Literary Devices

Speech by one character in a play, story, or poem

Sequence of events in a literary work

Type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics

The repetition of initial consonant sounds

The imaginary voice assumed by the writer of a poem

Reason that explains why a character thinks, feels, acts, or behaves in a certain way

Brief work of fiction

Writing that tells a story

Anything that stands for or represents something else

Struggle between opposing forces

A speaker or character who tells a story

The ordinary form of written language

The use of words that imitate sounds

A short speech delivered by an actor in a play, expressing the character's thoughts

Form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group

A literary work is the writer's attitude toward his/her audience and subject

Descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader

A conversation between characters

A person or an animal who takes part in the action of a literary work

Writing or speech that appeals to one or more of the senses

Prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people

Figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else

The high point of interest or suspense

A long work of fiction

Writing or speech that attempts to convince the reader to adopt a particular opinion

A feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work

A central message or insight into life revealed through the literary work

The time and place of the action

Use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur

General term for literary techniques that portray differences between appearance and reality

A category or type of literature

A brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event

A figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison between two unlike ideas

One of the three major types of literature, the others being prose and drama

Lesson taught by a literary work