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Ever feel a bit lost when other writers start flinging literary terms around? Don't stress. We've got a list of the must-know terminology, with crystal-clear definitions, examples, and even a few tips for putting these concepts to work in your own writing.
- Abi Wurdeman
Searches related to examples of literary terms novel fiction books and stories 5th series
- Alliteration
- Anaphora
- Anastrophe
- Chiasmus
- Congeries
- Cumulative Sentence
- Epistrophe
- Erotesis
- Hyperbaton
- Isocolon
Alliteration describes a series of words in quick succession that all start with the same letter or sound. It lends a pleasing cadence to prose and Hamlet and the dollar as currency in Macbeth. Example: “One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally, And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.” — “Death, Be Not Proud” by John Donne Exercise: Pic...
Anaphorais the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a series of clauses or sentences. It’s often seen in poetry and speeches, intended to provoke an emotional response in its audience. Example:Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its c...
Anastropheis a figure of speech wherein the traditional sentence structure is reversed. So a typical verb-subject-adjective sentence such as “Are you ready?” becomes a Yoda-esque adjective-verb-subject question: “Ready, are you?” Or a standard adjective-noun pairing like “tall mountain” becomes “mountain tall.” Example:“Deep into that darkness peer...
Chiasmus is when two or more parallel clauses are inverted. “Why would I do that?”you may be wondering. Well, a chiasmus might sound confusing and unnecessary in theory, but it's much more convincing in practice — and in fact, you've likely already come across it before. Example:“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for you...
Congeries is a fancy literary term for creating a list. The items in your list can be words, ideas, or phrases, and by displaying them this way helps prove or emphasize a point — or even create a sense of irony. Occasionally, it’s also called piling as the words are “piling up.” Example: "Apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and ...
Acumulative sentence(or “loose sentence”) is one that starts with an independent clause, but then has additional or modifying clauses. They’re often used for contextual or clarifying details. This may sound complex, but even, “I ran to the store to buy milk, bread, and toilet paper” is a cumulative sentence, because the first clause, “I ran to the ...
Epistrophe is the opposite of anaphora, with this time a word or phrase being repeated at the endof a sentence. Though its placement in a sentence is different it serves the same purpose—creating emphasis—as an anaphora does. Example: “I’ll be ever’where – wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever ...
Erotesis is a close cousin of the rhetorical question. Rather than a question asked without expectation of an answer, this is when the question (and the asker) confidently expects a response that is either negative or affirmative. Example: “Do you then really think that you have committed your follies in order to spare your son them?” — Siddhartha ...
Hyperbaton is the inversion of words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence that differs from how they would normally be arranged. It comes from the Greek hyperbatos, which means “transposed” or “inverted.” While it is similar to anastrophe, it doesn’t have the same specific structure and allows you to rearrange your sentences in whatever order you wan...
If you’re a neat freak who likes thingsjust so, isocolonis the literary device for you. This is when two or more phrases or clauses have similar structure, rhythm, and even length — such that, when stacked up on top of each other, they would line up perfectly. Isocolon often crops up in brand slogans and famous sayings; the quick, balanced rhythm m...
- Allegory. A literary work in which nearly all of the characters, events, settings, and other literal elements of the story have a second, symbolic meaning.
- Alliteration. The repetition of an initial consonant sound in words that are close together, such as within a single sentence or line of poetry. The third stanza of Emily Dickinson’s “A narrow Fellow in the Grass” uses alliteration in both the second and third lines
- Allusion. An indirect reference to something outside the text, usually a person, place, thing, or idea that is generally familiar to the intended audience.
- Anachronism. An historically inaccurate detail in a literary work, included by the author either unintentionally or deliberately. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the characters refer to a clock striking three.
Concise definitions, usage tips, and lots of examples for 136 literary devices and terms.
- Allegory. An allegory is a story that is used to represent a more general message about real-life (historical) issues and/or events. It is typically an entire book, novel, play, etc.
- Alliteration. Alliteration is a series of words or phrases that all (or almost all) start with the same sound. These sounds are typically consonants to give more stress to that syllable.
- Allusion. Allusion is when an author makes an indirect reference to a figure, place, event, or idea originating from outside the text. Many allusions make reference to previous works of literature or art.
- Anachronism. An anachronism occurs when there is an (intentional) error in the chronology or timeline of a text. This could be a character who appears in a different time period than when he actually lived, or a technology that appears before it was invented.
Fowler’s seminal Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms. Bringing together original entries written by such celebrated theorists as Terry Eagleton and Malcolm Bradbury with new definitions of current terms and controversies, this is the essential reference book for students of literature at all levels. This book includes:
People also ask
What are literary devices and terms?
What is the difference between a short story and a novel?
What is the difference between a novel and a fiction?
How many common literary terms are there?
Novel: A book-length, fictional prose story. Because of its length, a novel’s characters and plot are usually more developed than those of a short story. Poetry: A literary work that uses concise, colorful, ften rhythmic language to express ideas or Prose: A literary work that uses the familiar spoken form of language, sentence after sentence.
