Literary Devices: Take 2

Literary Devices: Definitions, Examples, and Formulas

1) Pun

Definition: A pun is a figure of speech that exploits multiple meanings or similar sounds of words for humorous or rhetorical effect.

Example: "Make like a tree and leave." (playing on "leave" vs. "leaf")

Formula: Identify a word with multiple meanings or similar-sounding words, then create a context where both interpretations can be understood simultaneously.

2) Misdirection

Definition: Misdirection in writing is a technique of purposefully leading readers away from key plot points to enhance suspense and surprise.

Example: In "The Sixth Sense," the narrative leads viewers to believe the protagonist is alive when he's actually dead.

Formula: Create an obvious expectation or assumption, then reveal information that completely changes the reader's understanding of preceding events.

3) Synecdoche

Definition: Synecdoche is a figure of speech that uses a part to represent the whole or the whole to represent a part.

Example: "All hands on deck" (where "hands" represents entire sailors)

Formula: Identify a distinctive part of something and use it to represent the whole entity, or use the whole to refer to a specific part.

4) Epigram

Definition: An epigram is a short, witty statement that expresses a single thought or observation with a clever or ingenious turn at the end.

Example: "I can resist everything except temptation." (Oscar Wilde)

Formula: Create a concise statement that delivers insight with cleverness, often ending with an unexpected twist or paradox.

5) Metonymy

Definition: Metonymy is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it.

Example: "The White House announced new policies" (using "White House" to refer to the presidential administration)

Formula: Replace a concept with another term that has a close relationship or association to it.

6) Stream of consciousness

Definition: Stream of consciousness is a narrative technique that attempts to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings flowing through a character's mind.

Example: "...she would buy the flowers herself yes that was it running across the field plucking wildflowers as a girl when was that forty years ago..."

Formula: Write without conventional punctuation or syntax, following the natural flow of thoughts as they occur, mixing sensory impressions, memories, and current observations.

7) Indirect discourse

Definition: Indirect discourse is a way of reporting speech or thoughts by paraphrasing rather than directly quoting, typically shifting pronouns and verb tenses.

Example: She said that she would be late.

Formula: Use reporting verbs (said, told, asked) followed by a subordinate clause that summarizes the content with appropriate pronoun and tense changes.

8) Parataxis

Definition: Parataxis is a literary technique that places clauses or phrases one after another without coordinating or subordinating conjunctions.

Example: "I came, I saw, I conquered."

Formula: String together independent clauses with periods, commas, or minimal coordinating conjunctions while avoiding subordinating conjunctions.

9) Self reflexivity

Definition: Self reflexivity is a narrative technique where a text calls attention to itself as a constructed, artificial work.

Example: "Dear reader, you may wonder why I've chosen to tell this story in such a manner..."

Formula: Directly acknowledge the constructed nature of the work within the work itself.

10) Intertextuality

Definition: Intertextuality is the shaping of a text's meaning by another text, either through direct quotation, allusion, or structural mimicry.

Example: T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" contains numerous references to previous literary works.

Formula: Deliberately incorporate references, quotations, or stylistic elements from other texts in your writing.

11) Metafiction

Definition: Metafiction is fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, exposing the fictional illusion.

Example: "If on a winter's night a traveler" by Italo Calvino directly addresses the reader about the reading experience.

Formula: Create a narrative that acknowledges its status as fiction and explores the relationship between fiction and reality.

12) Allusion

Definition: An allusion is an indirect reference to another text, historical event, person, or work of art.

Example: "He was a real Romeo with the ladies," alluding to Shakespeare's character.

Formula: Make an indirect reference to something well-known that will enhance understanding without explicitly naming it.

13) Reference

Definition: A reference is a direct mention or citation of another work, person, or event.

Example: "As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, 'To be or not to be...'"

Formula: Explicitly mention or quote the source or object to which you're referring.

14) Symbolism

Definition: Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, where objects, characters, or actions represent meanings beyond their literal sense.

Example: A dove symbolizing peace in a war story.

Formula: Choose an object, character, or action and consistently use it to represent an abstract idea or concept.

