the name of the ‘‘Breton lay.’’ In fourteenth-
century England, the term ‘‘lay’’ was used to
describe short narratives written in imitation
of the Breton lays.Leitmotiv:SeeMotif
Literal Language:An author uses literal language
when he or she writes without exaggerating
or embellishing the subject matter and with-
out any tools of figurative language.
Literary Ballad:SeeBallad
Literature:Literature is broadly defined as any
written or spoken material, but the term
most often refers to creative works.
Lost Generation:A term first used by Gertrude
Stein to describe the post-World War I gen-
eration of American writers: men and women
haunted by a sense of betrayal and emptiness
brought about by the destructiveness of the
war.
Lyric Poetry:A poem expressing the subjective
feelings and personal emotions of the poet.
Such poetry is melodic, since it was origi-
nally accompanied by a lyre in recitals. Most
Western poetry in the twentieth century may
be classified as lyrical.
M
Mannerism:Exaggerated, artificial adherence to
a literary manner or style. Also, a popular
style of the visual arts of late sixteenth-
century Europe that was marked by elonga-
tion of the human form and by intentional
spatial distortion. Literary works that are
self-consciously high-toned and artistic are
often said to be ‘‘mannered.’’
Masculine Rhyme:SeeRhyme
Measure:The foot, verse, or time sequence used
in a literary work, especially a poem. Meas-
ure is often used somewhat incorrectly as a
synonym for meter.
Metaphor:A figure of speech that expresses an
idea through the image of another object.
Metaphors suggest the essence of the first
object by identifying it with certain qualities
of the second object.
Metaphysical Conceit:SeeConceit
Metaphysical Poetry:The body of poetry pro-
duced by a group of seventeenth-century
English writers called the ‘‘Metaphysical
Poets.’’ The group includes John Donne and
Andrew Marvell. The Metaphysical Poets
made use of everyday speech, intellectual
analysis, and unique imagery. They aimed
to portray the ordinary conflicts and contra-
dictions of life. Their poems often took the
form of an argument, and many of them
emphasize physical and religious love as
well as the fleeting nature of life. Elaborate
conceits are typical in metaphysical poetry.
Metaphysical Poets:SeeMetaphysical Poetry
Meter: In literary criticism, the repetition of
sound patterns that creates a rhythm in
poetry. The patterns are based on the num-
ber of syllables and the presence and absence
of accents. The unit of rhythm in a line is
called a foot. Types of meter are classified
according to the number of feet in a line.
These are the standard English lines: Mono-
meter, one foot; Dimeter, two feet; Trimeter,
three feet; Tetrameter, four feet; Pentam-
eter, five feet; Hexameter, six feet (also
called the Alexandrine); Heptameter, seven
feet (also called the ‘‘Fourteener’’ when the
feet are iambic).
Modernism:Modern literary practices. Also, the
principles of a literary school that lasted
from roughly the beginning of the twentieth
century until the end of World War II. Mod-
ernism is defined by its rejection of the liter-
ary conventions of the nineteenth century
and by its opposition to conventional mor-
ality, taste, traditions, and economic values.
Monologue:A composition, written or oral, by a
single individual. More specifically, a speech
given by a single individual in a drama or
other public entertainment. It has no set
length, although it is usually several or
more lines long.
Monometer:SeeMeter
Mood:The prevailing emotions of a work or of
the author in his or her creation of the work.
The mood of a work is not always what might
be expected based on its subject matter.
Motif:A theme, character type, image, meta-
phor, or other verbal element that recurs
throughout a single work of literature or
occurs in a number of different works over
a period of time.
Motiv:SeeMotif
Muckrakers:An early twentieth-century group
of American writers. Typically, their works
exposed the wrongdoings of big business
and government in the United States.Glossary of Literary Terms