Literary Elements
Every work of literature is made up of a combination of elements. What makes each work unique is
the creative way in which the author handles and blends these elements. Careful readers of
literary texts are able to identify these elements and to discuss how they influence the meaning of
the literary work.
What Is It
Called?
Characterization
Setting
Plot
Diction
What Does It Mean?
Refers to the creation and
development of characters,
the people who carry on the
action in a literary work
The time and place in which
events occur
The sequence of events that
take place
The word choice of the
author
Tone
The attitude or viewpoint
that an author shows toward
his or her subject
Mood
The atmosphere or feeling of
a literary work
The perspective from which a
story is told
Point of view
Structure
Theme
How the parts of a literary
work are organized and
arranged
The central idea of a literary
work
What Does it Look Like?
Description by the narrator, dialogue &
thoughts, and character actions are all
methods of characterization.
Can include descriptions of locations, dates,
times of year, etc.
Major and minor events or conflicts that
involve the characters.
Words that help to convey different attitudes
or tones. Adjectives & adverbs (describing
words) and verbs (action words) are helpful in
considering the author’s diction.
The tone may be serious, sympathetic, angry,
etc. You can usually determine the narrator’s
tone by studying the author’s diction (or word
choice).
The mood may be joyful, gloomy, suspenseful,
etc.
In the first-person point of view, the narrator
tells the story using “I” and “me” and may
participate in events. In the omniscient point
of view, the narrator is an all-knowing
impersonal observer who does not take part in
events but can describe the thoughts and
actions of all the characters.
The structure of a novel may be based on
chronological order with occasional flashbacks.
The structure of poetry includes the number,
form, pattern of lines, and stanzas.
Themes often have to do with widely held
human concerns such as love, death, justice,
dignity, happiness, etc.
Great Sentence Starters
“The author uses dialogue as a method of characterization to show…”
“The narrator’s use of diction helps to express a tone of…”
“The first person point of view of the narrator helps the reader to understand…”
Literary Techniques
Authors and poets use many different techniques when they write. These techniques help to
convey ideas and feelings and create memorable works of literature. Skillful readers interpret
these techniques to explain how they contribute to the meaning of the text.
What Is It
Called?
Allegory
Alliteration
What Does It Mean?
The representation of ideas or moral
principles by means of symbolic
characters, events, or objects
The repetition of a consonant sound
What Does it Look Like?
Arthur Milller’s Crucible uses the Salem Witch Trial as an
allegory for the hunt for Communists in America during the
1950s.
The falling flakes fluttered to the ground.
The swift, silent serpent slithered along.
Her eyes gleamed like stars.
The house was a large as a castle.
Simile
A type of figurative language that
makes a comparison using “like” or “as”
Metaphor
A type of figurative language that
makes a comparison but does not use
“like” or “as”
A type of figurative language that
applies human qualities to objects,
ideas, or animals
A type of figurative language that
makes an overstatement for the
purpose of emphasis
A type of figurative language in which
words sound like the things they name
Insertion of a scene or event that took
place in the past, often appearing as a
memory
The suggestion or hint of events to
come later in a literary work
The use of descriptive words or
phrases to create vivid mental pictures
in the minds of the reader, often
appealing to sight, sound, taste, or
smell
A situation or event that is the
opposite of what is or might be
expected
The expression of an attitude or
intention that is the opposite of what
is actually meant
Repeating a word or group of words
for emphasis or effect
The girls were tigers on the playing field, devouring the
competition.
All the world is a stage.
The sun smiled down on the village.
The leaves danced in the wind.
A question asked only for effect or to
make a statement, but not to get an
answer
A type of writing that uses humor,
irony, or wit to make a point
How much longer will we put up with this injustice? Isn’t it
time that we took action?
Personification
Hyperbole
Onomatopoeia
Flashback
Foreshadowing
Imagery
Situational Irony
Verbal Irony
Repetition
Rhetorical
question
Satire
Symbolism
A symbol is something that stands for
something larger than itself
His ears were so sharp he could hear dogs bark in the next
county.
I’m so tired I could sleep for years.
bang, buzz, crackle, sizzle, hiss, murmur, and roar
A novelist may include a flashback to reveal a childhood
incident in the life of an adult character.
Gray clouds at the beginning of a story may foreshadow a
storm or conflict that occurs later.
The tree roots clutched the ground like gnarled fingers.
The frightened screech of an unseen animal tore through
the night.
It would be ironic if a lifeguard had to be saved from
drowning.
When a late-comer is told sarcastically, “Thanks for joining
us.”
There in the sudden blackness, the black pall of nothing,
nothing, nothing – nothing at all.
At this rate we might as well dump garbage straight into
the ocean if we’re not going to increase the penalty for
polluting the environment.
A rose symbolizes beauty.
The flag symbolizes the country.
Darkness symbolizes evil.
Great Sentence Starters
“The author uses flashback in this scene to show…”
“The writer’s use of imagery conveys a sense of…”
“The examples of repetition and alliteration help to emphasize…”