Literary Techniques Across Forms

The previous lessons treated prose, poetry, drama, and non-fiction as separate text types. Yet many literary techniques cross those boundaries. A metaphor works in a novel, a poem, a play, and a memoir alike. Learning to recognize these shared techniques, and to analyze their effects rather than merely name them, is the heart of literary study.

Figurative language

Figurative language uses words to mean something beyond their literal sense. The core devices include:

• Metaphor: an implied comparison stating one thing is another ("time is a thief").
• Simile: a comparison using "like" or "as" ("quiet as an unrung bell").
• Personification: giving human qualities to non-human things ("the wind complained").
• Symbol: an object or image that stands for a larger idea (a caged bird for lost freedom).