GLOSSARY OF LITERARY TERMS
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,People have been telling stories since the beginning of time.
Cultures are built on stories, histories, myths,
legends, fables and so on.
If we are to understand and participate in
the culture to which we belong, we must
first learn about the stories our culture has
been built around. And while books aren’t
the only stories out there, they are one of the
most important. Literature teaches us about
the world around us, about the histories and
peoples of other times and places. It surely is
more fun to read a novel about another time
or place than to learn about it from a textbook.
Literature builds your vocabulary and improves your reading and writing skills. The best way to
become a better writer is to read more. Learners who read more often have an advantage when
it comes to writing. Literature has so many purposes: to enlighten, to protest, to challenge, to
educate, inform, comfort, confront, express and even to heal in some cultures. It is also a form
of entertainment and allows us to use our imagination to visualise the story in our own mind.
Genre
Genre means a type of art, literature, or music characterised by a specific form, content, and
style. Literature has three main genres: poetry, drama, and prose (divided into fiction and non-
fiction). All these genres have features and functions that distinguish them from one another.
It is important for you to know which genre you are reading to understand the message
it conveys and to be able to analyse it. Make sure you know the correct terminology for each
genre and use these terms when you write essays and answer questions.
Poetry
P oetry follows a metre and rhythm in each line and syllable. There are epic, narrative, romantic,
dramatic, and lyric poems. You have heard of and studied odes, sonnets, elegies, and ballads.
Often poetry uses figurative language, such as metaphor, simile, onomatopoeia, hyperbole,
and alliteration to create a heightened effect and this elevates the language the poet uses from
normal speech to poetry.
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,Drama
D rama is performed in front of an audience. It is also called a play. Its written text contains
dialogues and stage directions. This genre has further categories such as comedy, tragedy, and
tragicomedy. William Shakespeare is known as the father of English drama.
His well-known plays include Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. Greek
playwrights were the pioneers in this field, such as Sophocles’ masterpiece Oedipus Rex and
Antigone, while modern dramas include Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.
Prose
U nlike poetry, prose focuses on characters and plot, rather than focusing on sounds. It includes
short stories and novels, while fiction and non-fiction are its subgenres. Prose is further
categorised into essays, speeches and interpretations.
Fiction
A fictional work may incorporate fantastical and imaginary ideas from everyday life.
It comprises elements such as plot, exposition, foreshadowing, rising action, climax, falling
action, and resolution. Popular examples of literary fiction include Charles Dickens’ A Christmas
Carol, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
Non-Fiction
N on-fiction could be creative like a personal essay, or factual, like a scientific paper. It may
also use figurative language, however, not unlike poetry, or fiction. Sometimes, non-fiction tells
a story, like an autobiography, or conveys information to readers.
Other examples of non-fiction include biographies, diaries, memoirs, journals, fantasies,
mysteries, and romances.
How to use the glossaries
Some of the terms only appear once, because they have the
same function in poetry, drama, and prose – so go through all
three lists to find the one you are looking for.
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, ‘Beowulf’ is the oldest and longest
epic poem in English. Written between
700 and 750 AD, it tells the story of the
brave warrior and his battles with the
monster, Grendel and a dragon guarding
a hoard of treasure.
GLOSSARY OF POETRY TERMS
Alliteration The repetition of identical consonant sounds, most often at
the beginning of words: ‘the flying furry fox’ or ‘steaming soup’.
Alliteration is used to reinforce the meaning, to link related words
or to provide tone and colour.
Allusion A passing reference to a person, place, thing, or event.
Typically, writers allude to something they suppose the reader
will already know about.
The concept may be real or imaginary, referring to anything from
fiction, to folklore, to historical events.
His nose gets longer
whenever he talks.
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