The Oxford Dictionary of Literary TermsThe best-selling Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (formerly the Concise dictionary) provides clear, concise, and often witty definitions of the most troublesome literary terms from abjection to zeugma. It is an essential reference tool for students of literature in any language. It is now available in a new and expanded edition and includes increased coverage of new terms from modern critical and theoretical movements, such as feminism, and schools of American poetry, Spanish verse forms, life writing, and crime fiction. It includes extensive coverage of traditional drama, versification, rhetoric, and literary history, as well as updated and extended advice on recommended further reading and a pronunciation guide to more than 200 terms. New to this edition are recommended entry-level web links updated via the Dictionary of Literary Terms companion website. |
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Common terms and phrases
19th century Adjective anapaestic andthe antistrophe applied asin asthe ballad bythe catalectic characters classical comedy consult conventions couplets criticism cultural dactylic distinct drama English epic especially essay example fiction Forafuller account Formalism formof French fromthe fuller account genre Greek historical I. A. Richards iambic iambic pentameter inEnglish inthe inwhich isthe Italian kind kindof known language later Latin linguistic literature lyric meaning medieval metaphor metre metrical modern narrative narratology narrator neoclassicism notably novel ofthe pentameter PERIPETEIA philosophical phrase play plot poem poetic poetry poets principles prose quantitative verse quatrain readers realism referred Renaissance rhetorical rhyme rhyme royal rhythm romance Romanticism Russian Formalism satire Seealso sense sequence Shakespeare’s sometimes sonnet speech spondee stanza stock character story stressed structure style syllables T. S. Eliot term theatre Theterm tothe tradition tragedy trochee unstressed syllables usually Verb verse line withthe word writing written