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List of Literary Devices: 31 Literary Terms You Should Know. Below is a list of literary devices, most of which you'll often come across in both prose and poetry. We explain what each literary term is and give you an example of how it's used. This literary elements list is arranged in alphabetical order. Allegory
- Poetic Devices
Anything that impacts the way a poem or other written work...
- Poetic Devices
- Allegory. An allegory is a story, poem, or other written work that can be interpreted to have a secondary meaning. Aesop’s Fables are examples of allegories, as they are ostensibly about one thing (such as “The Ant and the Grasshopper”) but actually have a secondary meaning.
- Alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of a sound or letter at the beginning of multiple words in a series. “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…”
- Allusion. An allusion is an indirect reference to something. “The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest.” - Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.
- Apostrophe. An apostrophe is a poetic device where the writer addresses a person or thing that isn’t present with an exclamation. “O stranger of the future!
- How Many Poetic Devices Are there?
- Poetic Devices—Form
- Poetic Devices—Diction
- Poetic Devices—Punctuation
- How to Identify Poetic Devices
There are hundreds, possibly even thousands, of different literary devices open to poets, some of them very obscure having not been used for centuries, and so this article will divide them into categories—Poetic Form, Poetic Diction, and Poetic Punctuation—and concentrate on the most used poetic devices, with examples, in each category.
First, we’ll look at poetic devices relating to form. Poetic form refers to how the poem is structured using stanzas, line length, rhyme, and rhythm. Clever use of poetic form can enhance the meaning or emotion the poet is trying to achieve.
Next, we’ll look at devices of poetic diction. "Poetic diction" means the sounds, meanings, and rhythmsthat make up the language or "operating system" of poetry. These types of devices are what the poet uses to establish the feel and atmosphere of the poem.
Whereas in normal writing, punctuation has a utilitarian purpose, in poetry it can be used as a tool of expression or artistic choice.
In this article we have looked at the main types and examples of literary devices in poetry, but there are hundreds more we couldn’t cover, such as anaphora, epistrophe, litotes, and zeugma, to name but a few. As with all things, the more poetry that you read (and write) and the more you take an interest, the quicker you will recognize the creative...
Blank verse is a great way to add a poetic levity to writing that would otherwise read like prose. 6. Chiasmus. A chiasmus (a word that brings to mind the word “chimera”, coincidentally enough) is a stylized literary device that plays with the reversal of words or ideas.
- Anaphora. Anaphora describes a poem that repeats the same phrase at the beginning of each line. Sometimes the anaphora is a central element of the poem’s construction; other times, poets only use anaphora in one or two stanzas, not the whole piece.
- Conceit. A conceit is, essentially, an extended metaphor. Which, when you think about it, it’s kind of stuck-up to have a fancy word for an extended metaphor, so a conceit is pretty conceited, don’t you think?
- Apostrophe. Don’t confuse this with the punctuation mark for possessive nouns—the literary device apostrophe is different. Apostrophe describes any instance when the speaker talks to a person or object that is absent from the poem.
- Metonymy & Synecdoche. Metonymy and synecdoche are very similar poetic devices, so we’ll include them as one item. A metonymy is when the writer replaces “a part for a part,” choosing one noun to describe a different noun.
Jul 9, 2024 · Pro tip: Use allusions to make yourself sound smart at parties. Just make sure your audience gets the reference, or you’ll end up explaining jokes. Awkward. Irony (When Words Say “Zig” But Mean “Zag”) Definition: The use of words to convey a meaning opposite to their literal sense. It’s the poker face of literary devices!
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Jun 27, 2024 · Sound Devices: Alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia contribute to the musical quality of the poem. These sound devices enhance the reader’s experience by creating rhythm and mood. Symbolism: Poets often use symbols to represent larger concepts or ideas. This allows them to communicate complex themes succinctly and powerfully.
