Ekphrasis refers to a poem or story that is directly inspired by another piece of art. O Attic shape! Fair attitude! Ekphrasis can be considered a direct allusion because it borrows language and images from other artwork.
For a great example of ekphrasis—as well as a submission opportunity for writers! Try your hand at ekphrasis by picking a piece of art you really enjoy and writing a poem or story based off of it. For example, you could write a story about Mona Lisa having a really bad day, or you could write a black-out poem created from the lyrics of your favorite song. The following 12 devices apply to both poetry and prose writers, but they appear most often in verse.
Learn more about:. The following 10 devices show up in verse, but are far more prevalent in prose. The instructors at Writers. Through masterful instruction and personal expertise, our instructors can help you add, refine, and improve your literary devices, helping you craft great works of literature. Check out our upcoming courses , and join our writing community on Facebook! This was put together profoundly; thank you!
As a writer, you can never learn enough. I will begin incorporating these into my stories. Thank you for this article! It really helped a lot! But I would have one last question: Would any sort of intertextuality be considered an Allusion? Also when you refer to the author for example? Great questions! And yes, because an allusion is anything referential, then a reference to another author also counts as an allusion.
This article really helped me, the techniques are amazing, and the detail is incredible. Thank you for taking your time to write this! Hi Nate! Juxtaposition simply describes when contrasting ideas are placed next to each other. The effect of juxtaposition depends on the ideas that are being juxtaposed, but the point is to surprise or provoke the reader. Here, happy and unhappy families are being juxtaposed, and the contrast between the two is meant to provoke the reader and highlight the differences between those families.
This juxtaposition sets up the novel as a whole, which often discusses themes of family and happiness among many other themes. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Writing Tips. Contents What are Literary Devices? Character Transformation Workshop: How to Write Stories that Emotionally Resonate with Giulietta Nardone November 17th, Learn how to write emotionally resonant journeys that stick with the reader, using the power of character transformation.
Browse our full course calendar ». Example of metaphor: This tree is the god of the forest. Sight imagery: The tree spread its gigantic, sun-flecked shoulders. Touch imagery: The tree felt smooth as sandstone. Smell imagery: As we approached the tree, the air around it smelled crisp and precise. The down blanket lay crumpled, unused, on the empty side of our bed.
Personification using sight : The car ran a marathon down the highway. Personification using sound : The car coughed, hacked, and spluttered. Personification using taste : The car tasted the bitter asphalt. Personification using smell : The car needed a cold shower. The ancient, threadbare rug was clearly tired of being stepped on. It was a brutally hot 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The April spring sun boiled blood and sent birds exploding.
The triple bacon cheeseburger glistened with health and good choices. Across the town from her wedding, the bank robbers were tying up the hostages. I put the box of chocolates on the coffee table, next to the gas mask. Catullus 85 translated from Latin I hate and I love.
While its name may be confusing, this literary device is actually easy to understand once you get past its difficult spelling. An onomatopoeia is a word or phrase that shows you the sound something makes. When using this literary element in writing, the correct formatting is almost always to have the word italicized to show emphasis of the sound.
Every story uses symbolism in some way. This literary device is the use of a situation or element to represent a larger message, idea, or concept. Many times, authors use symbolism as a way to convey a broader message that speaks to more readers. You can also use symbolism to foreshadow what will happen later in the story. For example, if you want to catch a reader off-guard when something traumatic or intense happens, keeping the tone light and humorous before the event can increase the sensation of shock and tension.
Tone can guide your readers right into the emotion you want them to feel in a particular scene. Disclosure: Some of the links above may contain affiliate partnerships, meaning, at no additional cost to you, Self-Publishing School may earn a commission if you click through to make a purchase. While she's not whipping up content here, she's creating her own life and teaching others how to over at Own Your Ordinary , hanging out with her dog, and eating something with cheese!
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Juxtaposition is the comparing and contrasting of two or more different usually opposite ideas, characters, objects, etc. This literary device is often used to help create a clearer picture of the characteristics of one object or idea by comparing it with those of another. Example: One of the most famous literary examples of juxtaposition is the opening passage from Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities :. Malapropism happens when an incorrect word is used in place of a word that has a similar sound.
This misuse of the word typically results in a statement that is both nonsensical and humorous; as a result, this device is commonly used in comedic writing. Example: "I just can't wait to dance the flamingo! 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. A simile is a type of metaphor in which an object, idea, character, action, etc.
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. However, because Romeo doesn't use the words "as" or "like," it is not a simile—just a metaphor. A metonym is when a related word or phrase is substituted for the actual thing to which it's referring. This device is usually used for poetic or rhetorical effect. Example: "The pen is mightier than the sword.
