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Learn the definitions and examples of common literary devices used in prose and poetry. Find out how to identify and analyze allegories, alliteration, anachronisms, and more.
- What Are Literary devices?
- Literary Devices List: 14 Common Literary Devices
- 16–27. Common Literary Devices in Poetry
- 28–37. Common Literary Devices in Prose
- 38–48. Repetition Literary Devices
- 49–57. Dialogue Literary Devices
- 58–67. Word Play Literary Devices
- 68–72. Parallelism Literary Devices
- 73–112. Rhetorical Devices
- Master These Common Literary Devices with Writers.Com!
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Literary devices are ways of taking writing beyond its straightforward, literal meaning. In that sense, they are techniques for helping guide the reader in how to read the piece. Central to all literary devices is a quality of connection: by establishing or examining relationships between things, literary devices encourage the reader to perceive an...
There are a lot of literary devices to cover, each of which require their own examples and analysis. As such, we will start by focusing on common literary devices for this article: literary devices that can be found in both poetry and prose. With each device, we’ve included examples in literature and exercises you can use in your own creative writi...
The following 12 devices apply to both poetry and prose writers, but they appear most often in verse. Learn more about: 1. Anaphora 2. Conceit 3. Apostrophe 4. Metonymy/Synecdoche 5. Enjambment 6. Zeugma 7. Repetition 8. Rhyme 9. Alliteration 10. Consonance/Assonance 11. Euphony/Cacophony 12. Meter
The following 10 devices show up in verse, but are far more prevalent in prose. Learn more about: 1. Parallel Plot 2. Foil 3. Diction 4. Mood 5. Foreshadowing 6. In Media Res 7. Dramatic Irony 8. Vignette 9. Flashback 10. Soliloquy
Though they have uncommon names, these common literary devices are all forms of repetition. 1. Anadiplosis 2. Anaphora (prose) 3. Antanaclasis 4. Antimetabole 5. Antistrophe 6. Chiasmus 7. Epanalepsis 8. Epimone 9. Epizeuxis 10. Polyptoton 11. Symploce
While these literary elements pertain primarily to dialogue, writers use euphemisms, idioms, and neologisms all the time in their work. 1. Colloquialism 2. Vernacular 3. Dialect 4. Slang 5. Jargon 6. Idiom 7. Euphemism 8. Proverb 9. Neologism
The following literary devices push language to the limits. Have fun with these! 1. Anthimeria 2. Double Entendre 3. Kenning 4. Malapropism 5. Metalepsis 6. Oxymoron 7. Palindrome 8. Paraprosdokian 9. Portmanteau 10. Spoonerism
Parallelism is a stylistic device where a sentence is composed of equally weighted items. In essence, parallel structure allows form to echo content. Learn all about this essential stylistic literary device below. 1. Grammatical parallelism 2. Rhetorical parallelism 3. Synthetic parallelism 4. Antithetical parallelism 5. Synonymous parallelism
Rhetorical devices are literary devices intended to persuade the reader of something. You might have heard of ethos, pathos, and logos, but do you know your aposiopesis from your hyperbaton? Many literary devices can also be considered rhetorical devices. After all, a metaphor can convince you of something just as well as a syllogism. Nonetheless, ...
The instructors at Writers.com are masters of literary devices. Through masterful instruction and personal expertise, our instructors can help you add, refine, and improve your literary devices, helping you craft great works of literature. Check out our upcoming courses, and join our writing community on Facebook!
Learn about 112 literary devices that can be found in poetry and prose, such as metaphors, similes, imagery, and more. See how they create new connections and meanings in literature and practice writing them yourself.
- Allegory. Allegories are narratives that represent something else entirely, like a historical event or significant ideology, to illustrate a deeper meaning.
- Alliteration. Alliteration is the literary technique of using a sequence of words that begin with the same letter or sound for a poetic or whimsical effect.
- Allusion. An allusion is an indirect reference to another figure, event, place, or work of art that exists outside the story. Allusions are made to famous subjects so that they don’t need explanation—the reader should already understand the reference.
- Amplification. Amplification is the technique of embellishing a simple sentence with more details to increase its significance. Example: “A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly.
Mar 20, 2020 · A literary device is a writing technique that writers use to express ideas, convey meaning, and highlight important themes in a piece of text. A metaphor, like we mentioned earlier, is a famous example of a literary device. These devices serve a wide range of purposes in literature.
- Allegory. Allegory is a literary device used to express large, complex ideas in an approachable manner. Allegory allows writers to create some distance between themselves and the issues they are discussing, especially when those issues are strong critiques of political or societal realities.
- Allusion. An allusion is a popular literary device used to develop characters, frame storylines, and help create associations to well-known works. Allusions can reference anything from Victorian fairy tales and popular culture to the Bible and the Bard.
- Anachronism. Imagine reading a story about a caveman who microwaves his dinner, or watching a film adaptation of a Jane Austen novel in which the characters text each other instead of writing letters.
- Cliffhanger. It’s a familiar feeling: You’re on minute 59 of an hour-long television episode, and the protagonist is about to face the villain—and then episode cuts to black.
Browse through our list of literary devices and literary terms with definitions, examples, and usage tips. Explore each device in depth through literature.
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Literary devices, also known as literary elements, are techniques that writers use to convey their message more powerfully or to enhance their writing. Many Authors use literary devices without even realizing it.
