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Terms for subject Literature (1001 entries)
objective point of view The narrator assumes the position of an observer, detached from the narrative.
occasional poem A poem which has been written to commemorate a special event or occasion.
octave A stanza or section of verse, otherwise known as an octet, which contains eight lines. These eight lines generally have a rhythm or pattern.
ode A relatively long, often intricate stanzaic poem of varying line lengths and sometimes intricate rhyme schemes, dealing with a solemn subject matter and considering it reverently.
OED The standard abbreviation for The Oxford English Dictionary, which is an historical dictionary, and considered the most authoritative and scholarly dictionary of English. It attempts to record all words in usage in English with citations for when the word in that usage entered the language.
oedipal complex Freud argued that male children, envious of sharing their mother's attention with a father-figure, would come to have an unconscious incestuous desire to murder their fathers and have sex with their mothers. In most healthy adults Freud argued this desire would be repressed.
literary of, relating to or characteristic of literature or knowledgeable about literature
Old English Also known as Anglo-Saxon, Old English is the ancestor of Middle English and modern English. It is a Germanic language that was introduced to the British Isles by the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in a series of invasions in the fifth century, it is thus regarded as the language that existed between 449AD and 1066 (when the Norman Conquest occurred)
Old English Period Also known as the Anglo-Saxon Period, the time frame this period falls in is debatable, however broadly speaking it is between the mid-fifth century and mid-twelfth century.
Old Mill Stream Toastmasters Club OMS
omniscient narrator This is a narrator who is 'all knowing'. The omniscient narrator, often found in third person narratives, has a detailed and full knowledge of the story's events and characters, from every perspective.
one-act play This type is now less popular than in the past. It was a drama performed with no interval and was generally less than an hour long.
oneiromancy Fortune-telling through dreams.
onomatopoeia The application of sounds that are comparable to the noise they represent for an artistic effect. For instance, buzz, click, rattle, and grunt make sounds similar to the noise they represent.
open couplet A couplet in a poem where the idea is not complete by the end of the couplet or second line, instead the concept is carried over into the next lines.
open stage A stage where the audience is not separated from those acting. This type of staging has become more popular recently.
opera A powerful type of drama, where a majority of the words are solely sung.
Optimistic Orators Toastmasters Club O2
Optimistic Orators Toastmasters Club OO
oral literature The custom of compiling and passing on narratives by word of mouth. Oral literature can often take the form of poetry or song. This mode of literature has long existed and still remains today in various societies. The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is an example of this tradition.