This is one of the most well-known literary devices and it’s useful for a number of reasons:
- Creates a stronger visual
- Pulls readers further into your world
- Helps the readers relate to and understand what’s going on
- It can allow readers to have a new perspective
- You can give readers a new view on a typical visual/occurrence
What are the literary devices used in thirteen reasons why?
- The search for the truth
- Genre: tragedy, epistolary novel, young adult fiction and coming-of-age story
- Reception
What are the 10 literary devices?
Here are ten literary magazines open to submissions right now, with no firm deadlines. These publications want everything from horror, to SFF, to social commentary, to anarchist poetry, to Yiddish humor. The sky’s the limit. None charge submission fees ...
What is the importance of using literary devices?
Top 10 Key Literary Devices
- Onomatopoeia
- Symbol
- Repetition
- Allusion
- Personification
What are literary devices and their definitions?
Literary Devices List: 12 Common Literary Devices
- Metaphor. Metaphors, also known as direct comparisons, are one of the most common literary devices. ...
- Simile. Similes, also known as indirect comparisons, are similar in construction to metaphors, but they imply a different meaning.
- Imagery. Is imagery a literary device? ...
- Symbolism. ...
- Personification. ...
- Hyperbole. ...
- Irony. ...
- Juxtaposition. ...
- Paradox. ...
- Allusion. ...
Why are literary devices important?
Literary devices are important because writers use them to tell stories, to layer meaning in narratives, and to elicit emotional reactions from readers.
What are the literary devices in Hamlet?
Literary Devices in Hamlet: Repetition and Metaphor. Hamlet: Words, words, words. These two quotes use a repetition of a single word three times for emphasis.
What does tactical use mean for a writer?
For the writer, his understanding and tactical use, assists in the manner the writer expresses themselves.
What is a metaphor?
Metaphor. A device that asserts that one object is another, bringing new meaning to the original subject for a fresh understanding.
Why are literary devices important?
That could mean setting an emotional tone, making a poem more relatable, or just stretching your own creative muscles. Literary devices can do it all.
What is literary device?
Quiz. I. What is a Literary Device? In literature, any technique used to help the author achieve his or her purpose is called a literary device. Typically, these devices are used for an aesthetic purpose – that is, they’re intended to make the piece more beautiful.
What is an alliteration in poetry?
Alliteration is a sentence-level literary device in which several (or all!) the words start with the same letter. It’s especially common in poetry, and can range from extremely obvious (as in the sentence above) to much more subtle.
What is foil in literature?
The foil is a structural-level literary device in which a supporting character forms a striking contrast to the main character. If the main character is intelligent but physically frail, the foil can be a brawny dimwit. This makes the characters seem more vivid and helps their attributes stand out.
What is the metaphor in Romeo and Juliet?
This famous line contains a metaphor – a literary device where a word is used in a non-literal sense to stand in for something else. In this case, Romeo is catching his first glimpse of Juliet as he stands below her balcony, and he’s so overcome by her beauty that he calls her “the sun.”.
What did the Anglo-Saxons use to make their poetry?
The Anglo-Saxons used alliteration the way classic English poets used rhyme. It was one of the most basic literary techniques defining their craft. In this line, we find repeated F sounds, which give the line a soft, flowing quality – it would sound very different if it were full of hard, percussive consonants like K’s and B’s.
What is a metaphor in a sentence?
For example, a metaphor is when one word stands in for another. So, for example, “The sun was a golden jewel ” would be a metaphor, and a word-level literary device. Sentence Level: There are also many literary devices that apply to sentences or long phrases. Parallelism is a good example: “I enjoyed the play, but I preferred the intermission .”.
What are literary devices?
Literary devices are tools and techniques that a writer uses when crafting their story that make the writing go beyond the literal meaning of the words on the page. These techniques take the story beyond the basics of beginning, middle, and end, to the more complex and satisfying levels of mood, flavor, narrative, and meaning.
How to engage readers in a story?
One of the most marvellous literary devices for engaging your readers is suspense—creating a darkly indulgent sort of tension between the reader and the story that keeps them turning page after page. The writer accomplishes this by posing one dramatic question after another. Cliffhangers are one great way to make this happen. Putting time constraints on your characters is another, as well as shifting perspectives to reveal more information to the reader.
How does foreshadowing help the reader?
Foreshadowing is a wonderful literary device that gives the reader hints of what is to come later in the story, either through subtle clues based on narrative events or simply using thematic elements like symbolism or mood. It can help build suspense and keep the reader engaged by making them guess what’s going to happen.
