Literary Terms, AUS-CHU
Want to be able to distinguish your limericks from your haikus and your paeans from your panegyrics? Dive deep into literary terms and forms.
Literary Terms Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Australian literature
Australian literature, the body of literatures, both oral and written, produced in Australia. Perhaps more so than......
author
author, one who is the source of some form of intellectual or creative work; especially, one who composes a book,......
auto sacramental
auto sacramental, (Spanish: âsacramental actâ), Spanish dramatic genre that reached its height in the 17th century......
autobiography
autobiography, the biography of oneself narrated by oneself. Autobiographical works can take many forms, from the......
awdl
awdl, in Welsh verse, a long ode written in cynghanedd (a complex system of alliteration and internal rhyme) and......
ballad
ballad, short narrative folk song, whose distinctive style crystallized in Europe in the late Middle Ages and persists......
ballad revival
ballad revival, the interest in folk poetry evinced within literary circles, especially in England and Germany,......
ballad stanza
ballad stanza, a verse stanza common in English ballads that consists of two lines in ballad metre, usually printed......
ballade
ballade, one of several formes fixes (âfixed formsâ) in French lyric poetry and song, cultivated particularly in......
banshee
banshee, (âwoman of the fairiesâ) supernatural being in Irish and other Celtic folklore whose mournful âkeening,â......
bard
bard, a poet, especially one who writes impassioned, lyrical, or epic verse. Bards were originally Celtic composers......
Barghest
Barghest, in folklore of northern England (especially Yorkshire), a monstrous, goblin dog, with huge teeth and......
basis
basis, a step in a march or dance; the lifting and lowering of the foot, or arsis plus thesis. The term may also......
Basque literature
Basque literature, the body of work, both oral and written, in the Basque language (Euskara) produced in the Basque......
bathos
bathos, (from Greek bathys, âdeepâ), unsuccessful, and therefore ludicrous, attempt to portray pathos in art, i.e.,......
beast epic
beast epic, popular genre in various literatures, consisting of a lengthy cycle of animal tales that provides a......
beast fable
beast fable, a prose or verse fable or short story that usually has a moral. In beast fables animal characters......
beast tale
beast tale, a prose or verse narrative similar to the beast fable in that it portrays animal characters acting......
Beatrix Potter at 150
July 28, 2016, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, celebrated English author and illustrator......
beginning rhyme
beginning rhyme, in literature, the rhyme at the beginning of successive lines of verse. Lines 3 and 4 of Robert......
Behind the Scenes: 9 Historical Inspirations for Game of Thrones
Millions of viewers have been captivated by the fictional kingdoms depicted in HBOâs fantasy series Game of Thrones,......
Belgian literature
Belgian literature, the body of written works produced by Belgians and written in Flemish, which is equivalent......
belles lettres
belles lettres, literature that is an end in itself and is not practical or purely informative. The term can refer......
Bengali literature
Bengali literature, the body of written works produced in the Bengali language of the Indian subcontinent, primarily......
BesserungsstĂŒck
BesserungsstĂŒck, a genre of play popular in Vienna in the early 19th century. A form of VolksstĂŒck, a play written......
bestiary
bestiary, literary genre in the European Middle Ages consisting of a collection of stories, each based on a description......
bhana
bhana, genre of Sanskrit drama, a one-act, one-man theatrical performance, usually satirical. In the course of......
bildungsroman
bildungsroman, class of novel that depicts and explores the manner in which the protagonist develops morally and......
biography
biography, form of literature, commonly considered nonfictional, the subject of which is the life of an individual.......
blank verse
blank verse, unrhymed iambic pentameter, the preeminent dramatic and narrative verse form in English and also the......
blason
blason, a type of catalog verse in which something is either praised or blamed through a detailed listing of its......
blog
blog, online journal where an individual, group, or corporation presents a record of activities, thoughts, or beliefs.......
blogs and bloggers
A blog (short for weblog) is a type of webpage format that generally utilizes a reverse-chronological order. However,......
blood
blood, a literary term of British origin referring to a lurid work of fiction, especially a cheap and ill-written......
bob and wheel
bob and wheel, in alliterative verse, a group of typically five rhymed lines following a section of unrhymed lines,......
bogatyr
bogatyr, one of a group of heroes of the Russian folk epics known as byliny. The duty of the bogatyrs was to protect......
bogeyman
bogeyman, any of a variety of fictional and oftentimes folkloric monsters described in stories designed to frighten......
