219 literary elements and devices

219 Every Growing List of Every Single Literary Element and Literary Devices

So we are collecting a list of literary elements. This list is cobbled together from a bunch of different sources and by a few different people. We did our best to not repeat and to get everything accurate, but I know we make mistakes sometimes. If you see one, please leave it in the comments. 

We want this to be the list of every single literary element know to humans, but I am sure we left some out. If you know of one we are missing, please! add to our list. If you leave the term in the comments WE WILL ADD IT. 

Otherwise, if you are just looking for some lit terms you haven’t heard of before, there may be a few down below. Please take a look, and I hope you find this list inspirational.

1. Accent – Distinct pronunciation associated with a particular region or social group
2. Alliteration -Repetition of initial consonant sounds
3. Allusion – A brief reference to something external
4. allusion – Brief reference to a person, event, work, or concept with significance outside the text
5. anacoluthon – Abrupt change of syntax within a sentence, or shifting grammatical construction
6. Anadiplosis – Repetition of the last word of a preceding clause
7. Anagnorisis – A critical moment of insight or realization
8. Analepsis – Flashback interrupting the chronological sequence
9. analogy – Comparing two different things to highlight similarities between them
10. Anapest – Two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable
11. Anaphora – Repetition of a word or phrase at the start of clauses
12. Anastrophe – Inversion of usual word order (e.g. Yoda’s speech)
13. Anecdote – A short account of an interesting event or incident
14. Antagonist – A character who opposes the protagonist
15. Antihero – A protagonist lacking conventional heroic traits
16. Antistrophe – Repetition of words in reverse order
17. Apologue – A moral fable or allegorical story with pointed meaning
18. aporia – Expression of real or feigned doubt about what to think, say, or do next
19. Aposiopesis – Breaking off speech abruptly as if unable or unwilling to continue
20. Apostrophe – Addressing an absent person or abstract entity
21. Appositive – Placing adjacent nouns referencing the same thing
22. Archetype – A symbolic character, situation, or object
23. Aside – When a character speaks directly to the audience
24. Assonance – Repeating internal vowel sounds
25. asyndeton – Omission of conjunctions between clauses, often to speed up the pace
26. atmosphere – The mood or emotional shade of a work
27. Bildungsroman – A coming-of-age novel
28. Blank verse – Unrhymed iambic pentameter
29. Cacophony – Harsh, discordant sounds
30. Cadence – The rhythmic flow of language
31. Caesura – A pause within a line of poetry
32. Catachresis – Inappropriate metaphor using words in the wrong context
33. Catharsis – Release of emotional tension through art
34. Character – A person or animal in a story
35. characterization – Methods an author uses to portray and develop characters
36. Chekhov’s gun – Narrative detail with later significance foreshadowed by attention drawn to it
37. Chiasmus – Reversal of grammatical order in two phrases or clauses
38. Cliché – An overused expression or theme
39. Cliffhanger – An abrupt ending leaving the outcome uncertain
40. Climax – The peak moment of conflict
41. Comedy – A humorous story with a happy ending
42. Comic relief – Humor used to lighten an otherwise serious work
43. complexity – Portraying characters with nuance, depth, contradiction, and ambiguity
44. Conceit – An elaborate metaphor making unlikely comparisons
45. Confidant(e) – Character functioning as a close friend or advisor who a protagonist confides in
46. Conflict – A struggle between opposing forces
47. Connotation – Emotional/social associations of a word
48. Cosmic irony – Individual’s helplessness before the enormity of universe’s chaos
49. Couplet – Two consecutive rhyming lines
50. Dactyl – One stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables
51. Deception – Misleading readers or characters about reality
52. Defamiliarization – Language making the familiar seem unfamiliar
53. Denotation – Literal definition of a word
54. Denouement – The final resolution after the climax
55. Deus ex machina – An unexpected power resolving a situation
56. Diacope – Repetition broken up by intervening words
57. Dialect – Characters speaking in a regional variety of language
58. Dialogue – Conversation between two or more characters
59. Diction – Word choice
60. Digression – Temporary departure from the main subject in speaking or writing
61. direct characterization – Directly telling readers about a character
62. Discourse – Communication of meaning through language interchange
63. Dramatic irony – Discrepancy between what characters know and what audience knows
64. Dramatic monologue – A speech by one character revealing their thoughts
65. Dynamic character – A character who changes over time
66. End rhyme – Rhyme occurring at the ends of lines
67. Enjambment – Continuing a sentence over multiple lines