Why do archetypes work?
Contrary to stereotypes, which are oversimplifications of an archetype’s most extreme personality traits, archetypes work because they speak to a universal truth. All character archetypes exist and, on some level, exist in us.
What is anachronism in a story?
Anachronism is a conflict of time within a single work —for example, describing a character as “zipping up her dress” if the story is set at a time before the invention of zippers, or causing national outrage by leaving a plastic water bottle on a 1920s film set.
Why is anachronism important?
This is why it’s so important, when writing historical pieces, to thoroughly research all the minute details of your story. However, anachronism as a literary device can sometimes be used quite effectively for comedic effect or to create a sense of displacement.
How is diction related to dialect?
Diction is related to dialect in that it’s a reflection of the sound of the story’s voice —which, again, you as the writer need to accomplish with nothing more than twenty-six letters. The difference between dialect and diction is that while dialect is a part of characterization, diction is the voice of the narrator.
What is literary device?
Literary devices are specific techniques that allow a writer to convey a deeper meaning that goes beyond what’s on the page. Literary devices work alongside plot and characters to elevate a story and prompt reflection on life, society, and what it means to be human.
What is an allegory in literature?
Allegory is a literary device used to express large, complex ideas in an approachable manner. Allegory allows writers to create some distance between themselves and the issues they are discussing, especially when those issues are strong critiques of political or societal realities. Learn more about allegory here.
What is an allusion?
Allusion. An allusion is a popular literary device used to develop characters, frame storylines, and help create associations to well-known works. Allusions can reference anything from Victorian fairy tales and popular culture to the Bible and the Bard.
What are paradoxes in literature?
In literature, paradoxes can elicit humor, illustrate themes, and provoke readers to think critically. Learn more about paradoxes here. Personification. In writing, figurative language—using words to convey a different meaning outside the literal one—helps writers express themselves in more creative ways.
What is a motif in a story?
A motif can be a recurrent situation or action. It can be a sound or a smell or a temperature or a color. The defining aspect is that a motif repeats, and through this repetition, a motif helps to illuminate the central ideas, themes, and deeper meaning of the story in which it appears. Learn more about motif here.
What is irony in writing?
When deployed with skill, irony is a powerful tool that adds depth and substance to a piece of writing. Learn more about irony here. Metaphor, Simile, and Analogy. Metaphors, similes, and analogies are three techniques used in speech and writing to make comparisons. Each is used in a different way, and differentiating between ...
What is the role of character development in suspense?
Character development plays a big role in generating suspense; for example, if a character’s desire is not fulfilled by the end of the book, the story will not feel complete for the reader. Learn more about suspense here. Symbolism. An object, concept, or word does not have to be limited to a single meaning.
What are Literary Devices?
Literary devices take writing beyond its literal meaning. They help guide the reader in how to read the piece.
Why do literary devices pile on top of each other?
Literary devices often pile on top of each other, which is why so many great works of literature can be analyzed endlessly. Because imagery depends on the object’s likeness to other objects, imagery upholds the idea that a literary device is synonymous with comparison.
What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?
The obvious difference between these two common literary devices is that a simile uses “like” or “as,” whereas a metaphor never uses these comparison words. Additionally, in reference to the above examples, the insertion of “like” or “as” creates a degree of separation between both elements of the device.
What is juxtaposition in poetry?
Juxtaposition refers to the placement of contrasting ideas next to each other, often to produce an ironic or thought-provoking effect. Writers use juxtaposition in both poetry and prose, though this common literary device looks slightly different within each realm of literature.
What are the building blocks of literature?
Common literary devices, such as metaphors and similes, are the building blocks of literature, and what make literature so enchanting. Language evolves through the literary devices in poetry and prose; the different types of figurative language make literature spark in different ways.
Why do writers use imagery?
By appealing to the reader’s sense of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, your writing will create a vibrant world for readers to live and breathe in.
What is an allegory in a story?
An allegory is a story whose sole purpose is to represent an abstract concept or idea. As such, allegories are sometimes extended allusions, but the two common literary devices have their differences.
Why is it important to analyze literature?
Analyzing literature helps illustrate for students that successful art may involve self-expression, but to a greater purpose beyond the creator, whether to inform, to invoke empathy, to inspire, or simply to entertain.
Why is literature worth studying?
Literature worth studying is illuminating, not didactic, which allows students the ability to bear witness to realties both common to and outside of their own, and in turn, to formulate complex responses to them —a process that builds empathy and open-mindedness.
