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Literary Terms Handout

This document provides definitions for 17 key literary terms and devices: 1) Flashback, foreshadowing, imagery, personification, and anthropomorphism are described as techniques for revealing context, clues, or human qualities. 2) Metaphors and similes are compared as tools for creating understanding through substituted or compared language. 3) Techniques like onomatopoeia, symbolism, motifs, and repetition are defined in relation to sounds, represented meanings, or repeated elements. 4) Additional devices like assonance, consonance, alliteration, allegory and oxymoron involve the strategic use of sounds, ideas, or contradictions.

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13 views2 pages

Literary Terms Handout

This document provides definitions for 17 key literary terms and devices: 1) Flashback, foreshadowing, imagery, personification, and anthropomorphism are described as techniques for revealing context, clues, or human qualities. 2) Metaphors and similes are compared as tools for creating understanding through substituted or compared language. 3) Techniques like onomatopoeia, symbolism, motifs, and repetition are defined in relation to sounds, represented meanings, or repeated elements. 4) Additional devices like assonance, consonance, alliteration, allegory and oxymoron involve the strategic use of sounds, ideas, or contradictions.

Uploaded by

sargunbrar777
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Dr.

Ballantyne Handout 1 of 2

KEY LITERARY TERMS AND DEVICES HANDOUT

1. Flashback: used to take readers back in time to reveal a specific scene or event in
order to give a story more context

2. Foreshadowing: the use of strategic elements within a story that provide readers
with clues about what will happen in later scenes in the story

3. Imagery: descriptive or figurative or sensory language that appeals to a reader’s


senses (i.e. sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste) and creates depth and texture

4. Personification: giving human or human-like qualities to non-human elements (i.e.


the vines pulled at his legs; the wind whistled over my head; the shadows chased
me home; etc.)

5. Anthropomorphism: giving human qualities, traits, emotions, or intentions to non-


human creatures or things (my dog has a sweet personality; my computer is
cranky; the can opener is stubborn; etc.)

6. Metaphor/Simile: comparisons used to create better and deeper understanding for


readers
• Metaphor: a comparison between two things that are not alike and replaces the
word with another word (i.e. her feet were lead, weighed down by the fear of
what lay ahead)
• Simile: a comparison between two things that are not like and replaces the word
with another word but uses “like” or “as” within it (her feet were as heavy as lead,
weighed down by the fear of what lay ahead)

7. Onomatopoeia: a word that mimics the sound something makes and appeals to the
sense of hearing (i.e. buzz, splash, whoosh, bang, plop)

8. Symbol/Symbolism: the use of a situation, element, item, etc. to represent a larger


message, idea or concept (i.e. crows symbolize a bad omen; April symbolizes
rebirth; purple symbolizes royalty; white symbolizes purity; fog symbolizes confusion
or mystery; etc.)
Dr. Ballantyne Handout 2 of 2

9. Motif: a repeated element that has symbolic significance, like an image, a word/
phrase, topic, situation, action, etc. (i.e. her house is decorated in a sailing motif)

10. Repetition: the use of the same word or phrase multiple times to provide clarity,
emphasis, stress

11. Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds to create rhyme (i.e. how now brown
cow?)

12. Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds at the middle or end of a word (i.e.
fee fi fo fum)

13. Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of a word (Peter
Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers)

14. Allegory: the use of abstract (rather than literal) ideas to describe complex ideas in
an approachable manner (i.e. George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm is a political
allegory about tsarist Russia; Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is an allegory about the
human search for meaning; The Hunger Games is an allegory about overthrowing
an oppressive power; etc.)

15. Oxymoron: a figure of speech where seemingly contradictory terms appear together
to create an unexpected contrast (i.e. the cake is awfully good; it’s the same
difference; that’s an original copy; genuine imitation leather; they’re growing smaller;
etc.)

16. Euphemism: the use of polite language to describe something indirectly (they
passed away—rather than died; they were let go—rather than fired; she’s over the
hill—rather than old; he’s a couch potato—rather than lazy; etc.)

17. Aphorism: a concise statement of a general truth or principle (i.e. If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it; leave well enough alone; pride goes before a fall; early to bed, early to
rise; actions speak louder than words; etc.) Avoid using aphorisms in formal essays

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