literary techniques
Narrative tools employed
Literary techniques are the methods writers use to create effects in their work—devices like metaphor, foreshadowing, irony, and point of view.
The term covers both structural choices (flashback, parallel plot) and stylistic ones (alliteration, imagery).
The novel's literary techniques include unreliable narration and stream of consciousness.
Distinguished from literary devices mainly by emphasis: techniques suggests craft and method, devices suggests discrete tools.
Implied identity comparison
- simileComparison via "as"
- analogyExplanatory likeness between things
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
conceit · extended metaphor · metonymy · synecdoche · hyperbole · litotes · oxymoron · paradox
Matching initial consonants
- assonanceVowel sound repetition
- consonanceHarmonious sound combination
- onomatopoeiaSound-imitating word formation
- sibilanceHissing quality in speech
euphony · cacophony · rhyme · rhythm · cadence · meter · repetition · anaphora
Storyline or land parcel
- characterizationDescribing distinctive qualities
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- point of viewOne's particular outlook
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
foreshadowing · climax · conflict · resolution · setting · exposition · denouement · narrator
Audience-character knowledge gap
- situational ironyOutcome opposite to expectations
- verbal ironySaying one thing, meaning another
- sarcasmIrony used to mock
- satireMockery exposing vice
understatement · overstatement · cosmic irony · Socratic irony · incongruity · twist ending · unreliable narrator · dark humor
Representational mark or sign
- motifRecurring thematic element
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- archetypeOriginal model for copies
- leitmotifRecurring thematic phrase
allusion · emblem · connotation · foreshadowing · thematic · representational · figurative meaning · subtext
Sound-matching arrangement in poetry
- meterDevice that measures usage
- stanzaPoem's line grouping
- sonnetFourteen-line metered poem
- haikuJapanese seventeen-syllable verse
villanelle · sestina · ballad · ode · elegy · couplet · quatrain · free verse
Perceptible descriptive element
- vivid descriptionIntensely detailed verbal picture
- visualOf or concerning sight
- auditoryOf or relating to hearing
- tactileOf the touching sense
olfactory · gustatory · kinesthetic · evocative · atmospheric · pictorial · cinematic · painterly
metaphor
Implied identity comparison
- simileComparison via "as"
- analogyExplanatory likeness between things
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
allegory · conceit · extended metaphor · metonymy · synecdoche · hyperbole · litotes · oxymoron · paradox · antithesis
alliteration
Matching initial consonants
- assonanceVowel sound repetition
- consonanceHarmonious sound combination
- onomatopoeiaSound-imitating word formation
sibilance · euphony · cacophony · rhyme · rhythm · cadence · meter · repetition · anaphora · epistrophe
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- characterizationDescribing distinctive qualities
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- point of viewOne's particular outlook
flashback · foreshadowing · climax · conflict · resolution · setting · exposition · denouement · narrator · perspective
dramatic irony
Audience-character knowledge gap
- situational ironyOutcome opposite to expectations
- verbal ironySaying one thing, meaning another
- sarcasmIrony used to mock
satire · understatement · overstatement · cosmic irony · Socratic irony · incongruity · twist ending · unreliable narrator · dark humor · mockery
symbol
Representational mark or sign
- motifRecurring thematic element
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- archetypeOriginal model for copies
leitmotif · allusion · emblem · connotation · foreshadowing · thematic · representational · figurative meaning · subtext · iconography
rhyme scheme
Sound-matching arrangement in poetry
haiku · villanelle · sestina · ballad · ode · elegy · couplet · quatrain · free verse · blank verse
sensory detail
Perceptible descriptive element
- vivid descriptionIntensely detailed verbal picture
- visualOf or concerning sight
- auditoryOf or relating to hearing
tactile · olfactory · gustatory · kinesthetic · evocative · atmospheric · pictorial · cinematic · painterly · figurative
literary techniquesrandom occurrence
literary techniquestechnical writing
Clear explanation of complexity
boilerplate language · legal jargon · form letters · boilerplate · legalese
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