How to write a literary analysis essay?
Constructing a literary analysis essay requires an exploration of textual themes as presented through concrete literary devices and stylistic choices in order to develop and shape a complex argument about said themes. The process of argumentation relies on both deductive and inductive reasoning in order to arrive at multifold conclusions that are fully supported by logical evidence. In doing so, students interrogate the relationship between form and content, consider and assess multiple interpretations of text, and select and dissect convincing evidence to support highly specific interpretations. One of our goals as instructors at The Academy is to help students learn how to think, not what to think, and engaging in literary analysis provides a set of skills that are transferable to innumerable contexts within their education here and beyond.
What is the purpose of the artist's journey?
Part of the artist’s journey is learning not just to create art (through the acquisition, practice, and execution of technical skills), but to analyze and critique it: to truly interrogate a piece of art’s purpose and how that purpose is realized through the form-content relationship.
Is literature descriptive or prescriptive?
Within the Academy’s English department and school-wide, we maintain the philosophy that art is descript ive, not prescriptive. In essence, this means that literature (like most of the best art) is powerful in its ability to hold up a mirror to the world and reveal to us truths about it–however brutal or beautiful–rather than merely to preach to us. Literature worth studying is illuminating, not didactic, which allows students the ability to bear witness to realties both common to and outside of their own, and in turn, to formulate complex responses to them—a process that builds empathy and open-mindedness. For example, Richard Wright's Native Son, taught in Chicago Literature, portrays the roots of systemic racial oppression in America so honestly and vividly that students confront the subject more palpably and meaningfully than through historical, non-fiction lenses alone.
I. What Is A Literary device?
II. Examples of Literary Devices
- Example 1
The foil is a structural-level literary device in which a supporting character forms a striking contrast to the main character. If the main character is intelligent but physically frail, the foil can be a brawny dimwit. This makes the characters seem more vivid and helps their attributes stan… - Example 2
Able-bodied antelopes ambled along the alleyway. Alliterationis a sentence-level literary device in which several (or all!) the words start with the same letter. It’s especially common in poetry, and can range from extremely obvious (as in the sentence above) to much more subtle.
III. Types of Literary Device
- The varieties of literary devices are basically infinite – since the invention of storytelling, people have been honing the craft of literature and have come up with all sorts of tricks. For simplicity’s sake, we can separate the types of literary device based on scale: 1. Word Level: many literary devices affect individual words or short phrases. For example, a metaphor is when one word sta…
IV. The Importance of Literary Devices
- Literary devices are the author’s whole toolkit: whatever you want to do in your story, you do it with literary devices. That could mean setting an emotional tone, making a poem more relatable, or just stretching your own creative muscles. Literary devices can do it all. Without such devices, we could barely even talk to each other, let alone creat...
v. Examples of Literary Devices in Literature
- Example 1
But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!(William Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet”) This famous line contains a metaphor– a literary device where a word is used in a non-literal sense to stand in for something else. In this case, Romeo is catchi… - Example 2
He was a fourfold father, this fighting prince:(“Beowulf”) The Anglo-Saxons used alliteration the way classic English poets used rhyme. It was one of the most basic literary techniques defining their craft. In this line, we find repeated F sounds, which give the line a soft, flowing quality – it w…
VI. Examples of Literary Devices in Pop Culture
- Example 1
The Joker is a perfect foilfor Batman. Batman is dark and brooding; Joker smiles all the time. Batman fights for a purpose and lives by a strict code of honor; Joker is pure chaos and respects no rules or codes. Batman dresses all in black and grey; Joker has a colorful wardrobe of purple … - Example 2
As a specimen, yes, I’m intimidating! (Gaston, “Beauty and the Beast“) Gaston’s Song from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast contains an internal rhyme. Notice how “specimen” rhymeswith “yes I’m in-” It’s a subtle rhyme buried in the middle of the line rather than at the end of the line, w…
VII. Related Terms
- Literature
Literature is anything written for artistic value. It typically refers to novels, but can also include short stories, poems, and creative nonfiction. But it doesn’t include formal essays, scientific research papers, etc., since these forms of writing are usually not written for artistic effect – the… - Rhetoric
Rhetoric means the art of persuasion. It’s an ancient art form consisting of various techniques (“rhetorical devices”) for swaying the audience to the speaker’s point of view. Rhetoric was originally created for speeches, but with the invention of writing it came to cover written argume…