Literary Elements and Devices

Literary Elements

Antagonist

An antagonist is a character or group of characters that stand against the protagonist of a story. Antagonists are often referred to as villains.

Character

A character is a person, thing, or animal that is important to the story. All different types of characters play a unique role in the story.

Conflict

Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces that brings action to the story’s plot. For instance, a protagonist may face a problem that prevents him or her from achieving his/her aims and dreams. Types of conflict include person vs person, person vs self, person vs society, person vs nature.

Mood and Tone

Mood refers to the emotions evoked to the reader by the story whereas tone shows the narrator's attitude regarding the events taking place in the story.

Protagonist

A protagonist is the central character in a text. This literary device is key to the development of the story. Other names given to a protagonist include hero, focal character, main character, or central character.

Setting

The setting is the environment in which a story takes place. It may specify the time and location of an event or the story.

Themes

A theme is the central idea of a literary text that expresses a message or a lesson. It provides a certain insight into the story and it may be stated directly or indirectly as the story unwinds.

Literary Devices

Allegory

An allegory is a description of events, actions, characters, settings, or objects that represent complex concepts through the use of symbolism.

Allusion

An allusion is a figure of speech in which the writer makes a reference to a person, place, event, or literary work. It is designed to call something to mind and help the reader make connections.

Archetype

An Archetype is created based on qualities or traits that have served as a prototype if its kind and is the original idea used again and again.

Deus ex Machine

A circumstance when an implausible concept or character is introduced in a story to make the conflict resolve. These unbelievable twists are often criticized when used to end a story.

Hyperbole

A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used to support a point or emphasize an emotion. It is often used to create a serious, comic, or ironic effect in text. For example:

I am so hungry that I could eat a horse.

Imagery

Imagery are words or phrases used to form pictures in a person’s mind. This type of language appeals to the reader’s sense of sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch.

Metaphor

A metaphor is used to compare two unlike items that are said to be the same without using the words “like” or “as”. For example:

Time is money.

Motif

A motif is an idea that is constantly presented throughout a literary work.

Point of View

Point of view is the way in which a story is narrated and who it is that tells the story. The two most common point of view techniques include first and third person point of view.

Simile

A simile is a figure of speech in which two things are compared using the words “like” or “as”. For example:

The boy walked as quiet as a mouse down the hall.

Symbolism

Symbolism is the use of words, characters, locations, or abstract ideas as symbols to represent a broader meaning.