Dictionary of Literary Words: Vocabulary Building

By Manik Joshi

WHAT ARE “LITERARY WORDS”?

‘Literary words’ are associated with literature.
‘Literary words’ are typical of a work of literature and imaginative writing.
‘Literary words’ are used with a particular meaning, in narrative, drama, poetry and other writing in a literary manner.

This book has been divided into three sections:
Section 01: Common Literary Words
Section 02: Figurative Use of the Words
Section 03: Glossary of Literary Terms

IMPORTANT NOTES

NOTE -- A:
ELEVATED WORDS
Use of an ‘Elevated’ Word in Place of a ‘Simple’ Word
‘Elevated language’ is widely used in literature.
Elevated Word -- a word that is used to show a high intellectual level
Simple Word -- a word that is used to keep the conversation simple in daily life

Example 1:
‘Behold’ [elevated word] | ‘See’ [simple word]
Meaning of ‘behold’ and ‘see’:
to become aware of something by using your eyes

Example 2:
‘Blithe’ [elevated word] | ‘Happy’ [simple word]
Meaning of ‘blithe’ and ‘happy’:
showing or feeling pleasure

******

NOTE -- B:
FIGURATIVE USE OF THE WORDS
Many words and phrases are used in a different (literary) way from their usual (literal) meanings to produce a special effect. [I have put these words together in Section-2 (figurative use of the words) of this book.]

Example-1:
ache: In a general sense -- to feel a continuous pain
His leg ached because of injury.
ache: In a literary sense -- to be very sad
His false accusations made our hearts ache. [= made us sad]

Example-2:
Flash: In a general sense -- to shine brightly for a few moments
The camera flashed once.
Flash: In a literary sense -- to suddenly show a strong emotion
Their eyes flashed with horror.

******

NOTE -- C:
‘LITERARY TERMS’
There are many words that are used to describe a particular form of writing in a literary work or used in the analysis, discussion, classification, and criticism of a literary work. [I have defined these terms in Section-3 (glossary of literary terms) of this book.]

Examples:
catharsis -- the process of releasing strong feelings through artistic activities
diction -- the choice and use of words to create a specific effect in a literary work
epithet -- a word or expression used to attribute a special quality to somebody/something
genre -- a particular category, style or type to which a literary wok belongs
holograph -- a handwritten piece of writing by its author
idyll -- a poem that describes a peaceful and happy scene
juvenilia -- a literary work produced by an artist, in his/her youth
melodrama -- a literary work that is full of exciting and exaggerated events or emotions
opera -- a dramatic work where a majority of the words are sung to music
panegyric -- a speech or written composition that praises somebody/something
prosody -- the patterns of rhythms and sounds in poetry
quatrain -- a verse of a poem that has four lines
refrain -- a line or number of lines of a song or poem that is repeated after each verse
scene -- one of the small sections within an act (a major division) of a play
semantic -- relating to the meaning of words and sentences
trilogy -- a set of three books, plays, movies, etc. on the same characters or subject

figure of speech -- an expression in which a word or phrase represents one thing in terms of something dissimilar (non-literal) to create a particular effect in somebody’s mind, or in which an emphasis is produced by patterns of sound. [Some common figures of speech are as follows -- alliteration, anaphora, antistrophe. apostrophe, assonance, consonance, hyperbole, irony, litotes, metaphor, metonymy, periphrasis, personification, simile, synecdoche]

• Language: English
• Publisher: Manik Joshi
• Release date: Jun 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311011411

