What Are Literary Devices and What Types Are There?

Immerse yourself in the world of literary devices. Learn about the different types of literary devices and their powerful impact on storytelling.

Literary devices are stylistic tools that writers use to embellish and enrich their texts. These elements add depth, beauty, and meaning to works and also allow them to better connect with readers.

Sound devices

Sound devices, such as alliteration or onomatopoeia, enhance the reader's experience by creating sound effects and melodic rhythm. These resources allow writers to convey emotions and sensations in a powerful and captivating way, highlighting the expressiveness and beauty of literature.

1. Alliteration

Alliterationalliteration consists of the repetition of similar sounds in the same phrase or verse. It is used to create musicality and to emphasize certain aspects of the text. By repeating consonants or similar sounds, an auditory effect is achieved that captures the reader's attention.
An example of alliteration is found in the poem 'La volandera' by Ramón García Mateos:

'vuela que vuela, volando viene la volandera'.
Here, the repetition of the sound 'v' adds musicality to the lines.

2. Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeiais a literary device that consists of using words that imitate or represent sounds, noises or visual phenomena. It is formed by verbally recreating natural or artificial sounds, which creates a semantic connection between the word and the sound or visual phenomenon in question.

An example of onomatopoeia is the word 'crash', which represents the noise of something breaking or falling with force. Another example is the expression 'tick-tock', which imitates the sound of a clock. These words not only describe the sound but also convey a feeling associated with it.

Onomatopoeia is frequently used in literature to give life and realism to descriptions and situations. Through these words, writers can evoke more vivid images and sensations in the reader, creating a more immersive experience.

3. Paranomasia

Paranomasia is a literary device used to create wordplay through the accumulation of terms that sound similar but have different meanings. It consists of playing with words to generate sound or semantic effects in a text.

A well-known example of paranomasia is tongue twisters. For example, in the tongue twister 'Three sad tigers swallow wheat in a wheat field' the accumulation of words with a similar sound is used to create a verbal challenge.

Morphosyntactic or grammatical literary devices

Morphosyntactic literary devices are grammatical structures and rules used in literature to create expressive effects. Examples include anadiplosis or polysyndeton. Writers use these devices to enhance their works and evoke different emotions in readers. Let's take a look at them below.

1. Anadiplosis

Anadiplosis is a literary device that consists of repeating at the end of a sentence or verse a word or group of words with which the following one begins. This repetition of words creates an effect of continuity and reinforces the content and impact of the message.

In well-known literary works, it is used to highlight an idea or to create a rhythmic cadence in verse.
For example, in this poem by Antonio Machado:

'Everything passes and everything remains,
but ours is passing,
passing making paths,
paths over the sea.'

We see that each new verse begins with the last word of the previous verse.

2. Polysyndeton

Polysyndeton is the expressive repetition of conjunctions to join phrases or words. It is used to emphasize action or generate a marked rhythm in poetic or narrative language.

An example of polysyndeton is found in the fragment 'Time licks and gnaws and polishes and stains and bites', where the conjunctions 'and' are repeated to emphasize each of the actions performed by time. This repetition creates a cumulative effect that would highlight the intensity or speed of those actions.

3. Epanadiplosis

The epanadiplosis is a literary device that consists of the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning and at the end of a verse. With this technique, an effect of reinforcement and emphasis on the message to be conveyed is achieved.

An example of epanadiplosis is found in this poem by Federico García Lorca: 'Verde que te quiero verde', where the word 'verde' is repeated both at the beginning and at the end of the line.

Another example of epanadiplosis is found in Rubén Darío's verse: 'El dueño de las tórtolas, el dueño". In this case, the repetition of the word 'dueño' at the beginning and at the end of the verse highlights the possession and dominion of the mentioned subject.

Lexical-semantic resources

Lexical-semantic resources are tools used in literature to increase richness and expressiveness. They involve selective use of vocabulary and exploration of word meanings. Some examples are antithesis, comparison, hyperbole or metonymy. These resources contribute to a deeper understanding and interpretation of literary works.

1. Antithesis

The antithesis is a literary device used to express the opposition or contrast between two contrary terms that complement each other within a verse or phrase. This figure of speech uses antonyms to emphasize the idea and creates a contrasting effect that highlights the tension or conflict present in the text.

