This list includes 13 Literary devices that start with L that start with L, from “Leitmotif” to “Lyric”. They cover rhetorical figures, sound and structural techniques, and poetic forms used in analysis, teaching, and creative writing.

Literary devices that start with L are tools writers and readers use to shape language, meaning, and emotional effect. Many come from verbal and musical traditions; for example, the leitmotif, adopted from Wagnerian opera, links theme and character.

Below you’ll find the table with Device, Definition, and Example.

Device: The name of the literary device, so you can quickly locate entries and reference them in notes or lesson plans.

Definition: A concise description of the device’s function and effect, helping you recognize and apply it in analysis or writing.

Example: A short contextual example shows the device in use, giving you a model to imitate or cite in class.

Literary devices that start with L

DeviceTypeAlso known asExample
LeitmotiftropeLeitmotivThe red scarf recurs at every betrayal.
Limerickpoetic formfive-line poemThere once was a man from Nantucket.
Limited omnisciencenarrative devicelimited point of viewThe novel follows Anna’s thoughts only.
Line breakpoetic devicelineationI took / the road less traveled.
Lipogramconstraintconstrained writingGadsby avoids the letter e throughout.
Listingrhetorical devicecatalogue, enumeratioWe bought bread, milk, cheese, eggs.
Litanyrhetorical devicerepetitive listA litany of excuses filled the room.
Litotesrhetorical deviceunderstatement by negationShe’s not unhappy about the news.
Loaded languagerhetorical deviceemotive languageFreedom fighters vs. terrorists shifts sympathy.
Local colornarrative deviceregionalismDescriptions of dialects, dress, and food set the region.
Locus amoenusmotifpleasant placeA shady garden promises safety and peace.
Loose sentencerhetorical devicecumulative sentenceI went home, ate dinner, watched TV, then slept.
Lyricpoetic modelyric poem, lyricismFirst-person poem expressing intense personal emotion.

Descriptions

Leitmotif
A recurrent theme, image, or phrase tied to an idea, character, or situation across a work.
Limerick
A humorous five-line poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme and characteristic meter, common in English verse.
Limited omniscience
Narration confined to one character’s knowledge and perceptions, revealing that character’s inner life but not others’.
Line break
The place where a poetic line ends; shapes rhythm, emphasis, and meaning, enabling enjambment or caesura.
Lipogram
A deliberate writing constraint omitting one or more letters, used as a formal challenge or stylistic effect.
Listing
A series of items or details presented together to emphasize quantity, variety, accumulation, or emphasis.
Litany
A prolonged, often repetitive recital or list used rhetorically to emphasize grievance, burden, or monotony.
Litotes
An understatement achieved by denying the opposite (e.g., “not bad”), often for irony or emphasis.
Loaded language
Word choice that deliberately evokes strong emotions to persuade, bias, or dramatize.
Local color
Vivid details of setting, speech, and customs used to evoke a specific region and its culture.
Locus amoenus
A classical motif of an idealized, pleasant place—garden or meadow—symbolizing refuge, beauty, or idyll.
Loose sentence
A sentence starting with a main clause followed by multiple subordinate phrases, creating accumulation or an easy flow.
Lyric
A short, subjective poem or voice expressing personal feelings, emphasizing musical language, emotion, and immediacy.
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