Talking about Literature: English Vocabulary List

a figure of speech that compares two unrelated things to highlight their similarities and convey a deeper meaning

"'The world is a stage' is a famous metaphor by Shakespeare."

"The poet used the metaphor of a "iron cage" to describe how the character felt trapped by the strict rules and expectations of society, unable to escape despite wanting to live a more free and authentic life."

a word or phrase that compares two things or people, highlighting the similarities, often introduced by 'like' or 'as'

"'As brave as a lion' is a classic and child-friendly simile."

"A simile is a figure of speech that explicitly compares two unlike things by using connecting words"

the figurative language in literature by which the audience can form vivid mental images

"The poem used beautiful imagery."

"Imagery is the use of descriptive language that appeals to the reader's five senses to create a vivid"

a collection of selected writings by various authors, often on a similar theme or subject

"The anthology contains twenty short stories."

"The poetry anthology includes works by many famous writers from different centuries and countries."

an extra piece of information that is placed at the bottom of a printed page

"Read the footnote at the bottom."

"A historical footnote is a person or event of such minor importance that they are only a brief mention in the larger narrative of a grand history."

a person or firm that manages the preparation and public distribution of printed material such as books, newspapers, etc.

"The publisher printed the book."

"The renowned publisher is known for discovering and promoting emerging literary talent."

a genre of fiction that focuses on the lives, relationships, and personal growth of women, often with a lighthearted or romantic tone

"Chick lit is a genre of fiction about modern"

"She enjoys reading chick lit because the stories are funny and relatable."

a genre of science fiction set in a future dystopian society dominated by computer technology

"Blade Runner is a classic example of the dystopian cyberpunk genre."

"Cyberpunk is a sci-fi subgenre set in a lawless subculture of a high-tech future"

books, movies, etc. about imaginary things based on science

"Science fiction often explores futuristic technology and its consequences."

"Hard science fiction is a subgenre that emphasizes scientific accuracy and detailed logical speculation"

a plotline or a story element that runs throughout a larger narrative, connecting different events and characters together, often with a unifying theme or motif

"The complex novel has many intertwining narrative threads."

"A narrative thread is a specific storyline or plot element that runs through a large"

a novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its main character from youth to adulthood

"It is a bildungsroman story."

"A bildungsroman is a specific genre of the novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its protagonist from childhood to mature adulthood."

a genre of literature, film, and other forms of media that focuses on the growth and development of a protagonist from youth to adulthood

"This is a coming-of-age story."

"The film is a coming-of-age story about a teenager finding his place in the world."

a literary genre that uses self-reflexive techniques to draw attention to its status as a work of fiction, blurring the lines between reality and fiction

"Metafiction breaks the fourth wall."

"Metafiction is a form of literary fiction that deliberately self-analyzes its own narrative structure"

a genre of prose fiction that depicts the adventures of a roguish hero or heroine, typically one of low social status, who lives by their wits in a corrupt society

"'Don Quixote' is often cited as an early picaresque novel."

"A picaresque novel follows the episodic adventures of a roguish but appealing hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society."

a verse without rhyme, especially one with ten syllables and five stresses, known as an iambic pentameter

"Shakespeare's plays are written primarily in unrhymed blank verse."

"Blank verse is a highly dignified and flexible form of poetic meter"

a lyric poem, written in varied or irregular metrical form, for a particular object, person, or concept

"She wrote an ode poem."

"The poet wrote a beautiful ode to celebrate the beauty of the natural world."

a verse of Italian origin that has 14 lines, usually in an iambic pentameter and a prescribed rhyme scheme

"Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets about love"

"A sonnet is a short poem with fourteen lines and a specific rhyme scheme."

a Japanese poem with three unrhymed lines that have five, seven and five syllables each

"He wrote a haiku."

"A haiku traditionally consists of three lines with a syllable pattern of five"

a tale that is narrated in the form of a song or poem

"He sang a sad ballad."

"A ballad is a form of verse"

a series of lines in a poem, usually with recurring rhyme scheme and meter

"This stanza has four lines."

"Each stanza of the poem contains four lines with an alternating rhyme pattern."