Curated OER
Literary Terms
Seriously, 93 slides of literary terms? Yes, and well worth the time, although perhaps not all at once. The beauty here is in the concise, easy-to-understand definitions for such well-known terms as imagery and personification, as well...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: A Prelude to Beowulf
Before reading the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, "Beowulf," learners should explore the Dark Ages through researching the fundamental characteristics of the art and literature produced during this period. This website provides links for doing...
Other
Beginner's Guide to Prosody: Anglo Saxon Accentual Meter
This resource provides a great history and explanation of Anglo-Saxon accentual poetry along with some excellent examples. Before the article, a number of related terms are defined including the following: alliteration, assonance,...
Virtual Salt
Virtual Salt: A Glossary of Literary Terms
This site provides a long list of literary terms complete with full definitions and examples.
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Purdue University Owl: Meter & Scansion
Handout from the Purdue University writing lab that explains poetic meter and scansion. Explains several terms, including the following: syllabic, accentual, accentual-syllabic, quantitative, scansion, accented, unaccented, poetic foot,...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Shakespeare:blank Verse
This discussion of blank verse is taken from a larger article on Shakespeare and the Globe Theater. It defines the term and discusses its importance in the history of British poetry.
Ted Nellen
Cyber English (By Ted Nellen): Literary Terms a E
The first of three pages of simple definitions for literary terms. This page, A - E, covers forty-four terms from "Allegory" to "Exposition."
Ted Nellen
Cyber English (By Ted Nellen): Caesura
This is a glossary entry for the term "Caesura" including a definition and an example.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Caesura
Encyclopedia article that defines and gives many examples of Caesura in poetry. Examples are taken from Latin, Old English, and Middle English poetry. Also defines different forms of Caesura (such as masculine caesura and feminine caesura).
Other
Bob's Byway: Glossary of Poetic Terms
Calling itself "unique," Bob's is easy to use, with cross-links throughout, phonetic pronunciation guides when necessary, and many examples and quotations. Click on the letter and scroll for the word.