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Basic Glossary of Literary Terms
E
elegy : A mourning or lamentation poem, usually
of a reflective nature, though not always about a specific dead person. In
its usual modern sense, an elegy is a poem of lamentation for the dead. In
Greek and Latin poetry, elegies were poems written in alternating pentameters
and hexameters, called elegiac meter. They could deal with a broad variety
of topics, and English elegies also tended to be discursive poems on meditative
themes. Donne, following his Roman predecessors, wrote some elegies that are
jocose, even bawdy. eponymous : A daunting word for a simple concept:
an eponymous hero is a hero whose name is the title of the play, as in Hamlet,
Macbeth and Othello. elements: Up until about the seventeenth century
it was thought that all matter on earth was made up of the four elements,
earth, air, fire, and water, and that these were the basic building
blocks of the Universe. See HUMOURS. emblem: An Emblem, in the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, was an enigmatic picture with a motto and explanatory verse attached.
In the sixteenth and seventeeth centuries, emblems often took the form of
puzzling little drawings, the meaning of which was explained in appended verses:
for an example see the emblem prefixed to Crashaw's poem To the Countess
of Benbigh (I.1394). In modern usage, an emblem is a visible object representing
an abstract quality, as a dove is the emblem of peace. end stopping: A verse line with a pause or stop
at the end. enjambement: Running on the sense of one verse
line to the next, without a pause. epic simile: Sometimes known as a Homeric simile,
an epic simile is an extended and elaborate simile, not to be confused with
a Conceit. The epic simile is lengthy and elaborate, but rarely shocking or
apparently outrageous in the manner of the conceit. epigram: A brief, pointed, and often witty statement,
found in all forms of literature. An epigram is a short, witty statement in
verse or prose. 'Italy is a geographical expression,' said Count Metternich. epistle: Verse or poetry in the form of a letter. epitaph: A short composition in memory of a dead
person. An epitaph is a brief statement about one deceased, written originally
on that person's tombstone. eulogy: The eulogy is a work of praise, in prose
or poetry, for a person either very distinguished or recently dead. euphemism: Expressing something unpleasant in
milder, more inoffensive language. Euphemism, or 'fine speech' is a verbal
device for avoiding an unpleasant concept or expression, as when, instead
of saying a person 'died', we say he 'passed away'. euphony: Plesantly smooth and melodious languaje. euphuism: Euphues was the hero of a prose romance
(published 1579-80) by John Lyly; his adventures are recounted in a mannered
style full of puns, alliteration, and antithetical 'points'. Under the name
of Euphuism this courtly style enjoyed a brief vogue. exemplum: A story told to illustrate a moral point,
or an 'example' of morality in action and practice. A story told to illustrate
a point in a sermon.
