Literature

Russian literature: history, themes, and notable authors Russian literature Survey of literature written in Russian or by Russian writers, covering origins, major movements, characteristic themes, and prominent authors from the 18th century to the present.

Sámi literature: history, forms, and contemporary importance Sami literature Overview of Sámi literature from oral traditions and 17th‑century written records to modern poetry, prose, languages, themes, and ongoing revitalization.

Scarlett O'Hara — protagonist of Gone with the Wind and an American cultural figure Scarlett O'Hara Scarlett O'Hara is the central character of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, known for her determination, complex personality, and contested legacy in literature, film and c…

Scouting for Boys — the handbook that launched the Scout Movement Scouting for Boys Scouting for Boys (1908) by Robert Baden-Powell is the foundational handbook of the Scout Movement, describing outdoor skills, citizenship and character training and influencing gl…

Sense and Sensibility Novel by Jane Austen (1811) contrasting reason and emotion through the lives of two sisters; explores marriage, inheritance, class and social manners in late 18th‑century England.

Setting (fiction) In fiction, the setting is the time, place, and mood that surround a story. It includes physical, social, and historical context and shapes plot, character behavior, and thematic m…

Shakespeare authorship question Overview of the debate over whether William Shakespeare of Stratford wrote the works attributed to him, the main arguments, evidence types, prominent alternative candidates, schola…

Sherlock Holmes: fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes is a fictional private detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, famed for his observation, logical inference, and cultural influence across literature, film, an…

Short Story A concise fictional prose narrative that concentrates on a single effect, incident, or character moment; widely published in magazines, anthologies, and online in diverse forms fro…

Simile: definition, forms, history and uses Simile A simile is a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison using 'like' or 'as'. This article explains its form, history, uses, differences from metaphor, and advice for clear w…

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight A late 14th-century Middle English Arthurian romance notable for its beheading-game plot, alliterative verse, and the ‘bob and wheel’ stanzaic form; explores chivalry, testing, and…

Sir Thaddeus (Pan Tadeusz): Adam Mickiewicz's Polish national epic Sir Thaddeus Pan Tadeusz (Sir Thaddeus) is a long Polish narrative poem by Adam Mickiewicz, first published in Paris (1834). It combines romance, noble feuds and Napoleonic-era patriotism and i…

Slash fiction Fanfiction that centers on romantic or sexual relationships between same‑sex characters—most commonly male/male pairings—originating in late 20th‑century fandoms and developed into…

Sonnet (poetic form) Sonnet A sonnet is a 14-line lyric poem with prescribed rhyme and stanza patterns; it originated in Italy and was adapted across Europe into several national forms and modern variants.

Southern Gothic (literary subgenre) Southern Gothic Southern Gothic is a literary subgenre centered in the American South that blends gothic motifs with regional social issues, grotesque characters, moral ambiguity, and dark humor.

Spenserian stanza: structure, history and use in English poetry Spenserian stanza A nine-line stanzaal form devised by Edmund Spenser for The Faerie Queene; combines eight iambic pentameter lines and a final alexandrine with a distinctive a-b-a-b-b-c-b-c-c rhyme…

Spoof: meanings, uses, and distinctions Spoof Overview of the word spoof: its senses as imitation, hoax, parody, technical impersonation, and a British slang meaning; history, examples, and how it differs from related terms.

Sprawl trilogy (William Gibson) Sprawl trilogy A three‑novel cyberpunk sequence by William Gibson—Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive—set in the vast urban Sprawl and influential in defining modern ideas of cyberspa…

Stanza (poetry): definition, forms, and functions Stanza A stanza is a grouped set of lines in a poem. This article explains stanza structure, common types, historical development, and how stanzas shape rhythm, rhyme and meaning in verse…

Stev: Scandinavian four-line folk lyric Stev Stev are short four-line verses from Scandinavian folk-song and recitation traditions. This article explains their form, history, performance contexts, regional varieties, and cult…

Story (narrative) Story An overview of stories as ordered accounts of events: definition, core elements, common forms and genres, historical development, purposes, narrative techniques, and distinctions a…

Stream of consciousness (literary technique) Stream of consciousness writing A narrative method that seeks to depict the continuous flow of a character’s thoughts and sensations; used widely in modernist fiction to convey subjectivity, memory, and perceptio…

Sturm und Drang: German literary movement of emotional revolt Sturm und Drang Sturm und Drang was a late 18th-century German movement emphasizing emotion, individuality, rebellion against neoclassical limits, and an exaltation of nature; it anticipated Roman…

Subplot: secondary storylines in fiction and drama Subplot A subplot is a secondary storyline that complements, contrasts with, or complicates a work's main plot, often involving supporting characters and serving purposes such as theme dev…

Sun, Moon, and Talia — Basile's early Sleeping Beauty tale Sun, Moon, and Talia Giambattista Basile's 'Sun, Moon, and Talia' (Sole, Luna, e Talia) is an early, darker variant of the Sleeping Beauty cycle, published in the Pentamerone (1636) and influential on…

Sunny Baudelaire — youngest Baudelaire sibling from A Series of Unfortunate Events Sunny Baudelaire Sunny Baudelaire is the infant-turned-child in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, noted for early biting, rapid language development and a later interest in cooking.

Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke and the Synoptic Problem Synoptic Gospels Overview of the three Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke—their shared features, historical questions (the synoptic problem), major hypotheses about their relationships, and th…

Targum — Aramaic translations and interpretive renderings of the Hebrew Bible Targum Targum: Aramaic translations and interpretive renderings of the Hebrew Bible produced from the late Second Temple era through the early Middle Ages, used in synagogue reading, stud…

Tautology (rhetoric) Tautology in rhetoric is the deliberate or accidental repetition of the same idea in different words. It can serve emphasis or clarity, but also produce needless redundancy; it dif…

Tender is the Night A concise overview of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1934 novel Tender is the Night: plot outline, characters, themes, creation and reception, and its place in modern literature.

Text Grammar: Principles, Structure, and Applications Text grammar Overview of text grammar: how sentences and discourse combine into coherent texts, key concepts (cohesion, coherence, macrostructure), related fields, methods of analysis, and prac…

Textual Criticism: Principles, Methods, and Applications Textual criticism Study of manuscript and printed variants to recover an original or earliest attainable text; covers methods, history, editorial practice, and uses in biblical, classical, and moder…

The Autumn of the Patriarch A 1975 novel by Gabriel García Márquez portraying the solitude and decay of a Caribbean dictator; noted for its baroque prose, long sentences, and synthesis of real-world regimes.

The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses The Black Arrow Robert Louis Stevenson's historical adventure novel (1888), set during the Wars of the Roses, following a young archer's quest amid loyalty, betrayal, and political turmoil; freque…

The Black Cat (short story by Edgar Allan Poe) The Black Cat A concise encyclopedic overview of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Black Cat', covering plot, themes, publication, and adaptations, with notes on its gothic style and psychological readings…

The Black Cauldron (novel) The Black Cauldron A 1965 fantasy novel by Lloyd Alexander, second in The Chronicles of Prydain series; follows Taran on a quest centered on a powerful cauldron and explores themes of courage, sacrif…

The Charge of the Light Brigade (poem) An overview of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 1854 poem commemorating the doomed cavalry charge at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War, its form, themes, and legacy.

The Chronicles of Narnia A concise encyclopedia entry on C. S. Lewis’s seven-book fantasy series: origins, themes, book list, publication and adaptations, and its cultural legacy.

The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Divine Comedy Epic narrative poem by Dante Alighieri describing a guided journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven; a foundational work of Italian literature notable for its allegory, structure…

The English Patient: novel, themes, characters and legacy The English Patient Encyclopedic entry on Michael Ondaatje's 1992 novel The English Patient: summary, structure, principal characters, themes, awards, film adaptation and its place in late 20th-centur…

The Giver: Lois Lowry's dystopian novel and its impact The Giver Overview of Lois Lowry's novel The Giver (1993): setting, themes, publication, reception, controversies, and its place in the quartet of books and adaptations.

The Grand Inquisitor (parable in The Brothers Karamazov) The Grand Inquisitor A famous parable recited by Ivan Karamazov in Dostoevsky's novel, probing faith, freedom, authority, and human suffering through a fictional encounter between Christ and an inquisi…

The Grapes of Wrath — John Steinbeck's 1939 social novel The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck's 1939 novel about the Joad family's migration from the Dust Bowl to California; a social-protest work that won the Pulitzer Prize and remains widely read and studie…

The Hardy Boys: History, characters, series, and cultural impact The Hardy Boys Overview of the Hardy Boys detective series: creation, main characters, publishing history, revisions and adaptations, critical reception, and notable series variants.

The Hound of the Baskervilles A Sherlock Holmes novel by Arthur Conan Doyle that blends Gothic atmosphere with rational detective work; serialized 1901–1902 and published as a novel in 1902, set on the bleak De…

The House of the Seven Gables An 1851 novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne exploring ancestral guilt, revenge, and atonement in a New England setting; inspired by a Salem house and later adapted for stage, film, and te…

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (Notre-Dame de Paris) The Hunchback of Notre Dame Victor Hugo's 1831 historical novel set in medieval Paris, examining love, social exclusion and the cathedral of Notre-Dame through characters such as Quasimodo, Esmeralda and Clau…

The Kite Runner: Khaled Hosseini's debut novel The Kite Runner A clear, expanded encyclopedia-style article about Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner: plot, characters, themes, historical background, reception and adaptations.