Literary Devices — Definitions & Examples

An extended metaphor in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities.

An indirect reference to a person, event, or work of literature outside the text.

A character whose qualities contrast with another character's to highlight particular traits.

Hints or clues about events that will occur later in the story.

Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or dramatic effect.

Vivid descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

A contrast between expectation and reality, or between what is said and what is meant.

A direct comparison that states one thing is another.

The emotional atmosphere a literary work creates for the reader.

A recurring element that reinforces the themes of a work.

A figure of speech combining contradictory words.

A seemingly self-contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth.

Giving human qualities to non-human things or abstract ideas.

A play on words that exploits multiple meanings or similar sounds.

The use of humour, irony, or exaggeration to criticise human folly or vice.

A comparison using 'like' or 'as' to connect two unlike things.

A speech in which a character, alone on stage, voices their inner thoughts to the audience.

Using an object, person, or image to represent an abstract idea.

The writer's attitude toward the subject, conveyed through word choice and style.