Bollingen Prize
Bollingen Prize, award for achievement in American poetry, originally conferred by the Library of Congress with......
Booker Prize
Booker Prize, prestigious British award given annually to a full-length novel in English. Booker McConnell, a multinational......
border ballad
border ballad, type of spirited heroic ballad celebrating the raids, feuds, seductions, and elopements on the border......
bouts-rimés
bouts-rimĂ©s, (French: ârhymed endsâ), rhymed words or syllables to which verses are written, best known from a......
Brazilian literature
Brazilian literature, the body of written works produced in the Portuguese language in Brazil. Brazil was claimed......
Breton lay
Breton lay, poetic form so called because Breton professional storytellers supposedly recited similar poems, though......
Breton literature
Breton literature, the body of writings in the Breton language of northwestern France. No literary texts in Old......
broadside ballad
broadside ballad, a descriptive or narrative verse or song, commonly in a simple ballad form, on a popular theme,......
broken rhyme
broken rhyme, a rhyme in which one of the rhyming elements is actually two words (i.e., âgutteralâ with âsputter......
broken-backed line
broken-backed line, in poetry, a line truncated in the middle. The term is used especially of John Lydgateâs poetry,......
brownie
brownie, in English and Scottish folklore, a small, industrious fairy or hobgoblin believed to inhabit houses and......
Bulgarian literature
Bulgarian literature, body of writings in the Bulgarian language. Its origin is closely linked to Christianization......
burlesque
burlesque, in literature, comic imitation of a serious literary or artistic form that relies on an extravagant......
Burmese literature
Burmese literature, the body of writings in the Burmese language produced in Myanmar (Burma). The stone inscription......
Burns metre
Burns metre, in poetry, a stanza often used by Robert Burns and other Scottish poets. The stanza consists of six......
business journalism
Business journalism refers to reporting and writing about businesses and the economy. In addition, it commonly......
bylina
bylina, traditional form of Old Russian and Russian heroic narrative poetry transmitted orally. The oldest byliny......
byline
Bylines are used to give credit to writers who pen articles for print or online publications. They can take multiple......
Bystander Video: A History
âWithout that video, the incident would have really been passed up by the public. No one would have known about......
BĂŒchner Prize
BĂŒchner Prize, prestigious German prize established in 1923 by the government of Volksstaat Hessen (state of Hesse,......
cable news
The development of cable news in the United States began with the launch of the Cable News Network (CNN) on cable......
caesura
caesura, in modern prosody, a pause within a poetic line that breaks the regularity of the metrical pattern. It......
Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal, annual prize awarded âto the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.â......
Can Copyright Infringement Kill a Vampire?
In recent decades vampire-centric entertainment has been populated with two kinds of monsters. One archetype is......
Canadian literature
Canadian literature, the body of written works produced by Canadians. Reflecting the countryâs dual origin and......
cancioneiro
cancioneiro, (Portuguese: âsongbookâ), collection of Portuguese lyrics (cantigas) dating from the 12th century.......
cantar
cantar, in Spanish literature, originally, the lyrics of a song. The word was later used for a number of different......
canto
canto, major division of an epic or other long narrative poem. An Italian term, derived from the Latin cantus (âsongâ),......
Caribbean literature
Caribbean literature, literary works of the Caribbean area written in Spanish, French, or English. The literature......
casual
casual, an essay written in a familiar, often humorous style. The word is usually associated with the style of......