15) Allegory

Definition: An allegory is a narrative in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities.

Example: "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, where the animals represent different figures from the Russian Revolution.

Formula: Create a story where all major elements correspond to specific abstract concepts or historical events.

16) Motif

Definition: A motif is a recurring element, such as an image, theme, or idea, that has symbolic significance in a work.

Example: The recurring green light in "The Great Gatsby" representing Gatsby's hopes and dreams.

Formula: Identify a meaningful element and repeat it throughout the narrative in varying contexts to build thematic significance.

17) Euphemism

Definition: A euphemism is a mild or indirect expression used in place of one considered harsh, unpleasant, or offensive.

Example: "Passed away" instead of "died."

Formula: Replace a direct, potentially offensive term with a gentler alternative that conveys the same basic meaning.

18) Double Entendre

Definition: A double entendre is a phrase or expression that can be understood in two ways, typically with one meaning being risqué or suggestive.

Example: "She knows how to handle her tools." (could refer to actual tools or have a sexual connotation)

Formula: Create a phrase that can be understood in two ways, usually with one meaning being innocent and the other suggestive.

19) Simile

Definition: A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things using connecting words such as "like" or "as."

Example: "Her smile is as bright as the sun."

Formula: Connect two different things using "like" or "as" to highlight a shared quality or characteristic.

20) Conceit

Definition: A conceit is an extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs an entire poetic passage or work.

Example: John Donne's comparison of two lovers to the legs of a compass in "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning."

Formula : Develop a single metaphor throughout a text, exploring multiple points of comparison in a sustained way.

21) Analogy

Definition: An analogy is a comparison between two things to highlight similarities, often for explanatory purposes.

Example: "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get."

Formula: Compare a complex concept to something simpler or more familiar to aid understanding or insight.

22) Metaphor

Definition: A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly identifies one thing as another unrelated thing, suggesting a similarity between them.

Example: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."

Formula: Directly equate one thing with another without using connecting words like "like" or "as."

23) Onomatopoeia

Definition: Onomatopoeia is the formation of words that imitate the natural sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.

Example: "The bees buzzed around the hive."

Formula: Use or create words that phonetically imitate the sound they describe.

24) Antiphrasis

Definition: Antiphrasis is the rhetorical device of using a word or phrase in a way opposite to its usual meaning, often for ironic effect.

Example: Calling a very tall person "Tiny."

Formula: Apply a term to mean the opposite of its literal meaning, typically for irony or humor.

25) Oxymoron

Definition: An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms for rhetorical effect.

Example: "Deafening silence" or "living dead."

Formula: Pair two contradictory words together to create a paradoxical expression that reveals a deeper truth.

26) Paradox

Definition: A paradox is a statement that appears contradictory but may reveal a hidden truth.

Example: "The child is father of the man." (Wordsworth)

Formula: Create a statement that seems self-contradictory but contains an underlying truth upon reflection.

27) Juxtaposition

Definition: Juxtaposition is placing two or more elements side by side to create contrast, reveal attitudes, or accomplish other rhetorical purposes.

Example: The juxtaposition of extreme wealth and poverty in "The Great Gatsby."

Formula: Place contrasting elements directly next to each other to highlight differences or create tension.

28) Anthropomorphism

Definition: Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to non-human entities, including animals, objects, or natural phenomena.

Example: Disney's talking teapot, Mrs. Potts, in "Beauty and the Beast."

Formula: Give human traits, emotions, behaviors, or abilities to animals, objects, or natural phenomena.

29) Personification

Definition: Personification is a figure of speech in which non-human things are given human attributes or abilities.

Example: "The wind whispered through the trees."

Formula: Describe a non-human entity as performing a human action or possessing human characteristics.

30) Irony

Definition: Irony is a rhetorical device in which there is a discrepancy between what is said and what is meant, or between expectation and reality.

Example: A fire station burning down.

Formula: Create a situation where what happens is contrary to what would be expected or appropriate.

