Art Literature: Talking about books

masterpiece

A work of art, music or literature considered the best of its kind. "The painting is considered a masterpiece of the Renaissance."

portrait

A painting, drawing or photograph of a person. "The gallery has an impressive collection of royal portraits."

landscape

A painting of natural scenery. "He specialises in impressionist landscapes of the countryside."

sculpture

A three-dimensional work of art made by carving or shaping material. "The museum has a famous collection of Greek sculptures."

abstract

(Art) not representing realistic images; focusing on shape, colour and form. "She prefers abstract art to traditional realistic painting."

exhibition

A public display of works of art. "The museum is hosting a major exhibition of modern photography."

gallery

A room or building where art is displayed. "We spent the morning in the National Gallery."

novel

A long work of fiction. "Her latest novel became an instant bestseller."

plot

The sequence of events in a story. "The plot twists kept readers guessing until the very end."

narrator

The person who tells the story. "The narrator is an unreliable character — we can't fully trust what he says."

character

A person in a story or film. "The protagonist is one of the most complex characters in the novel."

theme

The main subject or idea explored in a work. "The theme of loss runs throughout the whole book."

to portray

To represent or depict someone or something in art or writing. "The novel portrays life in post-war Britain vividly."

metaphor

A figure of speech that describes something by saying it is something else. "The author uses a powerful metaphor to describe grief."

symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. "Symbolism is central to the author's style."

prose

Written language in its ordinary form, not verse. "She writes beautiful prose — clear and lyrical at the same time."

verse

Writing arranged in lines, often with rhythm or rhyme. "The poem is written in verse with a consistent rhythm."

blurb. Example: A blurb is on the back cover describing the book.

short text on the back cover describing the book

poignant. Example: Woman of Snow is a poignant chronicle of childhood.

moving and sad

chronicle. Example: A poignant chronicle of childhood.

description of a sequence of events

acclaimed. Example: The third novel by this acclaimed writer.

praised by the public

compelling. Example: This is a compelling tale.

very interesting and engaging

lugubrious. Example: A lugubrious setting reminiscent of...

rather dark, mournful and gloomy

macabre. Example: A macabre account of an unsolved murder.

often cruel or disgusting, concerned with death

chilling. Example: A macabre and chilling account.

causing great fear

page-turner. Example: A page-turner full of brilliant moments of insight.

a powerful story that keeps you interested

insight. Example: Brilliant moments of insight.

ability to understand what something is really like

gripping. Example: A gripping and enigmatic tale.

so interesting it holds your attention

enigmatic. Example: A gripping and enigmatic tale.

mysterious

breathtaking. Example: A breathtaking achievement.

amazing

wry. Example: A combination of wry humour and evocative scenes.

in the face of a bad situation

evocative. Example: Evocative scenes of life.

which arouse memories or images

eponymous. Example: The eponymous protagonist of Arkrow's latest novel.

who has the same name as the book's title

protagonist. Example: The eponymous protagonist.

main character

engaging. Example: It is an engaging tale.

pleasant and interesting

journal. Example

a written record of what you do each day; also an academic publication

memoirs. Example

a written record of a person's own life, typically by a politician

encyclopedia. Example

a book containing articles on all human knowledge in alphabetical order

anthology. Example

a collection of poems or short stories by different authors

manual. Example

a technical book with instructions

logbook. Example

a book that records events, times, e.g. all journeys by a ship

compulsive reading. Example: It's compulsive reading.

difficult to stop once started (formal)

can't put down. Example: It's one of those books you can't put down.

difficult to stop reading (informal)

informative. Example: It's very informative.

gives a lot of useful information

ahead of its time. Example: Her novel was ahead of its time.

contained ideas no one else had thought of yet

product of its time. Example: Her 1955 book was a product of its time.

a reflection of that time

lightweight. Example: It's rather lightweight.

not complex (slightly negative)

bedtime reading. Example: It's good bedtime reading.

nice to read in bed

heavy going. Example: His last one was heavy going.

difficult to read

get into. Example: I couldn't get into it.

become involved/engage with

readership. Example: His books attract a wide readership.

number of people who read them