Volume 24 281
“schools,” sometimes producing conflicting, even
contradictory, interpretations of literature in gen-
eral as well as of individual works. Even such ba-
sic issues as what constitutes a poem or a novel
have been the subject of much criticism over the
centuries.
D
Dactyl:See Foot
Dadaism:A protest movement in art and literature
founded by Tristan Tzara in 1916. Followers of the
movement expressed their outrage at the destruc-
tion brought about by World War I by revolting
against numerous forms of social convention. The
Dadaists presented works marked by calculated
madness and flamboyant nonsense. They stressed
total freedom of expression, commonly through
primitive displays of emotion and illogical, often
senseless, poetry. The movement ended shortly af-
ter the war, when it was replaced by surrealism.
Decadent:See Decadents
Decadents:The followers of a nineteenth-century
literary movement that had its beginnings in French
aestheticism. Decadent literature displays a fasci-
nation with perverse and morbid states; a search for
novelty and sensation—the “new thrill”; a preoc-
cupation with mysticism; and a belief in the sense-
lessness of human existence. The movement is
closely associated with the doctrine Art for Art’s
Sake. The term “decadence” is sometimes used to
denote a decline in the quality of art or literature
following a period of greatness.
Deconstruction:A method of literary criticism de-
veloped by Jacques Derrida and characterized by
multiple conflicting interpretations of a given work.
Deconstructionists consider the impact of the lan-
guage of a work and suggest that the true meaning
of the work is not necessarily the meaning that the
author intended.
Deduction:The process of reaching a conclusion
through reasoning from general premises to a spe-
cific premise.
Denotation:The definition of a word, apart from
the impressions or feelings it creates in the reader.
Diction:The selection and arrangement of words
in a literary work. Either or both may vary de-
pending on the desired effect. There are four gen-
eral types of diction: “formal,” used in scholarly or
lofty writing; “informal,” used in relaxed but edu-
cated conversation; “colloquial,” used in everyday
speech; and “slang,” containing newly coined words
and other terms not accepted in formal usage.
Didactic:A term used to describe works of litera-
ture that aim to teach some moral, religious, polit-
ical, or practical lesson. Although didactic elements
are often found in artistically pleasing works, the
term “didactic” usually refers to literature in which
the message is more important than the form. The
term may also be used to criticize a work that the
critic finds “overly didactic,” that is, heavy-handed
in its delivery of a lesson.
Dimeter:See Meter
Dionysian:See Apollonian and Dionysian
Discordia concours:A Latin phrase meaning “dis-
cord in harmony.” The term was coined by the
eighteenth-century English writer Samuel Johnson
to describe “a combination of dissimilar images or
discovery of occult resemblances in things appar-
ently unlike.” Johnson created the expression by re-
versing a phrase by the Latin poet Horace.
Dissonance:A combination of harsh or jarring
sounds, especially in poetry. Although such com-
binations may be accidental, poets sometimes in-
tentionally make them to achieve particular effects.
Dissonance is also sometimes used to refer to close
but not identical rhymes. When this is the case, the
word functions as a synonym for consonance.
Double Entendre:A corruption of a French phrase
meaning “double meaning.” The term is used to in-
dicate a word or phrase that is deliberately am-
biguous, especially when one of the meanings is
risque or improper.
Draft:Any preliminary version of a written work.
An author may write dozens of drafts which are re-
vised to form the final work, or he or she may write
only one, with few or no revisions.
Dramatic Monologue:See Monologue
Dramatic Poetry:Any lyric work that employs el-
ements of drama such as dialogue, conflict, or char-
acterization, but excluding works that are intended
for stage presentation.
Dream Allegory:See Dream Vision
Dream Vision:A literary convention, chiefly of
the Middle Ages. In a dream vision a story is pre-
sented as a literal dream of the narrator. This de-
vice was commonly used to teach moral and
religious lessons.E
Eclogue:In classical literature, a poem featuring
rural themes and structured as a dialogue among
shepherds. Eclogues often took specific poetic
forms, such as elegies or love poems. Some wereGlossary of Literary Terms