apostrophe
direct address to a person or object in a poem
caesura
a break or pause within a line of poetry
catharsis
dramatic release of emotion, according to Aristotle
anecdote
brief narration of an event
aphorism
a concise expression or saying of insight and/or wisdom
irony
technique of detachment that draws awareness to a discrepancy or contrast
idiom
a common expression that means something different from its literal definition
invocation
prayer for inspiration to a god or muse at the start of an epic
meiosis
intentional understatement
paradox
a statement that seems absurd or contradictory
parody
a humorous, satirical imitation
pastiche
a work that imitates the style of a previous author, work, or genre, or something that is a hodgepodge
periphrasis
an elaborate and roundabout way of saying something
asyndeton
a style in which conjunctions are omitted, usually creating a fast-paced, more rapid prose
polysyndeton
sentences which use conjunctions and no commas to separate items in a series
chiasmus
a figure of speech by which the order of terms in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second
litote
a figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by conscious understatement