68. Epanalepsis – Repetition at the end of a clause the word that occurred at the beginning
69. Epilogue – A concluding section that rounds off or continues a work
70. Epistolary – Told through documents like letters and diary entries
71. Epistrophe – Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of clauses
72. epithet – An adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality or attribute
73. Ethos – Appeal to ethics or credibility
74. Euphemism – A mild or indirect word substituted for a harsher one
75. Euphony – Pleasant, harmonious sounds
76. Exposition – Background information presented to readers
77. Extended metaphor – A metaphor expanded throughout a work
78. External conflict – A character struggles against an outside force
79. Eye rhyme – Words with similar orthography but different pronunciation
80. Falling action – Events after the climax
81. Farce – Absurd, highly exaggerated comedy with exaggerated characters
82. Feminine rhyme – Rhyme on two final syllables (motion/ocean)
83. Figurative language – Language using figures of speech
84. Figure of speech – A word or phrase used in a non-literal way
85. Flashback – Interrupting the story to show events that happened earlier
86. Flashforward – A scene depicting expected future events
87. Flat character – A simplistic character lacking depth
88. Foil – Character who contrasts with another character
89. Foreshadowing – Hints or clues about future events
90. Frame story – A story within a story
91. Free verse – Poetry without a regular meter or rhyme scheme
92. Full rhyme – Rhyme in which root vowels and final consonants match
93. Gothic fiction – Supernatural, gloomy, medieval-inspired setting; omens, mystery
94. Haiku – A 3-line poem with 5/7/5 syllables
95. Hendiadys – Two nouns linked by conjunction to express single complex idea
96. Hubris – Excessive pride or arrogance
97. hubris – Excessive pride that leads to the protagonist’s downfall
98. Humor – Anything that elicits amusement or laughter
99. Hyperbaton – Disturbing usual word order to create emphasis
100. Hyperbole – Exaggeration for emphasis or effect
101. Iamb – An unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
102. imagery – Language evoking sensory details to build vivid impressions
103. In medias res – Beginning a story in the middle of the action
104. inclusio – Repetition of words at the beginning and end of a text to create a framing effect
105. indirect characterization – Showing a character through actions, dialogue, appearance
106. Interior monologue – Inner thoughts of a fictional character conveyed as directly represented
107. Internal conflict – A character struggles with inner thoughts and feelings
108. Internal rhyme – Rhyme occurring within a line
109. Interpolation – Insertion of extraneous material interrupting continuity of work
110. intertextuality – Reference to other literary works, authors, or pop culture
111. Irony – Discrepancy between expected results and actual results
112. Juxtaposition – Contrasting two things side-by-side
113. Leitwortstil – Purposeful repetition of wording usually associated with a theme
114. Line – A row of words in a poem or song lyrics
115. Litotes – Affirming a statement by denying its opposite
116. Logos – Appeal to logic
117. Lyric – A short poem expressing a speaker’s thoughts and feelings
118. MacGuffin – Object of pursuit that drives plot although its specific nature is unimportant
119. Magical realism – Realistic fiction with supernatural or dreamlike elements
120. malapropism – The mistaken use of an incorrect word in place of one that sounds similar
121. Masculine rhyme – Rhyme on final syllable (stall/wall)
122. Metafiction – Fiction that draws attention to its fictional nature
123. Metalepsis – Referencing metatextual levels or temporal frameworks
124. Metaphor – Comparing two unlike things by saying one is the other
125. Meter – The rhythmic structure of verse
126. Metonymy – Substituting a related term for an actual thing
127. Minimalism – Extremely sparse, stripped-down prose style
128. Mixed metaphor – Combining incompatible metaphors illogically
129. Monologue – A long speech by one character
130. Mood – Atmosphere or pervading emotion evoked
131. Motif – Recurring images, ideas, or symbols
132. non sequitur – An illogical or absurd statement whose meaning does not follow logically from what preceded it
133. Objective – Narrator only describes actions and dialogue, no inner states
134. Objective correlative – A symbol representing a character’s emotions
135. Objective point of view – Narrator relates only externally viewable elements
136. Ode – A long poem praising or glorifying someone or something
137. Onomatopoeia – Words that imitate sounds
138. Overstatement – Exaggerating something beyond what is reasonable
139. Oxymoron – Two contrasting words placed together
140. Pacing – The speed at which a story progresses
141. Paradox – A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a truth
142. Parallelism – Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses
143. Parataxis – Sentences lacking conjunctions between independent clauses
144. Parody – Imitation of style or content meant to ridicule or make comedic point
