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Literature Glossary

Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.

Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.

Aphorism

Definition:

Such a fancy word for a not-so-fancy term. An aphorism is a little saying (kind of like a proverb) that's (a) concise, (b) clever, and (c) truthy. That means that when you read an aphorism, you should learn a life lesson in a short amount of time. Kind of like an episode of Mythbusters.

Let's test it out. Start your watches… and go.

A penny saved is a penny earned. (Aphorismed!)
Practice makes perfect. (Aphorismed!)
Two wrongs don't make a right. (Aphorismed!)

You get the point. All that glitters is not Shmoop.