Mood is the general feeling the writer wants the audience to have. The writer can achieve this through description, setting, dialogue, and word choice. Example: Here's a passage from J. Tolkien's The Hobbit: "It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats -- the hobbit was fond of visitors.
From the writing, you can see that the hobbit's home is well-cared for and designed to provide comfort. Onomatopoeia is a word or group of words that represents a sound and actually resembles or imitates the sound it stands for. It is often used for dramatic, realistic, or poetic effect. An oxymoron is a combination of two words that, together, express a contradictory meaning.
This device is often used for emphasis, for humor, to create tension, or to illustrate a paradox see next entry for more information on paradoxes. Examples: Deafening silence, organized chaos, cruelly kind, insanely logical, etc. Are they going up or down?! A paradox is a statement that appears illogical or self-contradictory but, upon investigation, might actually be true or plausible.
Note that a paradox is different from an oxymoron: a paradox is an entire phrase or sentence, whereas an oxymoron is a combination of just two words. Example: Here's a famous paradoxical sentence: "This statement is false. But if it's false, then the statement is true! Thus, this statement is a paradox because it is both true and false at the same time. Personification is when a nonhuman figure or other abstract concept or element is described as having human-like qualities or characteristics.
Personification is used to help the reader create a clearer mental picture of the scene or object being described. Example: "The wind moaned, beckoning me to come outside. Repetition is when a word or phrase is written multiple times, usually for the purpose of emphasis.
It is often used in poetry for purposes of rhythm as well. Example: When Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the score for the hit musical Hamilton, gave his speech at the Tony's, he recited a poem he'd written that included the following line:. And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside. Satire is genre of writing that criticizes something , such as a person, behavior, belief, government, or society.
Satire often employs irony, humor, and hyperbole to make its point. Example: The Onion is a satirical newspaper and digital media company. It uses satire to parody common news features such as opinion columns, editorial cartoons, and click bait headlines.
A type of monologue that's often used in dramas, a soliloquy is when a character speaks aloud to himself and to the audience , thereby revealing his inner thoughts and feelings. Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Symbolism refers to the use of an object, figure, event, situation, or other idea in a written work to represent something else— typically a broader message or deeper meaning that differs from its literal meaning. The things used for symbolism are called "symbols," and they'll often appear multiple times throughout a text, sometimes changing in meaning as the plot progresses.
Example: In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby , the green light that sits across from Gatsby's mansion symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams. A synecdoche is a literary device in which part of something is used to represent the whole, or vice versa. It's similar to a metonym see above ; however, a metonym doesn't have to represent the whole—just something associated with the word used. They are woven throughout a story and usually relate to one or more of a literary work's major themes.
Motifs come in the form of symbols, objects, sounds, or even settings. While this one might look unfamiliar, you know what it is. Everyone is familiar with at least a few examples of onomatopoeia.
It occurs when the name of a word describes a sound, with the word itself sounding similar to the actual sound. Most people are familiar with various character and personality traits that people have. Writers capitalize on readers' prior knowledge by using examples of personification in their work. Personification involves giving the traits of a person to an inanimate object.
It can be a fun literary device to use. Writing can be told from different points of view or perspectives. Writers use three different points of view: first, second and third person. The point of view used in a story greatly impacts how the story is conveyed. As a literary device, repetition is simply repeated words, letters, phrases, or sounds. Used correctly, examples of repetition in writing and poetry can push the message or point of the writing.
Symbolism is a fun literary technique. Writers use this to add meaning to an object or person within a story. Depending on the writer's creativity, the level of symbolism can be basic or unique.
Looking to spark a little reader interest? Similes work great for this because they make an interesting comparison between two things using the word like or as. Has anyone ever reprimanded you for your tone? Tone tells us a lot about what a character is thinking or the feeling the poem is trying to portray.
There are many examples of tone , including a happy, energetic or even melancholy tone. Literary devices are everywhere. The examples above are used quite a bit, but they are certainly not the only ones. Discover less common, but still fairly basic, literary devices found in writing.
Are there differences between literary devices, rhetorical devices and figurative language? Now that is the question. Because the answer can get murky since these terms overlap. The easiest way to understand the difference between literary devices, rhetorical devices and figurative language is to break each one down.
Literary devices might not seem important, but could you imagine writing without them. How boring would that be? All rights reserved. What Are Literary Devices? Archetype In literature, an archetype represents universal truths about human nature or patterns that regularly occur.
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