Mastering essential literary terms is crucial for students, literature enthusiasts, and competitive exam candidates who want to understand poetry, prose, and dramatic works deeply. This comprehensive guide explores the most important literary devices, poetic forms, and structural elements with clear definitions and translations to enhance your English grammar and literature skills.
What Are Essential Literary Terms?
Literary terms refer to the techniques, structures, and terminology that writers use to create narratives, convey meanings, and evoke emotional responses. For a broader foundational study, you can explore Most Important Literary Terms on english-grammarblog.blogspot.com.
Pro Tip: Memorizing these definitions alongside their stylistic uses will greatly improve your analytical writing and comprehension of classic poetry and prose.
Complete List of Literary Terms A to Z
- 1. Abstract (সারাংশ): A summary of any piece of written work
- 2. Allegory (রূপক): A story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
- 3. Allusion (পরোক্ষ উল্লেখ): An implicit reference
- 4. Analogy (সাদৃশ্য): A word or thing similar or parallel to another
- 5. Anecdote (সংক্ষিপ্ত কিন্তু মজার গল্প): A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person
- 6. Anthem (জাতীয় সংগীত): A national song
- 7. Anthology (সংকলন): Collection of different writings
- 8. Antagonist (প্রতিদ্বন্দ্বী): A person who actively opposes to someone.
- 9. Assonance (স্বরস্বাদৃশ্য): When the pronunciation of a vowel is repeated without the pronunciation of a consonant sound, it is called assonance. (ব্যঞ্জন ধ্বনির উচ্চারণ ব্যতীত স্বরধ্বনির উচ্চারণের পুনরাবৃত্তি ঘটলে তাকে Assonance কিংবা স্বরস্বাদৃশ্য বলে।)
- 10. Auto-Biography (আত্মজীবনী): A story of a person's life, written by the person himself
- 11. Ballad (প্রাচীন কোনো কাহিনী সংবলিত সাদামাটা গান বা কবিতা, গাথা): A ballad is a song that tells a story and originally was a musical accompaniment to a dance.
- 12. Bibliography (গ্রন্থতালিকা): A list of books, essays and monographs on a subject, or a list of the works of a particular author.
- 13. Biography (জীবনী, জীবন-ইতিহাস): An account of someone's life written by someone else
- 14. Blank Verse (অমিত্রাক্ষর): Verse without rhyme.
- 15. Brochure (পুস্তিকা): A pamphlet or comparably short work which is stitched, not bound.
- 16. Burlesque (ব্যঙ্গাত্মক রচনা): A literary or dramatic work intended to excite laughter by extravagant contrast or caricature.
- 17. Caesura (কবিতার পঙক্তির মাঝখানে যতি/বিরতি; ছন্দোযতি): A pause near the middle of a line in modern verse.
- 18. Caricature (কৌতুক বা পরিহাসের উদ্দেশ্যে আঁকা ব্যঙ্গচিত্র): A picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
- 19. Catastrophe (বিপর্যয়): Tragic end of dramatic events.
- 20. Climax (কাহিনী, নাটক প্রভৃতির গুরুত্বক্রমের শেষ ধাপ, চরম পরিণতি): The point of the highest action, a plot at the height.
- 21. Comedy (মিলনাত্মক বা হাস্যরসাত্মক নাটক): Comedy is a play to entertain its audiences with a happy ending.
- 22. Conceit (আত্ম অহমিকা): Excessive pride in oneself.
- 23. Couplet (দ্বিপদী; কবিতার অন্ত্যমিল বিশিষ্ট ও সমানমাপের দুইটি চরণ): Two lines of verse which is usually joined by rhyme.
- 24. Colloquialism (আঞ্চলিক/কথ্য শব্দ): A form of speech used in ordinary or familiar conversation.
- 25. Diction (শব্দচয়ন): The choice of words of an Author.
- 26. Elegy (শোকগাথা): A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.
- 27. Epic (মহাকাব্য): An epic is a long narrative poem, on a grand scale, about the deeds of warriors and heroes.
- 28. Epilogue (নাটকের শেষ বক্তব্য/কবিতা): A poem or speech at the end of a play
- 29. Epitaph (সমাধিলিপি): Inscription on a tomb or a monument in memory of a person.
- 30. Exemplary (দৃষ্টান্তমূলক): A story that conveys a useful lesson.
- 31. Eulogy (উচ্চপ্রশংসা): Expressing high praise of somebody.
- 32. Euphemism (সুভাষণ): A pleasant word; inoffensive expression.
- 33. Fable (নীতিগল্প, পশুপাখির উপাখ্যান): A traditional short story that teaches a moral lesson, especially one with animals as characters.
- 34. Fantasy (কল্পনা): An imaginary story.
- 35. Farce (প্রহসন, হাস্যরসাত্মক নাটিকা): Dramatic work with exaggerated actions merely to excite laughter.
- 36. Hexameter (ষটপদী): A line of verse consisting of six metrical feet.
- 37. Hymn (ঈশ্বরবন্দনামূলক গান): Song in praise of God.
