Literary Device Glossary

Flashback- an interruption of the chronological series in which the character recalls a prior memory. Flashbacks are often used by aut...

Suspense Definition: An intense feeling the reader or audience goes through while waiting for the outcome of events to happen. This...

Hyperbaton Definition: A device in which the author changes the regular positioning of words and phrases within a sentence to create ...

Motif Definition A motif is a narrative element with symbolic meaning that repeats throughout a work of literature. Motifs may come ...

Hubris Definition: Extreme pride and arrogance shown in a character that ultimately brings about his downfall. Hubris is typical a fla...

Foil Definition In literature, it is a character who shows contrasting qualities with another character to emphasis the second charac...

Bathos Definition: Bathos comes from a Greek word meaning “depth”. An author or poet uses bathos when they begin to write a lot of metap...