Senior Literary Devices

Denotation

Techniques used by the writer in creating a character

The writer's choice of words, a significant component of writing style

A person, place, or object representing something beyond itself to communicate abstract, complex ideas

A reference to a statement, person, place, event, or thing that is known from literature or pop culture

Connotation

The prevailing emotional atmosphere or feeling created in a literary work

The attitude the writer takes toward the subject

A figure of speech in which something closely related to a thing or suggested by it is substituted for the thing itself

A figure of speech involving great exaggeration for expressive or comic effect

The contrast between appearance and actuality

Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words or accented syllables