A fake memoir is a type of forged book in which a completely or partly made-up story about a person’s life is presented as true. Sometimes, the person who is said to have written the book is also made up. Fake memoirs often describe overcoming major problems, such as losing a loved one, facing abuse, dealing with addiction, living in poverty, or surviving gang violence.
A fabliau (pronounced “fah-blee-oh”) is a humorous story written in France between about 1150 and 1400. These tales were often created by storytellers and religious figures. They usually include jokes about sex and bodily functions, and they often criticize or mock the church and nobility.
A fable is a short story, written in prose or verse, that includes animals, plants, objects, or natural forces. These characters are given human traits, such as the ability to speak or think. The story usually teaches a lesson, called a “moral,” which may be stated clearly at the end as a short saying.
An eye rhyme, also known as a visual rhyme or a sight rhyme, is a type of rhyme where two words are spelled in a similar way but are pronounced differently. Many older English poems, especially those written in Early Modern and Middle English, include rhymes that were once true rhymes. However, modern readers may find these rhymes to be eye rhymes because the way words are pronounced has changed over time, particularly due to the Great Vowel Shift.
An acatalectic line of verse is a line of poetry that has the correct number of syllables in its final part. In English poetry, this term is not often used because acatalectic lines are the usual type in most metrical forms. For example, Shakespeare’s sonnets are written in iambic pentameter, which is acatalectic by default.
An extended metaphor, also called a conceit or sustained metaphor, is a type of figurative language used in literature. It involves using one metaphor or comparison for a long time. Unlike a simple metaphor, an extended metaphor has more than one way the subject (called the tenor) and the comparison (called the vehicle) are connected.
Explication de Texte is a French method used to analyze literature. It focuses on the text itself rather than personal opinions, much like close reading in English literature. This method examines details such as structure, writing style, and imagery in a work.
Experimental literature is a type of writing that is hard to describe exactly. It challenges the usual rules of writing, such as how stories or poems are structured. For example, it may use prose or poetry but arrange the text in unusual ways on the page, different from typical paragraphs or traditional verse stanzas.
Exegesis (pronounced ek-SEE-jees; from the Greek word meaning “to lead out”) is a detailed explanation or interpretation of a text. It is usually used for studying religious texts, especially the Bible. Today, exegesis can also be used to analyze other types of writing, such as philosophy, literature, or other written works.
Exaggeration is when something is described as more extreme or dramatic than it actually is, either on purpose or by accident. It is a way of speaking or a tool used in communication to strongly influence emotions or make a point clear. People often make things seem bigger or more important to get attention.