Literary Terms (Literary Devices)

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

Problem or struggle between opposing forces

extreme exaggeration to create a dramatic effect

Atmosphere or feeling we get from the story

A character that changes over the course of the story

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

Universal idea or lesson about life; main idea of a literary work

a reference in literature to a well-known person, place, or thing

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

when an author SHOWS information about a character rather than telling it

The main character in a story

Writer's attitude toward his or her subject

A conversation between 2 or more characters

A comparison between two things using like or as

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

Comparison of two things without using like or as.

Where and when a story takes place

when an author leads the reader to believe something will happen, but the opposite happens

Conclusion of the story where the conflict is resolved

Shows events from before the present time of the story; a glimpse of the past

a problem that a person is struggling within himself; man vs self

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

A character that stays the same throughout a story

Giving inanimate objects human characteristics

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

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

Anything that is something on its own, but also represents something more

Force or character working against the main character in a story

Hints that the author gives of things that are going to happen later in the story