- 38. Idiolect (ভাষাজ্ঞান, স্ব-ভাষা): The speech habits peculiar to a particular person
- 39. Irony (বিদ্রূপ, বেত্রাঘাত): The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning
- 40. Jargon (পারিভাষিক বা বিশিষ্টার্থক শব্দ): Special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.
- 41. Jingle (অনুপ্রাসবহুল শব্দ): Usually a verse or verses with a catchy rhythm, emphatic rhyme and alliteration
- 42. Lay (চারণ কবির গান; গাথা): A short lyric or narrative poem meant to be sung
- 43. Lampoon (কাউকে ব্যঙ্গ করে রচিত কোনো লেখা): A piece of satire
- 44. Limerick (কৌতুকপূর্ণ পঞ্চপদী ছড়া): A short and a five-line fun poem with a distinctive rhythm.
- 45. Lyric (গীতিকবিতা): A short poem of musical quality
- 46. Lullaby/Cradle Song (ঘুমপাড়ানি গান): A soft gentle song sung to make a child go to sleep.
- 47. Manifesto (প্রকাশ্য লিখিত ঘোষণা): A public declaration, usually of political, religious
- 48. Machiavellian (কৌশলী; ব্যক্তিস্বার্থ হাসিলকারী বা স্বার্থান্বেষী ব্যক্তি): Cunning, unscrupulous character in a play, (A Selfish Character)
- 49. Memoir (স্মৃতিকথা): A memoir is a collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events, both public or private, that took place in the subject's life.
- 50. Monologue (স্বগতোক্তি): A long speech in a play spoken by one actor especially when alone
- 51. Myth (পুরাণ): A story from ancient times, especially one that was told to explain natural events or to describe the early history of a people.
- 52. Octave (অষ্টক): A group of stanza of eight lines
- 53. Ode (কবিতা বিশেষ, গাথা কবিতা): A classical poem of a kind originally meant to be sung
- 54. Pamphlet (ক্ষুদ্র পুস্তিকা): A very thin book with a paper cover, containing information about a particular subject
- 55. Panegyric (প্রশংসাসূচক রচনা/স্তুতি): Something written or spoken in praise of a distinguished person or event
- 56. Paradox (আপাত দৃষ্টিতে স্ববিরোধী মনে হলেও সত্যবর্জিত নয়): Contradictory features or statement Example: I am nobody/Be cruel to be kind/The beginning of the end.
- 57. Parody (অন্য কারো রচনার ভাষা ও ভঙ্গি অনুকরণ করে রচিত ব্যঙ্গরসাত্মক রচনা): An Imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.
- 58. Pathos (করুণ রস): A quality that evokes pity
- 59. Pentameter (পঞ্চপদী): A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet
- 60. Philology (ভাষাবিজ্ঞান): Science of languages
- 61. Play (নাটক): A dramatic work designed to be presented on a stage
- 62. Poetry (কাব্য): It is comprehensive term which can be taken to cover any kind of metrical composition
- 63. Psalm (ধর্মসংগীত/স্তুতিগীত): A sacred song or hymn
- 64. Quatrain (৪ লাইনের পদ্য): A stanza of four lines rhymed or unrhymed
- 65. Quinzain (১৫ লাইনের পদ্য): A fifteen-line stanza
- 66. Recto and Verso (ডান ও বাম পৃষ্ঠা): The recto is the right-hand page book; the verso the left-hand page
- 67. Sarcasm (শ্লেষোক্তি): Sarcasm is a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remarks
- 68. Septet (সপ্তক): A seven-line stanza
- 69. Sexain (ষষ্টক): A six-line stanza, also known variously as a sixain, sextain, sextet, sestet and hexastich
- 70. Sonnet (চতুর্দশপদী কবিতা): A poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes
- 71. Stanza (স্তবক): A group of lines in a poem
- 72. Tale (গল্প): A narrative written in prose or verse or spoken
- 73. Tragedy (বিয়োগান্তক নাটক): The imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself
- 74. Yarn (গল্প): A story or tale
Key Takeaways
- Literary terms cover diverse categories including narrative structures, poetic forms, dramatic devices, and rhetorical elements.
- Bilingual definitions (English and Bengali) help learners accurately grasp nuances like assonance, paradox, and irony.
- Understanding structural terms such as stanza, quatrain, and pentameter is vital for analyzing verse and metrical composition.
Quick Practice
Test your understanding of these literary definitions! Leave your answers in the comments below:
- What term describes a poem of fourteen lines using a formal rhyme scheme?
- How do you define a contradictory statement or feature like "be cruel to be kind"?
Frequently Asked Questions About Literary Terms
What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor in literary terms?
While this specific list focuses on broad poetic and narrative devices, metaphors and similes represent comparative figures of speech often studied alongside allegory and analogy.
Why are literary terms important for English grammar learners?
Learning literary terms expands vocabulary, sharpens critical thinking, and enables students to analyze sentence structures, stylistic devices, and thematic depth in world literature.
Where can I find more resources on English grammar and literature?
You can browse comprehensive study guides, rules, and literary analyses directly on english-grammarblog.blogspot.com.