T
Tanka:A form of Japanese poetry similar to
haiku.Atankais five lines long, with the
lines containing five, seven, five, seven, and
seven syllables respectively.
Terza Rima:A three-line stanza form in poetry
in which the rhymes are made on the last
word of each line in the following manner:
the first and third lines of the first stanza,
then the second line of the first stanza and
the first and third lines of the second stanza,
and so on with the middle line of any stanza
rhyming with the first and third lines of the
following stanza.
Tetrameter:SeeMeter
Textual Criticism:A branch of literary criticism
that seeks to establish the authoritative text
of a literary work. Textual critics typically
compare all known manuscripts or printings
of a single work in order to assess the mean-
ings of differences and revisions. This pro-
cedure allows them to arrive at a definitive
version that (supposedly) corresponds to the
author’s original intention.
Theme:The main point of a work of literature.
The term is used interchangeably with thesis.
Thesis:A thesis is both an essay and the point
argued in the essay. Thesis novels and thesis
plays share the quality of containing a thesis
which is supported through the action of the
story.
Third Person:SeePoint of View
Tone:The author’s attitude toward his or her
audience may be deduced from the tone of
the work. A formal tone may create distance
or convey politeness, while an informal tone
may encourage a friendly, intimate, or intru-
sive feeling in the reader. The author’s atti-
tude toward his or her subject matter may
also be deduced from the tone of the words
he or she uses in discussing it.
Tragedy:A drama in prose or poetry about a
noble, courageous hero of excellent character
who, because of some tragic character flaw or
hamartia, brings ruin upon him- or herself.
Tragedytreatsitssubjectsinadignifiedand
serious manner, using poetic language to help
evoke pity and fear and bring about catharsis,
a purging of these emotions. The tragic form
was practiced extensively by the ancient
Greeks. In the Middle Ages, when classical
works were virtually unknown, tragedy came
to denote any works about the fall of persons
from exalted to low conditions due to any
reason: fate, vice, weakness, etc. According
to the classical definition of tragedy, such
works present the ‘‘pathetic’’—that which
evokes pity—rather than the tragic. The clas-
sicalformoftragedywasrevivedinthesix-
teenth century; it flourished especially on the
Elizabethan stage. In modern times, drama-
tists have attempted to adapt the form to the
needs of modern society by drawing their her-
oes from the ranks of ordinary men and
women and defining the nobility of these her-
oes in terms of spirit rather than exalted social
standing.
Tragic Flaw:In a tragedy, the quality within the
hero or heroine which leads to his or her
downfall.
Transcendentalism:An American philosophical
and religious movement, based in New Eng-
land from around 1835 until the Civil War.
Transcendentalism was a form of American
romanticism that had its roots abroad in the
works of Thomas Carlyle, Samuel Coler-
idge, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
The Transcendentalists stressed the impor-
tance of intuition and subjective experience
in communication with God. They rejected
religious dogma and texts in favor of mysti-
cism and scientific naturalism. They pur-
sued truths that lie beyond the ‘‘colorless’’
realms perceived by reason and the senses
and were active social reformers in public
education, women’s rights, and the aboli-
tion of slavery.
Trickster: A character or figure common in
Native American and African literature
who uses his ingenuity to defeat enemies
and escape difficult situations. Tricksters
are most often animals, such as the spider,
hare, or coyote, although they may take the
form of humans as well.
Trimeter:SeeMeter
Triple Rhyme:SeeRhyme
Trochee:SeeFootU
Understatement:SeeIrony
Unities:Strict rules of dramatic structure, formu-
lated by Italian and French critics of the Ren-
aissance and based loosely on the principles of
drama discussed by Aristotle in hisPoetics.Glossary of Literary Terms