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English 366
Literary Techniques
Ms. Smithman
What is a literary technique?
 A tool that the author uses to help convey the meaning
and achieve the purpose of their text
 A literary technique can also be referred to as a literary
device or literary method
 Can you think of some on your own?
Characterization
 How the author reveals a character’s personality,
background, appearance and values.
 Example :
 Direct: George was cunning and greedy.
 Indirect: On the crowded subway, George slipped is hand
into the man’s coat pocket and withdrew the wallet,
undetected.
Dialogue
 Dialogue
 A conversation between two or more people providing
details about the characters and their situation.
 Example:
“ Is anyone looking?”
“ No, I think the coast is clear.”
“Okay on the count of three, you grab the cake and I’ll grab a
fork.”
Irony
 Verbal Irony: Words that are intended to mean the exact
opposite of what is stated
 Example: Saying “Oh great” after you drop all your books.
 Situational Irony: An unexpected turn of events, the
opposite of what would be a conventional or appropriate
outcome
 Example: A robber’s car is stolen while he is robbing a bank.
 Dramatic Irony: When the audience and one character
are aware of information that the other characters
don’t know
 Example: Juliet’s sleeping potion in
Romeo and Juliet
Foreshadowing
 When the author provides hints about events that are
to come in a story.
 Example: In Of Mice and Men, Lennie kills the mice by
stroking them too hard.
Imagery
 The use of sensory details to stimulate thought and
feeling.
 Think about your 5 senses!
 Example: The giant tree was ablaze with the orange, red,
and yellow leaves that were beginning to make their decent
to the ground.
Metaphor vs. Simile
Metaphor
 A comparison
between two things
without the use of
like or as.
Simile
 A comparison between two
things using like or as
 Example: Her eyes are as
bright as the sun.
Hyperbole
 When the author uses an exaggeration in order
to emphasize a point.
 Example: I am so tired I could sleep for a year.
 Example: I am so hungry I could eat
horse.
a
Personification
 When a non human-object is described as having human
characteristic.
 Example: My computer hates me.
 Example: The trees were dancing in the wind.

1st
Point of View
person narrative:
 Writing from the “I” point of
view.
 Example: I walked home
from school
 3rd person omniscient:
 Writing from the he-she
point of view. The narrator
knows everything.
 Example: He walked home
alone and although Sally
didn’t know it, he was
finally happy.
Repetition
 The use of a specific word, structure, or phrase
several times to emphasize a particular idea.
 Example: “Living off the fat of the land” in Of Mice and
Men.
 Example: Great food, great friends, great times.
Symbolism
 The use of specific objects or images to represent abstract
ideas.
 Example: Light and dark as a symbol for good and evil
 Example: A dove as a symbol of peace.