A to Z Literary Devices Blog Post

A Allusion - reference to history or another text; alliteration - repetition of a consonant sound; asonance; allegory - hidden meaning, extended metaphor; analogy - comparison between two pairs; antithesis - two opposites; anaphora - a rhetorical (literary) device that involves the repetition of the first words of a clause or sentence

B 

C connotation - a relation between a word, characterization
D dialogue - conversation between characters

E

F Foreshadowing - hinting what will happen later; flashback - vivid memory or reference to the past; foil - opposite of main character

G genre - type of text, a literary topic

H hyperbole - exaggeration; haiku - 3 lines with specific syllables 

I Irony - not expected; imagery - evokes a mental image 5 senses

J juxtaposition - author places contrast on two things

K

L

M Metaphor - comparison without 'like' or 'as'; motif - repeated symbol; mood - emotion of the reader; monologue - one character talking by himself

N

O Onomatopoeia - a word that is a sound (spelled how it sounds); oxymoron - contradicts each other and doesn't make sense

P personification - nonhuman things get human qualities; paradox - contradicts itself; pun - a play on words

Q
R Repetition - using a word or idea more than once; rhyme - sounds the same; rhythm - beat of the line, stress unstress
S Simile - comparing things with 'like' or 'as'; symbolism represents something; stanza - poetic paragraph or rhyme scheme; satire - making fun; static character - character that doesn't change; suspense - building up; syntax - arrangement of words; soliloquy - one character talks by himself
T theme - central message; tone - author's style
U
V voice - who's saying it
W
X
Y
Z