Literary Terms and Devices

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Irony

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A contrast between expectation and reality

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Situational irony

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Irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.

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Dramatic irony

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When a reader is aware of something that a character isn't

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Verbal irony

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A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant

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Motif

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A recurring theme, subject or idea

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Symbol

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A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.

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Theme

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Central idea of a work of literature

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Foreshadow

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A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.

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Flashback

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A scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time

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Suspense

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A state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.