Literary Terms (Literary Devices)

Giving inanimate objects human characteristics

A character that undergoes a major change over the course of the story

Comparison of two things without using like or as.

Amazing avocados are everywhere.

Reference to a well-known person, event, place, literary work or work of art.

The word used to describe a sound that something makes

Anything that stands for or represents something else.

When the character telling the story is an outside observer; i.e. they, he, she, it

An author's word choice

Atmosphere or feeling we get from the story

Writer's attitude toward his or her subject

Universal idea or lesson about life; understood by most cultures

An event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of characters, reader, or audience

A conversation between characters; can be used to move the action along.

Problem or struggle between opposing forces

A contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows to be true.

A description that appeals to one's five senses

Hints that the author gives of things that are to come in the story.

Shows events from before the present time of the story, often to reveal a character's motives

In a story, the highest or most intense point in the development

A character that is stereotypical or only shows a few, one-sided traits

The introduction of setting, character, and basic situation in a story

The main character in a story

Conclusion of the story

Words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant.

A character telling the story is taking part in the story; i.e. I, me, my

When the opposite of what you expect to happens happens.

Force or character working against the main character in a story

A comparison between two things using like or as

A character that stays the same throughout a story

Where and when a story takes place