literary technique
Writer's craft tool
A literary technique is any method a writer uses to produce a particular effect—metaphor, foreshadowing, unreliable narration, stream of consciousness.
The term covers devices at every level, from word choice to plot structure.
The author's use of second person is an unusual literary technique that puts the reader in the protagonist's shoes.
Convincing through reasoning
- ethosCollective moral character
- pathosPity-evoking quality
- logosBrand identification symbols
- rhetorical questionInquiry posed for effect
antithesis · parallelism · tricolon · chiasmus · climax · anticlimax · zeugma · polysyndeton
Implied identity comparison
- simileComparison via "as"
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
metonymy · synecdoche · allusion · analogy · conceit · extended metaphor · hyperbole · understatement
Matching initial consonants
- assonanceVowel sound repetition
- consonanceHarmonious sound combination
- onomatopoeiaSound-imitating word formation
- rhythmPatterned stress and silence
meter · cadence · rhyme · repetition · anaphora · epistrophe · euphony · cacophony
Recounting events aloud
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- characterizationDescribing distinctive qualities
- point of viewOne's particular outlook
- narratorOne who tells events
flashback · foreshadowing · climax · exposition · rising action · denouement · subplot · conflict
Audience-character knowledge gap
- situational ironyOutcome opposite to expectations
- verbal ironySaying one thing, meaning another
- sarcasmIrony used to mock
- satireMockery exposing vice
paradox · understatement · overstatement · twist · incongruity · juxtaposition · oxymoron · double entendre
Quality of sound
- dictionChoice of words
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- voiceSound from throat
- genreCategory of creative work
prose · register · minimalist · ornate · lyrical · sparse · florid · colloquial
Exact quoted utterance
- indirect speechRestating another's words
- monologueUninterrupted solo address
- soliloquyDramatic speech to oneself
- asideBrief theatrical digression
dialect · vernacular · subtext · repartee · chorus · voice · register · idiolect
Perceptible descriptive element
- vivid descriptionIntensely detailed verbal picture
- visualOf or concerning sight
- auditoryOf or relating to hearing
- tactileOf the touching sense
olfactory · gustatory · kinesthetic · word picture · atmosphere · texture · scene setting · evocative
persuasion
Convincing through reasoning
rhetorical question · antithesis · parallelism · tricolon · chiasmus · climax · anticlimax · zeugma · polysyndeton · aphorism
metaphor
Implied identity comparison
- simileComparison via "as"
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
personification · metonymy · synecdoche · allusion · analogy · conceit · extended metaphor · hyperbole · understatement · litotes
alliteration
Matching initial consonants
- assonanceVowel sound repetition
- consonanceHarmonious sound combination
- onomatopoeiaSound-imitating word formation
rhythm · meter · cadence · rhyme · repetition · anaphora · epistrophe · euphony · cacophony · sibilance
storytelling
Recounting events aloud
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- characterizationDescribing distinctive qualities
- point of viewOne's particular outlook
narrator · flashback · foreshadowing · climax · exposition · rising action · denouement · subplot · conflict · resolution
dramatic irony
Audience-character knowledge gap
- situational ironyOutcome opposite to expectations
- verbal ironySaying one thing, meaning another
- sarcasmIrony used to mock
satire · paradox · understatement · overstatement · twist · incongruity · juxtaposition · oxymoron · double entendre · bathos
tone
Quality of sound
genre · prose · register · minimalist · ornate · lyrical · sparse · florid · colloquial · formal
direct speech
Exact quoted utterance
- indirect speechRestating another's words
- monologueUninterrupted solo address
- soliloquyDramatic speech to oneself
aside · dialect · vernacular · subtext · repartee · chorus · voice · register · idiolect · interior monologue
sensory detail
Perceptible descriptive element
- vivid descriptionIntensely detailed verbal picture
- visualOf or concerning sight
- auditoryOf or relating to hearing
tactile · olfactory · gustatory · kinesthetic · word picture · atmosphere · texture · scene setting · evocative · descriptive
- stream of consciousnessstream of consciousness, interior monologue, free association, inner voice, thought process
- classical dialogueSocratic dialogue, dialectic, Symposium, Republic, Cicero
- Dramatic Monologuedramatic monologue, monologue, poetic voice, speaker, persona
literary techniquehappy accident
Unintended but beneficial event
spontaneous expression · happenstance · chance occurrence · coincidence
literary techniquespontaneous expression
Unpremeditated emotional display
plain speech · vernacular · conversational tone · stream of consciousness