Literary Devices

What Are Literary Devices?

They say money talks, but mine just waves goodbye. ~ I'd tell you a joke about hyperboles, but I'm sure you've heard it a million times. ~ There was a fisherman named Fisher who fished for some fish in a fissure; til a fish with a grin pulled the fisherman in, now they're fishing the fissure for Fisher.

LITERARY DEVICES are a collection of universal artistic components that are typical of all literary works. They help give meaning and provide a logical framework for a story. Because of their universality, readers recognize these components, giving them a sense of familiarity with the piece and allowing them to compare a work of one writer to another, sometimes to determine its worth. Think of them as essential ingredients in a chef's kitchen.

The two forms of literary devices are Literary Elements and Literary Techniques (also known as Figures of Speech). And each has its own function and definition.

Literary Elements have an inherent existence in a story. They simply must exist for a story to be considered a literary work. For example: plot, setting, protagonist, theme. 

Literary Techniques are structures, usually a word or phrase, that writers employ to give readers a greater understanding and appreciation of their work. In contrast to Literary Elements, Literary Techniques are not an inherent aspect of stories. They serve to enhance stories. For example: metaphor, simile, alliteration, hyperbole. 

~ LITERARY ELEMENTS ~

PLOT - the logical sequence of events that develops a story

SETTING - the time and place in which a story takes place

HOOK - a dramatic action, a mysterious setting, an engaging character, or a thematic statement that draws in readers at the beginning of a story

CLIMAX - a point in the plot structure where tension reaches its peak, giving way to the falling action of the story

CLIFFHANGER - an exciting or suspenseful moment that marks the end of a section of narrative with the purpose of keeping audiences engaged in the story

FORESHADOWING - including hints of something that is yet to happen, inducing suspense and curiosity

PROTAGONIST - the main character of a story or play

ANTAGONIST - the character in conflict with the protagonist

NARRATOR (POV) - the person who tells the story, also known as POV (point of view)

DIALOGUE - the act in which characters of a narrative speak to one another

CONFLICT - an issue in a narrative around which the whole story revolves

MOOD - the general atmosphere of a narrative, e.g. scary, humorous, etc.

THEME - the central idea or concept of a story, e.g. righting a wrong, finding happiness, etc.

SATIRE - using exaggeration, irony, humor and other devices to poke fun at leaders, social customs or traditions and call them into question (think South Park and the paper cartoon children making savage fun of nearly every aspect of daily life)

MOTIF - a repeated element that has symbolic significance to a story and helps to illuminate the central ideas and themes (The Great Gatsby incorporates the motif of the color green to explore the empty promise of the American Dream by repeatedly associating the color with ideas of success, ambition, and wealth)

SYMBOLS / SYMBOLISM - using symbols as stand-ins to represent something beyond the literal meaning, such as a dark forest representing mystery and peril

~ LITERARY TECHNIQUES ~

IMAGERY - the use of figurative or metaphorical language to create visual representations of actions, objects and ideas so they appeal to our physical senses. For example: The house lay under a blanket of gloom, musty and cold from disuse. (blanket, gloom, musty and cold provide imagery)

SIMILE & METAPHOR - comparing two objects and drawing similarity between them. The difference is that simile uses "as" or "like" and metaphor does not. For example: My love is like a fragrant, red rose. (simile) He is an old fox, very cunning. (metaphor)

HYPERBOLE - a deliberate exaggeration of actions and ideas for the sake of emphasis. For example: Your bag weighs a ton!

PERSONIFICATION - gives a thing, an idea or an animal human qualities. For example: The flowers dance merrily beside the lake.

ALLITERATION - the same consonant sounds in words coming together. For example: Better butter always makes the batter better.

ALLEGORY - expresses complex, often abstract ideas in an approachable manner by giving them a form of characters, actions or events. For example: Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is an example of an allegory using the actions of animals on a farm to represent the overthrow of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II during the Communist Revolution before WW II. The animals are used to expose the greed and corruption of the Revolution.

IRONY - using words to mean the complete opposite of their literal meaning. For example: The bread is soft as a stone.

ONOMATOPOEIA - words which sound like the actions they describe. Batman is full of them. For example: Bang! Crash! Kerpow!  However, if you don't want your novel to sound like a comic book, use onomatopoeias more subtly: Emily loved the sound of her son's pony clip-clopping down the lane.

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📌PRO TIP: Avoid common descriptions. Use original and interesting figures of speech and readers will sit up and take notice.