Manik Joshi

Manik Joshi was born on January 26, 1979, at Ranikhet, a picturesque town in the Kumaon region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. He is a permanent resident of the Sheeshmahal area of Kathgodam located in the city of Haldwani in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. He completed his schooling in four different schools. He is a science graduate in the ZBC – zoology, botany, and chemistry – subjects. He is also an MBA with a specialization in marketing. Additionally, he holds diplomas in “computer applications”, “multimedia and web-designing”, and “computer hardware and networking”. During his schooldays, he wanted to enter the field of medical science; however, after graduation he shifted his focus to the field of management. After obtaining his MBA, he enrolled in a computer education center; he became so fascinated with working on the computer that he decided to develop his career in this field. Over the following years, he worked at some computer-related full-time jobs. Following that, he became interested in Internet Marketing, particularly in domaining (business of buying and selling domain names), web design (creating websites), and various other online jobs. However, later he shifted his focus solely to self-publishing. Manik is a nature-lover. He has always been fascinated by overcast skies. He is passionate about traveling and enjoys solo-travel most of the time rather than traveling in groups. He is actually quite a loner who prefers to do his own thing. He likes to listen to music, particularly when he is working on the computer. Reading and writing are definitely his favorite pastimes, but he has no interest in sports. Manik has always dreamed of a prosperous life and prefers to live a life of luxury. He has a keen interest in politics because he believes it is politics that decides everything else. He feels a sense of gratification sharing his experiences and knowledge with the outside world. However, he is an introvert by nature and thus gives prominence to only a few people in his personal life. He is not a spiritual man, yet he actively seeks knowledge about the metaphysical world; he is particularly interested in learning about life beyond death. In addition to writing academic/informational text and fictional content, he also maintains a personal diary. He has always had a desire to stand out from the crowd. He does not believe in treading the beaten path and avoids copying someone else’s path to success. Two things he always refrains from are smoking and drinking; he is a teetotaler and very health-conscious. He usually wakes up before the sun rises. He starts his morning with meditation and exercise. Fitness is an integral and indispensable part of his life. He gets energized by solving complex problems. He loves himself the way he is and he loves the way he looks. He doesn’t believe in following fashion trends. He dresses according to what suits him and what he is comfortable in. He believes in taking calculated risks. His philosophy is to expect the best but prepare for the worst. According to him, you can’t succeed if you are unwilling to fail. For Manik, life is about learning from mistakes and figuring out how to move forward.

Book preview

‘Literary words’ are associated with literature.

‘Literary words’ are typical of a work of literature and imaginative writing.

‘Literary words’ are used with a particular meaning, in narrative, drama, poetry and other writing in a literary manner.

This book has been divided into three sections:

Section 01: Common Literary Words

Section 02: Figurative Use of the Words

Section 03: Glossary of Literary Terms

IMPORTANT NOTES

NOTE -- A:

ELEVATED WORDS

Use of an ‘Elevated’ Word in Place of a ‘Simple’ Word

‘Elevated language’ is widely used in literature.

Elevated Word -- a word that is used to show a high intellectual level

Simple Word -- a word that is used to keep the conversation simple in daily life

Example 1:

‘Behold’ [elevated word] | ‘See’ [simple word]

Meaning of ‘behold’ and ‘see’:

to become aware of something by using your eyes

Example 2:

‘Blithe’ [elevated word] | ‘Happy’ [simple word]

Meaning of ‘blithe’ and ‘happy’:

showing or feeling pleasure

Example 3:

‘Dulcify’ [elevated word] | ‘Sweeten’ [simple word]

Meaning of ‘dulcify’ and ‘sweeten’:

to make or become sweet in taste

Example 4:

‘Noontide’ [elevated word] | ‘Noon’ [simple word]

Meaning of ‘Noontide’ and ‘noon’:

midday

******

NOTE -- B:

FIGURATIVE USE OF THE WORDS

Many words and phrases are used in a different (literary) way from their usual (literal) meanings to produce a special effect. [I have put these words together in Section-2 (figurative use of the words) of this book.]

Example-1:

ache: In a general sense -- to feel a continuous pain

His leg ached because of injury.

ache: In a literary sense -- to be very sad

His false accusations made our hearts ache. [= made us sad]

Example-2:

Flash: In a general sense -- to shine brightly for a few moments

The camera flashed once.

Flash: In a literary sense -- to suddenly show a strong emotion

Their eyes flashed with horror.

