A literary technique (also, literary device, procedure or method) is any element or the entirety of elements a writer intentionally uses in the structure of their work. It can be for example an identifiable rule of thumb, a convention, a literary motif, an organization that is employed in literature and storytelling, or the absence of them. In the context of a play or motion picture, literary techniques or devices are referred to as dramatic.

"Literary techniques" is a catch-all term that may be distinguished from the term "devices".^{[citation needed]}

The Formalists, and particularly the so-called Russian formalists, focused on literary technique or devices (in Russian priem). In particular, Viktor Shklovsky, in 1917, wrote the essay art as a technique, which marks a significant shift towards this perspective.

In general, the term "artistic technique," means "everything that the artist uses with particular artistic intentions." The term "literary techniques" refers to specific aspects of literature, in the sense of its universal function as an art form that expresses ideas through language, which we can recognize, identify, interpret and analyze.^{[citation needed]} Literary techniques collectively comprise the art form's components - the means authors use to create meaning through language, and that readers use to understand and appreciate their works. They also provide a conceptual framework for comparing individual literary works to others, within and across genres.