145. Pastiche – Imitation of style blending multiple qualities in a new work
146. Pathetic fallacy – Giving human emotions to nature
147. Pathos – Appeal to emotion
148. Peripeteia – A sudden reversal of circumstances
149. Periphrasis – Use of excessive verbiage or roundabout speech
150. Persona – Assumed role or fictional identity adopted by an author or character
151. Personification – Giving human traits to the nonhuman
152. Perspective – The narrator’s viewpoint and outlook
153. Picaresque – Relating the episodic adventures of a rogue or antihero
154. Plot – Events that form the story
155. Poetic justice – Virtue rewarded and evil punished
156. point of view – The narrative perspective from which the story is told
157. polysyndeton – Deliberate use of many conjunctions not needed for sense
158. polysyndeton – Use of many conjunctions between clauses, often to slow down the pace
159. Preface – An introduction explaining the background of a work
160. Prolepsis – Flashforward hinting at future plot developments
161. Prologue – An introductory section that sets the stage
162. Prose – Ordinary language writing without meter or rhyme
163. protagonist – The central character or chief agent of change in a work
164. Pun – A play on words with the same sound but different meaning
165. Purple prose – Writing overly extravagant, ornate, or flowery
166. Pyrrhic – Two unstressed syllables together
167. Quatrain – A four-line stanza or poem
168. register – Level of formality in language used
169. Register – Level of formality of language employed
170. Resolution – The conclusion when loose ends are tied up
171. rhetoric – Effective use of language for persuasion or style
172. Rhetorical device – A technique used to convey meaning
173. rhetorical question – Question intended to provoke thought rather than elicit answer
174. Rhyme – Correspondence of terminal sounds in two or more words
175. Rhyme scheme – The pattern of rhyme at the ends of lines
176. Rising action – Events building up to the climax
177. Romance – Imaginative fiction dealing with chivalry, adventure, idealized characters
178. Round character – A complex character with depth
179. Sarcasm – Bitter or cutting ironic remarks intended to mock
180. Satire – Humor used to mock, scorn, criticize through irony, sarcasm, ridicule
181. Second person – Narrator refers to the reader as “you”
182. sensory detail – Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste descriptions to evoke imagery
183. Setting – When and where the story takes place
184. Simile – Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as”
185. Situational irony – Outcome failing to fulfill expectations built up in a narrative
186. Slant rhyme – Incomplete rhyme with similar but not identical sounds
187. Soliloquy – A speech expressing a character’s private thoughts
188. Sonnet – A 14-line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme
189. Spondee – Two stressed syllables together
190. Stanzas – Grouping of lines or verses in poetry
191. static character – Character who does not change over the course of a work
192. Stream of consciousness – Narrative reproducing the random flow of thoughts in conscious mind
193. Style – Literary techniques giving a work distinctive qualities
194. Subjective point of view – Narrator relates characters’ internal thoughts/feelings
195. Suspension of disbelief – Accepting unrealistic elements in a story
196. Syllepsis – A word yoked to two others although appropriate to only one
197. Symbolism – Using objects or images to represent abstract concepts
198. Synecdoche – Part representing the whole or vice versa
199. Synecdoche – Using a part to represent the whole
200. Syntax – Arrangement of words into meaningful grammatical order
201. Tercet – A stanza of three lines
202. Theme – The main idea or underlying meaning
203. Third person limited – Narrator knows thoughts/feelings of one character
204. Third person omniscient – Narrator knows thoughts/feelings of all characters
205. Tone – Narrator’s attitude toward subject matter as perceived by reader
206. Tragedy – Drama with unhappy ending brought about by protagonist’s flaws
207. tragic flaw – The weakness or imperfection that leads to a hero’s downfall
208. Tragicomedy – A story with both tragic and comedic elements
209. Trochee – A stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable
210. Trope – Artistic use of figurative language
211. Understatement – Intentionally minimizing a statement’s importance
212. Unities – Rules governing unity of time, place, and action
213. Unreliable narrator – Narrator whose credibility is undermined or questionable
214. Verbal irony – Use of words conveying the opposite of their literal meaning
215. Verse – Writing arranged with a rhythmic structure
216. Voice – Perspective conveyed through speech, writing, and actions
217. Volta – A turning point in a poem
218. Wit – Cleverly apt, ingeniously associate disparate ideas
219. Zeugma – Using one word to govern two others although appropriate to only one

We hope you have enjoyed this list. If you see any mistakes, put them in the comments. If you think of any we forgot, please put those in the comments.