Literary Terms 2019 (Literary Devices)

The main character in a story

Force or character working against the main character in a story

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

Where and when a story takes place

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

An author's word choice

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

A character that has both positive and negative characteristics (like a real person)

Universal idea or lesson about life; understood by most cultures

Conclusion of the story

A comparison between two things using like or as

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

Atmosphere or feeling we get from the story

A description that appeals to one's five senses

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

Writer's attitude toward his or her subject

A contrast between what appears to be real and what is actually real.

Problem or struggle between opposing forces

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

A character that stays the same throughout a story

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

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

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

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

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

Comparison of two things without using like or as.

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

Giving inanimate objects human characteristics

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

Anything that stands for or represents something else