Literary Devices: Irony, Flashback, Conflict & more

• Allusion refers to a reference to a well-known person or event, whether from real life or literature.
• Antagonist is a character or group of characters who oppose the protagonist.
• Atmosphere is the prevailing tone or feeling created by the author in a literary work.
• Conflict refers to the central struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story.
• Connotation encompasses the emotions, values, or images associated with a word.
• Denotation is the literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of emotional associations.
• Diction is the author's distinctive word choice that creates a unique style of expression.
• Flashback is a scene that interrupts the present action to depict earlier events.
• Foreshadowing are clues or hints that suggest future events in the story.

Irony

• Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows more than the characters about the situation.

• Situational irony is when the opposite of what is expected happens.

• Verbal irony is when a speaker says one thing but means the opposite.

• Mood is the feeling or atmosphere that a work of literature evokes in the reader.

• Pathetic fallacy is when the weather mirrors the emotions of characters.

• Plot is the sequence of events that make up a story.

Point of View

• First person uses "I".

• Second person uses "you" (rare).

• Third person uses "he/she".

• Third person limited presents events through one character's perspective.

• Third person omniscient provides an all-knowing perspective.

• Protagonist is the main character in a story.

• Setting includes the time, place, and circumstances in which a story unfolds.

• Symbol is an object with deeper significance beyond its literal meaning.

• Theme is the underlying message or insight about life that the writer conveys.

• Tone reflects the writer's attitude toward the subject matter, such as serious or humorous.

• Trigger incident is the event that initiates the rising action in a plot.

Figurative Language

• Hyperbole is exaggeration used for effect, whether serious or comic.
• Imagery is descriptive language that appeals to the five senses.
• Metaphor is a comparison of two different things without using "like" or "as".
• Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound it represents.
• Oxymoron is a figure of speech containing contradictory terms.
• Personification gives human qualities to inanimate objects.
• Pun is a play on words using multiple meanings for humorous effect.
• Simile is a comparison of two unlike things using "like" or "as".

Sound Devices

• Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words.
• Cacophony is the use of harsh-sounding words or syllables.
• Euphony is the use of harmonious sounds to create a pleasing effect.
• Rhyme is the repetition of the same sound at the end of words.