Literary Devices
Literary Devices
Literary Devices
Allegory
Irony is when a statement is used to express an opposite meaning than the one literally
expressed by it. There are three types of irony in literature:
Verbal irony: When someone says something but means the opposite (similar to sarcasm).
Situational irony: When something happens that's the opposite of what was expected or
intended to happen.
Dramatic irony: When the audience is aware of the true intentions or outcomes, while the
characters are not. As a result, certain actions and/or events take on different meanings for the
audience than they do for the characters involved.
Examples:
Verbal irony: One example of this type of irony can be found in Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Cask
of Amontillado." In this short story, a man named Montresor plans to get revenge on another
man named Fortunato. As they toast, Montresor says, "And I, Fortunato—I drink to your long
life." This statement is ironic because we the readers already know by this point that Montresor
plans to kill Fortunato.
Situational irony: A girl wakes up late for school and quickly rushes to get there. As soon as
she arrives, though, she realizes that it’s Saturday and there is no school.
Dramatic irony: In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Romeo commits suicide in order
to be with Juliet; however, the audience knows that Juliet is not actually dead—just asleep.
Juxtaposition
Metaphors are when ideas, actions, or objects are described in non-literal terms. In
short, it’s when an author compares one thing to another. The two things being
described usually share something in common but are unalike in all other respects.
Examples:
"What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." In
this line from Romeo and Juliet, Romeo compares Juliet to the sun. However,
because Romeo doesn’t use the words "as" or "like," it is not a simile—just a
metaphor.
"She is as vicious as a lion." Since this statement uses the word "as" to make a
comparison between "she" and "a lion," it is a simile.
Metonym
Mood is the general feeling the writer wants the audience to have. The
writer can achieve this through description, setting, dialogue, and word
choice.