244 Poetry for Students
written as the soliloquy of a shepherd. In later cen-
turies, “eclogue” came to refer to any poem that
was in the pastoral tradition or that had a dialogue
or monologue structure.
Edwardian:Describes cultural conventions iden-
tified with the period of the reign of Edward VII
of England (1901–1910). Writers of the Edwardian
Age typically displayed a strong reaction against
the propriety and conservatism of the Victorian
Age. Their work often exhibits distrust of author-
ity in religion, politics, and art and expresses
strong doubts about the soundness of conventional
values.
Edwardian Age:See Edwardian
Electra Complex:A daughter’s amorous obses-
sion with her father.
Elegy:A lyric poem that laments the death of a
person or the eventual death of all people. In a con-
ventional elegy, set in a classical world, the poet
and subject are spoken of as shepherds. In modern
criticism, the word elegy is often used to refer to a
poem that is melancholy or mournfully contem-
plative.
Elizabethan Age:A period of great economic
growth, religious controversy, and nationalism
closely associated with the reign of Elizabeth I of
England (1558–1603). The Elizabethan Age is con-
sidered a part of the general renaissance—that is,
the flowering of arts and literature—that took place
in Europe during the fourteenth through sixteenth
centuries. The era is considered the golden age of
English literature. The most important dramas in
English and a great deal of lyric poetry were pro-
duced during this period, and modern English crit-
icism began around this time.
Empathy:A sense of shared experience, including
emotional and physical feelings, with someone or
something other than oneself. Empathy is often
used to describe the response of a reader to a liter-
ary character.
English Sonnet:See Sonnet
Enjambment:The running over of the sense and
structure of a line of verse or a couplet into the fol-
lowing verse or couplet.
Enlightenment, The: An eighteenth-century
philosophical movement. It began in France but had
a wide impact throughout Europe and America.
Thinkers of the Enlightenment valued reason and
believed that both the individual and society could
achieve a state of perfection. Corresponding to this
essentially humanist vision was a resistance to re-
ligious authority.Epic:A long narrative poem about the adventures
of a hero of great historic or legendary importance.
The setting is vast and the action is often given cos-
mic significance through the intervention of super-
natural forces such as gods, angels, or demons.
Epics are typically written in a classical style of
grand simplicity with elaborate metaphors and al-
lusions that enhance the symbolic importance of a
hero’s adventures.
Epic Simile:See Homeric Simile
Epigram:A saying that makes the speaker’s point
quickly and concisely.
Epilogue:A concluding statement or section of a
literary work. In dramas, particularly those of the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the epilogue
is a closing speech, often in verse, delivered by an
actor at the end of a play and spoken directly to the
audience.
Epiphany:A sudden revelation of truth inspired
by a seemingly trivial incident.
Epitaph:An inscription on a tomb or tombstone,
or a verse written on the occasion of a person’s
death. Epitaphs may be serious or humorous.
Epithalamion:A song or poem written to honor
and commemorate a marriage ceremony.
Epithalamium:See Epithalamion
Epithet:A word or phrase, often disparaging or
abusive, that expresses a character trait of someone
or something.
Erziehungsroman:See Bildungsroman
Essay:A prose composition with a focused sub-
ject of discussion. The term was coined by Michel
de Montaigne to describe his 1580 collection of
brief, informal reflections on himself and on vari-
ous topics relating to human nature. An essay can
also be a long, systematic discourse.
Existentialism: A predominantly twentieth-
century philosophy concerned with the nature and
perception of human existence. There are two ma-
jor strains of existentialist thought: atheistic and
Christian. Followers of atheistic existentialism be-
lieve that the individual is alone in a godless uni-
verse and that the basic human condition is one of
suffering and loneliness. Nevertheless, because
there are no fixed values, individuals can create
their own characters—indeed, they can shape them-
selves—through the exercise of free will. The athe-
istic strain culminates in and is popularly associated
with the works of Jean-Paul Sartre. The Christian
existentialists, on the other hand, believe that only
in God may people find freedom from life’s an-Glossary of Literary Terms