carpe diem (a classical topos in which we are encouraged to ‘snatch the day’ and enjoy ourselves while we can, typically as a reminder of the brevity of life)

(a)  

choleric (a classical trope that consists of a person whose temperament is determined by an excess of ‘yellow bile’ and is therefore restless, angry, and irritable)

(a)  

dance of death (a medieval topos in which the dead ‘dance’ the living to the grave, typically as a reminder of the ubiquity of death and the equality of all in that state)

(a)  

dead metaphor (a metaphor that has been used so often as to become ‘lifeless’ and lose its potency)

(a)  

extended metaphor (a metaphor that extends over several lines or sentences in which it elaborates itself at length)

(a)  

great chain of being (a classical topos in which all that exists in the created order is envisaged as part of a natural hierarchy that extends from the lowest possible grade to the most perfect being)

(a)  

great chain of being (a classical topos in which all that exists in the created order is envisaged as part of a natural hierarchy that extends from the lowest possible grade to the most perfect being)

(a)  

humours (a classical topos in which a person’s temperament is determined by the admixture of four ‘humours’ – blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile – in their body)

(a)  

leitmotif (an element that recurs throughout a work of literature in connection with a specific theme, character, or situation)

(a)  

Liebestod (a Romantic topos in which two lovers consummate their love in death; a ‘love-death’ that configures death as the height of desire)

(a)  

literariness (the quality of being literary)

(a)  

literary (of or relating to literature)

(a)  

literature (any work or body of works that exists in a written tradition, examines the human condition, and exhibits considerable artistic merit)

(a)  

melancholy (a classical trope that consists of a person whose temperament is determined by an excess of ‘black bile’ and is therefore sad, fearful, and pessimistic)

(a)  

memento mori (a classical topos in which we are told that we must ‘die’, typically as a reminder of the inevitability of death)

(a)  

metaphor (a figure of speech in which one thing is expressed in terms of another, typically by stating that the one thing is the other, in a way that evokes vivid imagery and transfers new qualities onto it)

(a)  

metaphorical (of or relating to metaphor)

(a)  

metaphoricity (the quality of being metaphorical)

(a)  

metonym (one word, typically a common or concrete noun, that substitutes for another, typically an abstract noun with which it is associated, without transferring any new qualities onto it)

(a)  

metonymic (of or relating to metonymy)

(a)  

metonymy (a figure of speech in which one word, typically an abstract noun, is substituted with another, typically a common or concrete noun with which it is associated, without receiving any new qualities from it)

(a)  

mixed metaphor (a metaphor in which several of the vehicles or elements are at odds with each other)

(a)  

motif (an element that recurs throughout a work of literature)

(a)  

orature (any work or body of works that exists in an oral tradition, examines the human condition, and exhibits considerable artistic merit)

(a)  

phlegmatic (a classical trope that consists of a person whose temperament is determined by an excess of ‘phlegm’ and is therefore calm, relaxed, and dependable)

(a)  

poem (any work or form of literature in which the expression of human experience is given intensity by the use of devices such as rhyme, rhythm, and imagery)

(a)  

poet (a person who composes poetry)

(a)  

poète maudit (a poet who is insufficiently understood or appreciated in their time; an ‘accursed poet’ who suffers from endless bad luck)

(a)  

poetess (a woman who composes poetry)

(a)  

poetic (of or relating to poetry)

(a)  

poetics (the theory of poetry, with particular emphasis on principles of structure and composition)

(a)  

poetry (any form or body of literature in which the expression of human experience is given intensity by the use of devices such as rhyme, rhythm, and imagery)

(a)  

psychomachy (a medieval topos in which a ‘battle’ for the human soul is fought between virtues and vices, angels and devils, or other personifications of good and evil)

(a)  

sanguine (a classical trope that consists of a person whose temperament is determined by an excess of ‘blood’ and is therefore brave, happy, and optimistic)

(a)  

ship of state (a classical topos in which the state is envisaged as a ship that sails poorly when steered by its passengers but plainly when steered by its captain, typically as a reflection on democracy and meritocracy)

(a)  

simile (a figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another, typically by stating that the one thing is ‘as’ or ‘like’ the other, in a way that evokes vivid imagery and transfers new qualities onto it)

(a)  

synecdoche (a figure of speech in which a whole is substituted with one of its parts – or a part with its whole – without receiving any new qualities from it)

(a)  

tenor (the thing in a metaphor that is expressed in terms of another; the subject)

(a)  

thematic (of or relating to theme)

(a)  

to thematise (present a claim, concern, or idea as central to a work or body of literature)

(a)  

theme (a claim, concern, or idea that is central to a work or body of literature)

(a)  

topos (a traditional theme or formula that is used across a body of literature; a ‘place’ to which writers have returned over the course of centuries)

(a)  

trope (a familiar figure or device that is used across a body of literature)

(a)  

ubi sunt (a medieval topos that consists of the elegiac question or refrain ‘where are they?’, typically as a reflection on the transience of beauty)

(a)  

vehicle (the thing in a metaphor in whose terms another is expressed; the object)

(a)