文学术语

allegory a story which teaches a lesson because the people and places in it stand for other ideas. an example is john bunyan’s pilgrim’s progress（see page 67）.

alliteration repeating a sound or a letter, especially at the beginning of words, in poetry：e.g.（see page 8）.“five m iles m eandering with a m az y m otion…”

assonance repeating a vowel sound, often in the middle of words, in poetry：e.g. p a le/br a ve.

autobiography the written account of a person’s own life （see page 136）

ballad originally a song for dancers, then in mediaeval times a simple poem with short stanzas telling a story. some romantic poets of the 19th century also wrote ballads （see page 91）.

biography the written account of someone else’s life （see page 61）.

blank verse any verses, especially iambic pentameters （see metre）, that do not rhyme. used by marlowe, shakespeare, milton and many other poets, this is the most characteristic english form （see page 23）.

caricature a way of drawing or writing which makes the special features of a person or group stronger, so that they are ridiculous.

chorus in greek drama the chorus watched the action of the play and told the story. the modern meaning can be simply a group of people other than the hero or heroine.

chronicle a history of events year by year

classic a. work as a great work b. ancient greek and latin literature c. writing influence by ancient greek and latin

comedy something that is funny

couplet two lines of verse that rhyme

crisis the most important part of a play

diary a written record of daily life

drama a. any kind of work to be performed on the stage .b. something exciting or important

edition the printing of the book

elision leaving out a vowel or a syllable, or running 2 vowels together

ellipsis leaving out words which give the full sense

epic a long narrative poem in the grand style

elegy a poem of mourning for someone

epigram a short, funny, sharp poem or remark

epilogue an ending, or an extra part after the end of a book or a play

epitaph sth. written on a tombstone

essay a short prose work

fantasy an imaginative work , no basis in the real life

farce a comedy, with ridiculous plot

fiction a work invented by the writer, with characters and events are imaginary

fairy tale（story） a popular story told to children

foot a unit of sound in verse, in which there is on stressed syllable, one or more unstressed syllables free verse verse in which the lines can vary in length without strict metre

heroic couplet a pair of lines in iambic pentametre that rhyme

heroic play a grand play in restoration period

hexametre a line of verse with 6 metrical feet

iambic抑扬格of metrical foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable or a short syllable followed by a long syllable

pentametre五音步诗行a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet

idiom an expression of saying sth. that is typical of a language at a certain time

idyll a short, descriptive, sentimental poem with a pastoral theme

image a word picture

imagery using images such as metaphors or similes to produce an effect in the readers’ imagination

irony sth. that has a second meaning intended by the writer, often the opposite

legend a story, usually one that has come down to us from ancient times