Example-3:

Soil: In a general sense -- the top layer of the earth

The soil was very fertile in the plains.

Soil: In a literary sense -- an area of land; a particular country

These people are very fond of American soil.

Example-4:

Thunder: In a general sense -- (of thundercloud) to make a very loud deep sound

Clouds thundered.

Thunder: In a literary sense -- to cry, shout, complain, or criticize, etc. very noisily and irritably

People thundered against the price hike.

‘FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE’

‘Figurative language’ is a form of writing which appeals to the senses. It is a set of literary devices which includes words and phrases used in a different (literary) way from their proper or usual (literal) meanings to produce a special or heightened effect. Figurative language can be classified into different categories based on resemblance, relationship, emphasis, understatement, etc.

******

NOTE -- C:

‘LITERARY TERMS’

There are many words that are used to describe a particular form of writing in a literary work or used in the analysis, discussion, classification, and criticism of a literary work. [I have defined these terms in Section-3 (glossary of literary terms) of this book.]

Examples:

catharsis -- the process of releasing strong feelings through artistic activities

diction -- the choice and use of words to create a specific effect in a literary work

epithet -- a word or expression used to attribute a special quality to somebody/something

genre -- a particular category, style or type to which a literary wok belongs

holograph -- a handwritten piece of writing by its author

idyll -- a poem that describes a peaceful and happy scene

juvenilia -- a literary work produced by an artist, in his/her youth

melodrama -- a literary work that is full of exciting and exaggerated events or emotions

opera -- a dramatic work where a majority of the words are sung to music

panegyric -- a speech or written composition that praises somebody/something

prosody -- the patterns of rhythms and sounds in poetry

quatrain -- a verse of a poem that has four lines

refrain -- a line or number of lines of a song or poem that is repeated after each verse

scene -- one of the small sections within an act (a major division) of a play

semantic -- relating to the meaning of words and sentences

trilogy -- a set of three books, plays, movies, etc. on the same characters or subject

figure of speech -- an expression in which a word or phrase represents one thing in terms of something dissimilar (non-literal) to create a particular effect in somebody’s mind, or in which an emphasis is produced by patterns of sound. [Some common figures of speech are as follows -- alliteration, anaphora, antistrophe. apostrophe, assonance, consonance, hyperbole, irony, litotes, metaphor, metonymy, periphrasis, personification, simile, synecdoche]

SECTION - 1 -- Common Literary Words

Literary Words -- A

abode [noun] -- the place where you live; home

access [noun] -- an outburst of an emotion

adamantine [adjective] -- extremely strong; impossible to break or smash

adieu [interjection] -- goodbye/farewell

afar [adverb] -- at a distance

affections [noun] -- feelings of love, care, etc.

aflame [adjective] -- burning; in flames | full of dazzling lights | showing pleasure or disgrace

afterglow [noun] -- the light in the sky after sunset | a pleasant feeling that you feel after you have enjoyed a good experience; delight

ageless [adjective] -- never coming to an end or growing old; everlasting

agleam [adjective] -- shining strongly; full of light

aglow [adjective] -- shining with color or pleasure

alabaster [noun] -- white and smooth

alchemy [noun] -- magical power

alight [verb] -- (of a bird) to come down through the air onto the ground

amazon [noun] -- a tall, well-built woman

ambrosia [noun] -- delicious food

apace [adverb] -- quickly

anon [adverb] -- before long

arrant [adjective] -- absolute or complete

argent [adjective] – silver; silvery white

arise [verb] -- to wake up; to get up | (of a tall structure; manmade (tower, etc.) or natural (mountain, etc.) to become noticeable progressively as you move towards it

arrayed [adjective] -- dressed in beautiful clothes

asunder [adverb] -- into pieces; not together

athwart [preposition] -- from one side to the other side; corner

Reviews for Dictionary of Literary Words

[JuAN · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

it is a great resource to start learning new vocabulary