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 without
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 elongation 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 Eng-
lish 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 contradictions of life.
Their poems often took the form of an argu-
ment, and many of them emphasize physical
and religious love as well as the fleeting nature
of life. Elaborate conceits are typical in meta-
physical 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; Pentameter,
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, metaphor,
or other verbal element that recurs through-
out 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