Catalan literature
Catalan literature, the body of literature written in the Catalan language, a Romance language spoken primarily......
catalexis and acatalexis
catalexis and acatalexis, in prosody, an omission or incompleteness in the last foot of a line or other unit in......
catalog verse
catalog verse, verse that presents a list of people, objects, or abstract qualities. Such verse exists in almost......
catastasis
catastasis, the dramatic complication that immediately precedes the climax of a play or that occurs during the......
catastrophe
catastrophe, in literature, the final action that completes the unraveling of the plot in a play, especially in......
catharsis
catharsis, the purification or purging of the emotions (especially pity and fear) primarily through art. In criticism,......
causerie
causerie, in literature, a short informal essay, often on a literary topic. This sense of the word is derived from......
Celtic literature
Celtic literature, the body of writings composed in Irish and the languages derived from it, Scottish Gaelic and......
Central Asian literatures
Central Asian literatures, the poetry and prose writings produced in a variety of languages in Central Asia, roughly......
Cerberus
Cerberus, in Greek mythology, the monstrous watchdog of the underworld. He was usually said to have three heads,......
Cervantes Prize
Cervantes Prize, literary award established in 1975 by the Spanish Ministry of Culture; the prize was first awarded......
Chagatai literature
Chagatai literature, the body of written works produced in Chagatai, a classical Turkic literary language of Central......
changeling
changeling, in European folklore, a deformed or imbecilic offspring of fairies or elves substituted by them surreptitiously......
chanson de geste
chanson de geste, any of the Old French epic poems forming the core of the Charlemagne legends. More than 80 chansons,......
chanson de toile
chanson de toile, an early form of French lyric poetry dating from the beginning of the 12th century. The poems......
chant royal
chant royal, fixed form of verse developed by French poets of the 13th to the 15th century. Its standard form consisted......
chantefable
chantefable, a medieval tale of adventure told in alternating sections of sung verse and recited prose. The word......
Chanticleer
Chanticleer, character in several medieval beast tales in which human society is satirized through the actions......
character writer
character writer, any writer who produced a type of character sketch that was popular in 17th-century England and......
charactonym
charactonym, a name of a fictional character that suggests a distinctive trait of that character. Examples of charactonyms......
Charlemagne legend
Charlemagne legend, fusion of folktale motifs, pious exempla, and hero tales that became attached to Charlemagne,......
charm
charm, a practice or expression believed to have magic power, similar to an incantation or a spell. Charms are......
chaser
chaser, a literary work or portion of a literary work that is of a light or mollifying nature in comparison with......
chastushka
chastushka, a rhymed folk verse usually composed of four lines. The chastushka is traditional in form but often......
checkbook journalism
Checkbook journalism is the label applied when journalists or their news organizations pay for information. Print......
Chekhovâs gun
Chekhovâs gun, principle in drama, literature, and other narrative forms asserting that every element introduced......
childrenâs literature
childrenâs literature, the body of written works and accompanying illustrations produced in order to entertain......
childrenâs magazines
Childrenâs magazines are those periodicals that target children ages 6 months to 13 years old, a diverse group......
Chinese literature
Chinese literature, the body of works written in Chinese, including lyric poetry, historical and didactic writing,......
- Introduction
- Mythology, Folklore, Legends
- Qin, Han, Classics
- Six Dynasties, Sui Dynasty, 220-618 CE
- Tang, Five Dynasties, Poetry
- Song Dynasty, Poetry, Novels
- Yuan Dynasty, Poetry, Novels
- Ming Dynasty, Poetry, Novels
- Qing Dynasty, Poetry, Novels
- 20th Century, Poetry, Novels
- Ancient Texts, Poetry, Novels
- Ancient Texts, Poetry, Novels
- Taiwan, Post-1949, Modernization
choka
choka, a form of waka (Japanese court poetry of the 6th to 14th century) consisting of alternating lines of five......
chronicle
chronicle, a usually continuous historical account of events arranged in order of time without analysis or interpretation.......
chronicle play
chronicle play, drama with a theme from history consisting usually of loosely connected episodes chronologically......
chuanqi
chuanqi, a form of traditional Chinese operatic drama that developed from the nanxi in the late 14th century. Chuanqi......