the hero, the shadow, the mentor,
light vs. dark, good vs. evil, etc.
Diction: A speaker or writer’s choice of words. Diction can be formal, informal,
colloquial, full of slang, poetic, ornate, plain, abstract, concrete, etc. Diction depends on
a writer’s subject, purpose, and audience. Diction affects the tone of a work because it
signals the attitude that an author takes towards his or her subject. Whenever you
argue about diction, be prepared to tell your reader about the type/kind of diction you
notice.
Metaphor: A statement of identity between two unlike things that usually has the form
“he is a dog” or “she is a peach”. The relationship must not use the comparatives “like”,
“as”, “as if”, and “than” for if these are present the figure is a simile or analogy.
Simile: A figure of speech that expresses the resemblance of two different things by
comparing them using as or like. For example, “Come. Let's away to prison; we two
alone will sing like birds in the cage”.
Irony: A contrast between expectation and reality—between what’s said and what is
really meant, between what is expected to happen and what really happens, or
between what appears to be true and what is really true. Three common types:
Verbal irony: saying something when one means something completely different.
Character toasting the health of an unsuspecting victim. (Sarcasm can be ironic, but it’s
all about understanding/intent—song “Ironic” is not ironic…)
Situational irony: contrast between what would seem appropriate and what really
happens or when there is a contradiction between what we expect to happen and what
really takes place. Mercutio’s death in R and J.
Dramatic irony: When the audience or reader knows something important that a
character in a play or story does not know. We know that Daisy and Gatsby are having
an affair and Tom doesn’t.
Syntax: The standard word order and sentence structure of a language, as opposed to
diction (the actual choice of words) or content (the meaning of individual words).
Allusion: A casual reference in literature to a person, place, event, or another passage of
literature, often without explicit identification. Allusions can originate in mythology,
biblical references, historical events, legends, geography, or earlier literary works.
Authors often use allusion to establish a tone, create an implied association, contrast
two objects or people, make an unusual juxtaposition of references, or bring the reader
into a world of experience outside the limitations of the story itself. Sophocles alludes
to Danaë in order to make us understand ideas about Antigone.
Personification: Abstractions, animals, ideas, and inanimate objects are given human
character, traits, abilities, or reactions. Personification is particularly common in poetry,
but it appears in nearly all types of artful writing. When discussing the ways that
animistic religions personify natural forces with human qualities, scientists refer to this
process as "anthropomorphizing," sometimes with derogatory overtones. A special subtype of personification is prosopopoeia, in which an inanimate object is given the ability
of human speech.
Paradox (also called oxymoron): A statement that appears to be self-contradictory but
reveals a kind of truth. Common paradoxes seem to reveal a deeper truth through their
contradictions, such as "without laws, we can have no freedom” or “much madness is
divinest sense”.
Repetition: The choice to repeat a word, phrase, or structure in order to provide
emphasis.
Hyperbole: Extreme exaggeration. For example:“For you, my love weighs
More than the earth whole”
Parody: A parody imitates the serious manner and characteristic features of a particular
literary work in order to make fun of those same features. The humorist achieves
parody by exaggerating certain traits common to the work, much as a caricaturist
creates a humorous depiction of a person by magnifying and calling attention to the
person's most noticeable features. The term parody is often used synonymously with
the more general term spoof, which makes fun of the general traits of a genre rather
than one particular work or author. Often the subject matter of a parody is comically
inappropriate, such as using the elaborate, formal diction of an epic to describe
something trivial like washing socks or cleaning a dusty attic. Think: Saturday Night Live
skits.
Satire: An attack on or criticism of any stupidity or vice in the form of scathing humor, or
a critique of what the author sees as dangerous religious, political, moral, or social
standards. Satire became an especially popular technique used during the
Enlightenment, in which it was believed that an artist could correct folly by using art as a
mirror to reflect society. When people viewed the satire and saw their faults magnified
in a distorted reflection, they could see how ridiculous their behavior was and then
correct that tendency in themselves. The tradition of satire continues today. Popular
cartoons such as The Simpsons and televised comedies like The Daily Show make use of
it in modern media.
Flashback: A method of narration in which present action is temporarily interrupted so
that the reader can witness past events--usually in the form of a character's memories,
dreams, narration, or even authorial commentary. Flashback allows an author to fill in
the reader about a place or a character, or it can be used to delay important details until
just before a dramatic moment. Flashback to Daisy’s wedding night when she gets drunk
in The Great Gatsby.
Direct Characterization: The type of characterization in which the author reveals
information about the character by telling the audience directly what the character is
like: sneaky, generous, smart, mean, etc.
Indirect Characterization: The type of characterization in which the author forces the
reader to infer, or “figure out” the character based on what the character says, thinks,
feels, reacts, acts, and through his or her choices, appearance, and effect on others.
http://www.litencyc.com/glossaryMZ.php
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_s.html