Literary Devices  - Definitions

allegory - An extended narrative which carries a second meaning along with its surface story. Generally, the characters in an allegory do not have individual psychologies but are incarnations of abstract idea and may bear such names as Lechery, Pride, Meekness, etc. An allegory can be a prose narrative or a poem.

alliteration - the close repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words. “To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark, dock,” W. S. Gilbert, The Mikado

analogy - a resemblance of two different things, sometimes expressed as a simile

anecdote - A brief narrative concerning a particular individual or incident.

antistrophe - The second of the stanzas which make up the triad of the Pindaric ode. Also, to move to the left, as in the movement of a Greek chorus.

antithesis - a rhetorical figure in which sharply opposing ideas are expressed within a balanced grammatical structure; the exact opposite.

archetype - See handouts

aside - In the theater, a short passage spoken in an undertone or directed to the audience. It is presumed to be inaudible to the other characters on the stage.

assonance - The close repetition of similar vowels sounds, usually in stressed syllables. Ex: “ Twinkle, Twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.”

blank verse  - unrhymed poetry, specifically unrhymed iambic pentameter.

cacophony - discordant or harsh sounds which are frequently introduced for poetic effect; may be the result of difficulty with articulation ex: “A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch and blue spurt of a lighted match.” Meeting at Night

catharsis - The purging of the emotions of pity & fear aroused by the actions of the tragic hero.

chorus - Greek A grp., usually 12 to 15, young men who performed at religious festivals and later in plays. Playwrights used them as commentators, advisors, as part of the action, and to portray the author’s point-of-view to the audience. (See handout & Greek theater power point notes)

consonance - The close repetition of identical  consonant sounds before and after different vowels, such as “ flip-flop,” “feel - fill.”

denouement - The events following the major climax of a plot; sometimes the final scene in which mysteries are unraveled and misunderstandings are set straight.

epiphany – a sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something; an intuitive grapsp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking. (3): an illuminating discovery

ethos - ethical

falling action - The part of the play following the climax.

figurative language - a figure of speech, usually a simile comparing dissimilar objects - ex: “blind as a bat”

hubris - Greek - insolence; too much pride; the emotion in the Greek tragic hero which leads him to ignore warnings from the gods or to transgress against their moral codes.

hyperbole - A figure of speech in which emphasis is achieved by deliberate exaggeration. Ex: they were packed in the subway like sardines.

irony - A device by which a writer expresses a meaning contrary to the stated one. It may be that s/he intends the opposite of the literal meaning, or they may construct a discrepancy between what is expected to happen or be said and what actually happens

logos - logic, reason

onomatopoeia - the use of words whose sounds seem to express or reinforce their meanings. hiss, bang, bowwow seems to imitate the sounds they represent

oxymoron - Greek “pointedly foolish” A figure of speech consisting generally of two apparently contradictory terms which express a startling paradox. Ex: “conspicuous by his absence”

paradox - A person, situation, act etc. that seems to have contradictory or inconsistent qualities

pathos - emotions, feelings

personification - A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstract ideas are given human qualities or actions

propaganda - Any systematic, widespread dissemination or promotion of particular ideas, doctrines, practices, etc. to further one’s own cause or to damage an opposing one.

pun - Word play involving 1) the use of a word with two different meanings; 2) the similarity of meanings in two words spelled differently but pronounced the same; or 3) two words pronounced or spelled somewhat the same but containing different meanings.

rhetorical question - A question asked, not to elicit an answer or information, but to achieve a stylistic effect.

stream of consciousness - The flow of inner experiences; a technique for the depiction of the thoughts and feelings which flow, with no apparent logic, through the mind of a character. Usually written in italics in the text.

strophe - Greek - a group of lines of varying lengths constituting the first part of an ode; as to the chorus, movement to the right as they speak.

summary - A short restatement of the main points of a book or chapter.

theme - The underlying message the author is trying to convey; the moral lesson; the significant point that an author is making

tragic flaw - Greek  The defect in the tragic hero which leads to his/her downfall. ( See handout & power point notes on Greek tragedy.)

tragic hero - See handout & power point notes on Greek tragedy

tragedy - See handout & power point notes on Greek tragedy