Entertainment / Literature Glossary

Epistolary: Taking the form of a letter, or actually consisting of a letter written to another. For instance, several books in the New Testament written by Saint Paul are epistolary--they were originall . . . View Full Definition

Epistolary Novel: Any novel that takes the form of a series of letters--either written by one character or several characters. The form allows an author to dispense with an omniscient point of view, but still . . . View Full Definition

Epistrophe: (Greek, 'upon turning') Repetition of a concluding word or word endings: He's learning fast, are you earning fast? When the epistrophe focuses on sounds rather than entire words, we normally . . . View Full Definition

Epitaph: Not to be confused with epithet or epigram, an epitaph refers literally to an inscription carved on a gravestone, aka, cenotaph. In a more general sense, an epitaph is the final statement sp . . . View Full Definition

Epithalamion: (Greek, 'at the Bridal Chamber,' plural epithalamia) A wedding hymn sung in classical Greece outside the bride's room on her wedding night. Sappho is traditionally believed to have been the . . . View Full Definition

Epithalamium: The Latin term for an epithalamion. See above.

Epithet: A short, poetic nickname--often in the form of an adjective or adjectival phrase--attached to the normal name. Frequently, this technique allows a poet to extend a line by a few syllables in . . . View Full Definition

Epizeuxis: (also called diacope) Uninterrupted repetition, or repetition with only one or two words between each repeated phrase. Typically, the purpose of epizeuxis is to show strong emotion. Peacham . . . View Full Definition

Eponym: A word that is derived from the proper name of a person or place. For instance, the sandwich gained its name from its inventor, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. The word lynch comes from Captain . . . View Full Definition

Eponymous Archon: An official in classical Athens. The holder of this office arranged the production of tragedies and comedies at annual festivals honoring Dionysus. Each year was named after the officiating . . . View Full Definition

Eremite: A religious hermit. Eremites are stock character in vitae and in chivalric romances. See discussion under eremitic tradition, below.

Eremitic Tradition: An eremite is a hermit--one who deliberately lives alone seeking spiritual enlightenment in the desert, forest, or wilderness. The first five centuries of Christianity were marked by a numbe . . . View Full Definition

Erotema: (also called erotesis) Asking a rhetorical question to the reader, i.e., 'What should honest citizens do?' Often the question is asked in order to get a definite answer from the reader--usua . . . View Full Definition

Erotosis: Another term for erotema. See erotema, above.

Errata: (singularerratum): Errors or mistakes in a printed text. See discussion under erratum, below.

Erratum: (pluralerrata): An error in a printed text that comes about from transposed letters, missing lines of text, or simple typesetting errors resulting from a printer or a printer's apprentice's . . . View Full Definition

Escape Literature: Not to be confused with escapist literature, escape literature (also called literature of escape) includes books and short stories about desperate protagonists escaping from confinement--esp . . . View Full Definition

Escapism: The desire to retreat into imaginative entertainment rather than deal with the stress, tedium, and daily problems of the mundane world. See discussion under escapist literature.

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