In works such as Neruda's 'Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair', we can find examples of antithesis that contrast elements such as life and death, love and absence, or light and darkness.

On the other hand, in Rubén Darío's modernist poems, antithesis is used to create complex and evocative images. In "Azul...", his famous book of poems, one can find examples of antitheses that contrast elements such as sleep and wakefulness, beauty and ugliness, or the divine and the earthly. These antitheses enhance the richness and depth of the poetic images, creating a striking visual and emotional effect.

2. Comparison or simile

The comparison or simile is a literary device that establishes a relationship of similarity between two elements by means of an explicit grammatical nexus, generally using words such as 'seems' or 'like'. This resource allows us to better understand an idea or concept by relating it to something more known or familiar.

It allows us to visualize and experience something unfamiliar through something we already know. By establishing a connection between two elements, common characteristics or qualities between them are highlighted, which helps the reader understand and feel more deeply what you want to convey.

Some examples: 'He sleeps like a baby' or 'He is strong like steel'.

3. Epithet

The epithet is a literary figure that consists of adding an adjective to a noun to highlight an inherent quality or characteristic. It is a widely used tool in literature to add expressive force, describe in detail, and create vivid images in the reader's mind.

Examples of epithets are 'sweet sugar' or 'dark night'. Here qualities characteristic of sugar or night are emphasized for emphasis.

4. Hyperbole

Hyperbole is one of the most commonly used literary devices to give greater expressive force to a text. It consists of deliberately exaggerating qualities, aspects or particularities of a person, feeling, reality, animal or thing.

In the poems of Miguel Hernández we find this verse:
'So much pain clusters in my side that, because it hurts, it hurts me to the breath'.
That 'it hurts me to the breath' is intended to magnify his pain.

In everyday language, we also use hyperbole to emphasize or exaggerate certain situations. For example, when we say 'I'm starving' or 'I have a million things to do', we are using hyperbole to express our hunger or number of tasks in a more dramatic way.

5. Metonymy

Metonymymetonymy is a literary device that consists of using one word or expression to refer to another that is related to it by some characteristic or association. One of the most common forms of metonymy is the substitution of a part for the whole, as when the name of a city is used to refer to its inhabitants, such as 'Madrid won the match' instead of saying 'the Madrid players won the match'.

Another form of metonymy is when we use the effect for the cause, that is, we name the result or consequence to refer to the circumstance that produces it. For example, when we say 'read Shakespeare' instead of saying 'read Shakespeare's works', we use the author's name to refer to his literary works.

It can also manifest itself when we use the thing by its provenance, i.e., we name the origin or place of provenance to refer to the object or product obtained from it. For example, when we say 'go eat Italian' instead of saying 'go eat Italian food', we are using the name of the country to refer to the gastronomy of that place.

6. Rhetorical interrogation

The interrogation or rhetorical question is a literary device widely used to intensify the content and generate reflection in the reader. It consists of asking questions without expecting a specific answer, since its main objective is to emphasize an idea or argument.

It is frequently used in poetry, advertising and political rhetoric. Through rhetorical questions, the aim is to provoke an emotional reaction in the receiver and make him/her reflect on the subject matter.

Some examples of relevant rhetorical questions could be: 'Aren't we all equal?' to emphasize the importance of equality in society, or 'Who has not felt the pain of loneliness?' to express the universality of this feeling.

Rhetorical questioning allows us to add a level of depth and expressive power to a text. By not expecting a specific answer, it encourages the reader's active participation and invites him or her to reflect on the ideas presented.

7. Synesthesia

Synesthesia consists of attributing a sensation to something that does not correspond directly. In this resource, sensations from different sensory modalities are mixed and experienced, creating a unique and striking sensory experience for the reader.

Juan Ramón Jiménez writes: 'En el cénit azul, una caricia rosa'. In 'caricia rosa' he mixes the sense of touch with the sense of smell.

Synesthesia is a literary resource widely used in poetry and literature in general, as it allows to add an additional sensory and emotional dimension to texts. Through the attribution of unexpected sensations, it captures the reader's attention and awakens his or her imagination.

The richness and diversity of literary resources, from phonic to lexical-semantic, demonstrate the immensity of the literary universe and the capacity of language to transmit emotions, sensations and thoughts in unimaginable ways.
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