Literary Terms, TET-ZWA

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tetracolon
tetracolon, in classical prosody, a period made up of four colons, or a unit of four metrical sequences that each......
tetrameter
tetrameter, line of poetic verse that consists of four metrical feet. In English versification, the feet are usually......
texture
texture, the concrete, physical elements of prose or poetry that are separate from the structure or argument of......
Thai literature
Thai literature, body of writings of the Thai (Siamese) people, historically fostered by the kings, who themselves......
theatres, war of the
war of the theatres, in English literary history, conflict involving the Elizabethan playwrights Ben Jonson, John......
Tibetan literature
Tibetan literature, body of largely religious and occult writings that has developed since the 7th century, when......
tongue twister
tongue twister, word or group of words made difficult to articulate by a close sequence of similar consonantal......
topographical poetry
topographical poetry, verse genre of poetry characterized by the description of a particular landscape. A subgenre,......
tradición
tradición, in Spanish-American literature, short prose sketch in which a historical incident is related in an imaginative......
tragicomedy
tragicomedy, dramatic work incorporating both tragic and comic elements. When coined by the Roman dramatist Plautus......
travesty
travesty, in literature, the treatment of a noble and dignified subject in an inappropriately trivial manner. Travesty......
trickster tale
trickster tale, in oral traditions worldwide, a story featuring a protagonist (often an anthropomorphized animal)......
trilogy
trilogy, a series of three dramas or literary or musical compositions that, although each is in one sense complete,......
triolet
triolet, medieval French verse form that consists of eight short lines rhyming ABaAabAB (the capital letters indicate......
trochee
trochee, metrical foot consisting of one long syllable (as in classical verse) or stressed syllable (as in English......
troll
troll, in early Scandinavian folklore, giant, monstrous being, sometimes possessing magic powers. Hostile to men,......
troubadour
troubadour, lyric poet of southern France, northern Spain, and northern Italy, writing in the langue d’oc of Provence;......
trouvère
trouvère, any of a school of poets that flourished in northern France from the 11th to the 14th century. The trouvère......
Turkish literature
Turkish literature, the body of written works in the Turkish language. The Orhon inscriptions represent some of......
Turkmen literature
Turkmen literature, the body of written works produced by the Turkmen people of Central Asia. Reconstructing a......
type name
type name, in dramatic practice, name given to a character to ensure that the personality may be instantly ascertained.......
ubi sunt
ubi sunt, a verse form in which the poem or its stanzas begin with the Latin words ubi sunt (“where are …”) or......
Ukrainian literature
Ukrainian literature, the body of writings in the Ukrainian language. The earliest writings of the Ukrainians,......
Ulster cycle
Ulster cycle, in ancient Irish literature, a group of legends and tales dealing with the heroic age of the Ulaids,......
unities
unities, in drama, the three principles derived by French classicists from Aristotle’s Poetics; they require a......
urban legend
urban legend, in folklore, a story about an unusual or humorous event that many people believe to be true but that......
Urdu literature
Urdu literature, writings in the Urdu language of the Muslims of Pakistan and northern India. It is written in......
utopian poetry
utopian poetry, poetry that describes a utopia or any sort of utopian ideal. Sir Thomas More’s Utopia (1516)—the......
Uzbek literature
Uzbek literature, the body of written works produced by the Uzbek people of Central Asia, most of whom live in......
vampire
vampire, in popular legend, a creature, often fanged, that preys upon humans, generally by consuming their blood.......
Venus and Adonis stanza
Venus and Adonis stanza, a stanza consisting of an iambic pentameter quatrain and couplet with the rhyme scheme......
verismo
verismo, (Italian: “realism”), literary realism as it developed in Italy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.......
vers de société
vers de société, (French: “society verse”), light poetry written with particular wit and polish and intended for......
vers libre
vers libre, (French: “free verse”), 19th-century poetic innovation that liberated French poetry from its traditional......
verset
verset, a short verse, especially from a sacred book, such as those found in the Song of Solomon and the Psalms,......
Vietnamese literature
Vietnamese literature, body of literature produced by Vietnamese-speaking people, primarily in Vietnam. Like the......
villanelle
villanelle, rustic song in Italy, where the term originated (Italian villanella from villano: “peasant”); the term......
virelai
virelai, one of several formes fixes (“fixed forms”) in French lyric poetry and song of the 14th and 15th centuries......
volta
volta, the turn in thought in a sonnet that is often indicated by such initial words as But, Yet, or And yet. The......
waka
waka, Japanese poetry, specifically the court poetry of the 6th to the 14th century, including such forms as the......
Walloon literature
Walloon literature, the body of written works produced by Belgians in the local dialects of French and Latin origin......
well-made play
well-made play, a type of play, constructed according to certain strict technical principles, that dominated the......
Welsh literary renaissance
Welsh literary renaissance, literary activity centring in Wales and England in the mid-18th century that attempted......
Welsh literature
Welsh literature, body of writings in the Welsh language with a rich and unbroken history stretching from the 6th......
werewolf
werewolf, in popular legend, a human who can shape-shift into a wolf or a hybrid wolf-human form. In many werewolf......
Western literature
Western literature, history of literatures in the languages of the Indo-European family, along with a small number......
Woman, Life, Freedom
Woman, Life, Freedom, protest slogan that affirms that the rights of women are at the centre of life and liberty.......
Women’s Prize for Fiction
Women’s Prize for Fiction, English literary prize for women that was conceptualized in 1992 and instituted in 1996......
yangbanxi
yangbanxi, form of Chinese entertainment that flourished during the Cultural Revolution (1966–76). The works combined......
yellow journalism
yellow journalism, the use of lurid features and sensationalized news in newspaper publishing to attract readers......
yomihon
yomihon, a subgenre of gesaku, a type of popular Japanese literature of the Tokugawa, or Edo, period (1603–1867).......
young adult literature
young adult literature, a genre of literature geared toward readers between 12 and 18 years old. Young adult (YA)......
Ysopet
Ysopet, in French literature, a medieval collection of fables, often versions of Aesop’s Fables. The word Ysopet......
yuefu
yuefu, form of Chinese poetry derived from the folk-ballad tradition. The yuefu takes its name from the Yuefu (“Music......
zaju
zaju, one of the major forms of Chinese drama. The style originated as a short variety play in North China during......
zombie
zombie, undead creature frequently featured in works of horror fiction and film. While its roots may possibly be......
Zwarte Piet
Zwarte Piet is a character in Dutch folklore who serves St. Nicholas (in Dutch, Sinterklaas) in St. Nicholas Day......

Literary Terms Encyclopedia Articles By Title