Poetry for Students

320 Poetry for Students

L

Lais:SeeLay

Lake Poets:SeeLake School

Lake School:These poets all lived in the Lake Dis-

trict of England at the turn of the nineteenth cen-

tury. As a group, they followed no single “school”

of thought or literary practice, although their works

were uniformly disparaged by the Edinburgh Re-

view.

Lay:A song or simple narrative poem. The form

originated in medieval France. Early French lais

were often based on the Celtic legends and other

tales sung by Breton minstrels—thus 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 em-

bellishing 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 of-

ten refers to creative works.

Lost Generation:A term first used by Gertrude

Stein to describe the post-World War I generation

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 originally accom-

panied by a lyre in recitals. Most Western poetry

in the twentieth century may be classified as lyri-

cal.

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 of-

ten said to be “mannered.”

Masculine Rhyme:SeeRhyme

Measure:The foot, verse, or time sequence used

in a literary work, especially a poem. Measure 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 sec-

ond 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 physi-

cal and religious love as well as the fleeting nature

of life. Elaborate conceits are typical in metaphys-

ical poetry.

Metaphysical Poets:SeeMetaphysical Poetry

Meter:In literary criticism, the repetition of sound

patterns that creates a rhythm in poetry. The pat-

terns are based on the number 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: Monometer,

one foot; Dimeter, two feet; Trimeter, three feet;

Tetrameter, four feet; Pentameter, five feet; Hexa-

meter, six feet (also called the Alexandrine); Hep-

tameter, 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 un-

til the end of World War II. Modernism is defined

by its rejection of the literary conventions of the

nineteenth century and by its opposition to con-

ventional morality, 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 throughout a sin-

Glossary of Literary Terms

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