Personification

Short Note- Personification

 
Personification is a figure in which lifeless objects or ideas are given life. It is a figure of speech that endows animals, ideas, abstractions and in-animate objects with human form, characters, or feelings. It treats abstractions and inanimate objects as if they

Conceit

Short Note- Conceit

 
Conceit originally means a concept or image. Conceit is an elaborate figure of speech comparing two highly dissimilar things. The comparison may be startling, far-fetched, fanciful or highly intellectual. A conceit may be a brief metaphor, but it usually forms the framework of

Drama

Short Note- Drama

 

Drama is a serious literary work usually intended for performance before an audience. It is a literary form designed for the theatre, in which the representation is by actors who impersonate the characters and perform the action and dialogue. In Poetic Drama the dialogue is written in verse instead of prose. Comedy, Tragedy, Chronicle Plays,

Epigram

Short Note- Epigram

Epigram is a rhetorical device that is a brief, sharp, witty, memorable, and surprising satirical statement. According to Prof. Bain, “The epigram is an apparent contradiction in language which, by causing a temporary shock rouses our attention to some important meaning underneath.”

Parable

Short Note- Parable

 

A parable is an allegorical story of human characters which teaches a moral or religious lesson. There are many examples of parables in religious texts, such the holy Quran and the holy Bible. The holy Quran narrates many parables in various surah. In the Bible, the parable of “The Prodigal Son” shows the importance of unconditional love and forgiveness. Even though the Prodigal Son wasted

Elegy

Short Note- Elegy

An elegy is a poem on the death of a loved one, usually written in remembrance of a lost one for a funeral or as a lament. An elegy tells the traffic story of an individual, or an individual’s loss, rather than the collective story of a people, which can be found in epic poetry. An elegy generally combines three stages of loss: first there is grief, then praise of the dead one, and finally consolation. Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” was written to

Poetic Justice

Short Note- Poetic Justice

 

Poetic justice is an ideal form of justice, in which the good characters are rewarded and the bad characters are punished by an ironic twist of fate. The term was coined by the English literary critic Thomas Rymer in the 17^th century. It is a strong literary view that all forms of literature must convey moral lessons. Therefore, writers employ poetic justice to

Ode

Short Note- Ode

 

An ode is a long lyric poem, serious in subject, elevated in style, and elaborate in its stanzaic structure. It is often written to praise someone or something, or to mark an important occasion. There are three typical forms of ode: the Pindaric, Horatian, and irregular. Pindaric odes having three stanzas follow

Soliloquy

Short Note- Soliloquy

Soliloquy is a dramatic technique of speaking alone on the stage. The word ‘soliloquy’ is derived from the Latin word ‘solo’ which means “to himself”, and ‘loqour’, which means “I speak” respectively. Thus the definition of soliloquy is similar to this compound meaning of “I speak to myself”. It is a dramatic convention in which a character expresses his thoughts and feelings while no one remains on the stage. Playwrights use this device for

Sonnet

Short Note- Sonnet

A sonnet is usually defined as a lyric of fourteen lines of iambic pentameter. The word ‘sonnet’ is derived from the Italian word ‘sonetto’ which means “a little sound or song”.

It was originated in Italy in the 13^th century, was developed by the Italian poet Petrarch and was brought to

Allegory

Short Note- Allegory

An Allegory is a story or description in prose or verse with double meaning– a primary or surface meaning; and the secondary or under the surface meaning. The secondary meaning may be moral, religious, political, social or satiric. In allegory the characters are often

Lyric

Short Note- Lyric

 

Lyric is a type of poetry marked by emotion, melody, imagination, and a unified effect. The term ‘Lyric’ originates from the Greek word ‘lyre’, which is an instrument used by the Grecians to play when reading a poem. A lyric poem is usually written

Interlude

Short Note- Interlude

 

An interlude is a literary device used by authors to provide comic relief to the audience from an overpowering tragic or gloomy mood created by highly tragic scenes. Interlude was performed at court or at “great house” by professional minstrels or amateurs at intervals between some other entertainment, such as a banquet, or preceding or following

Mock-epic

Short Note- Mock-epic

 

Mock-epic, also called mock-heroic, form of satire that adapts the elevated heroic style of the classical epic poem to a trivial subject. It has all the characteristic of an epic poem. Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” is the best known and most brilliant example of its kind. In it there are invocations to

Epic

Short Note- Epic

The word ‘epic’ has been derived from the Greek word ‘epikos’ which means a poetic story. In literature, an epic poem is a long narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet. Many ancient writers used epic poetry to

Narration at a Glance