31) Parody

Definition: Par ody is an imitation of a style, genre, or specific work that exaggerates its distinctive features for comic effect.

Example: "Scary Movie" as a parody of horror films.

Formula: Mimic a well-known style or work while exaggerating its characteristics for humorous effect.

32) Satire

Definition: Satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, especially in contemporary politics and social issues.

Example: "Animal Farm" satirizing political corruption and totalitarianism.

Formula: Use humor or exaggeration to mock or critique a societal problem, human folly, or institutional failure.

33) Litotes

Definition: Litotes is a figure of speech that uses understatement by expressing an affirmative by negating its opposite.

Example: "Not bad" to mean "good."

Formula: Use a negated opposite to emphasize the positive quality of something.

34) Meiosis

Definition: Meiosis is a figure of speech that deliberately understates the importance or magnitude of something.

Example: Calling a serious injury "a scratch."

Formula: Refer to something significant as if it were of little importance or magnitude.

35) Apophasis

Definition: Apophasis is a rhetorical device where the speaker brings up a subject by denying that it should be brought up.

Example: "I won't even mention how often you've failed in the past."

Formula: Introduce a topic by explicitly claiming not to discuss it.

36) Antithesis

Definition: Antithesis is a rhetorical device in which opposites are paired in a parallel structure for emphasis.

Example: "To err is human; to forgive, divine."

Formula: Juxtapose contrasting ideas in a grammatically parallel structure.

37) Antimetabole

Definition: Antimetabole is a rhetorical device in which words or phrases are repeated in reverse order.

Example: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

Formula: Repeat a phrase or clause with the words in reverse order to emphasize a contrast.

38) Chiasmus

Definition: Chiasmus is a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures to make a larger point.

Example: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."

Formula: Create a crosswise arrangement of concepts or words in successive phrases or clauses.

39) Procatalepsis

Definition: Procatalepsis is a rhetorical device in which the speaker raises an objection to their own argument and then immediately answers it.

Example: "You may say I'm demanding too much. But is it really too much to ask for basic human rights?"

Formula: Anticipate a potential counter-argument and immediately address or refute it.

40) Hypophora

Definition: Hypophora is a rhetorical device where a writer raises a question and then immediately provides an answer.

Example: "What makes a great leader? A great leader listens to their team."

Formula: Pose a question and then immediately answer it yourself.

41) Epanorthosis

Definition: Epanorthosis is a figure of speech in which a statement is immediately corrected, retracted, or strengthened.

Example: "He is a good man—no , he is a great man."

Formula: Make a statement and then immediately revise it with a correction, qualification, or enhancement.

42) Synesthesia

Definition: Synesthesia is a rhetorical device that describes one sensory experience in terms of another.

Example: "The sweet smell of success."

Formula: Describe one sensory perception using terms from another sense.

43) Tautology

Definition: Tautology is a redundant statement in which the same thing is said twice in different words.

Example: "Free gift" or "past history."

Formula: Use different words to express the same meaning within a single statement.

44) Snowclone

Definition: A snowclone is a customizable, clichéd phrase template that can be adapted for different situations.

Example: "X is the new Y" (e.g., "Orange is the new black.").

Formula: Take a well-known phrase template and replace key elements to create a new meaning.

45) Hyperbole

Definition: Hyperbole is extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or humorous effect, not meant to be taken literally.

Example: "I've told you a million times."

Formula: Dramatically overstate something to emphasize a point.

46) Adynaton

Definition: Adynaton is a figure of speech in the form of hyperbole taken to such extreme lengths as to suggest a complete impossibility.

Example: "I'll believe that when pigs fly."

Formula: Express something as being so unlikely that it would require an impossible condition to occur.

47) Zeugma

Definition: Zeugma is a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses.

Example: "She broke his car and his heart."

Formula: Use a single word (usually a verb) to govern two or more words while applying to each in a different sense.

48) Syllepsis

Definition: Syllepsis is a figure of speech in which a word is used in relation to two others, with different meanings.

Example: "He lost his coat and his temper."

Formula: Use one word in both a literal and figurative sense in the same statement.