248 Poetry for Students
L
Lais:See Lay
Lake Poets:See Lake 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:See Motif
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:See Ballad
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:See Rhyme
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:See Conceit
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:See Metaphysical 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:See Meter
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