British Literature Defined Literary Terms PDF

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British Literature Final Exam Study Guide Literary Analysis Terms Module 1 – Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Literature Epic – long poem that originated from ancient oral tradition; narrate the deeds and adventures of heroes or legendary figures from the history of a nation; many were premised by historical facts Scops/bards – oral poets who provided entertainment and education through public performances; master improvisers that composed verse which incorporated singing and chanting Kennings – a metaphorical phrase that enhances the meaning of a noun. Ex. "helmet bearers" to describe warriors Stock epithets – a descriptive adjective or phrase repeatedly used with, or in place of a name (or noun). Ex."the Ruler of glory" for God Epic hero – the main character who exemplifies bravery through their great achievements and noble characteristics Alliteration – repetition of initial sounds in words close to one another Setting (of an Epic) – place of events, (broad in nature, often involving more than one nation) Plot (of an Epic) – main events, (involves supernatural beings, events are often a dangerous journey) Dialogue (of an Epic) – conversation, (major characters deliver formal speeches) Theme (of an Epic) – central topic, (includes universal ideals of good/evil, life/death and values such as courage and honor) Style (of an Epic) – the way the author uses words, (formal with a serious tone) Exeter Book – contains largest existing collection of Old English poems, provides insight regarding life during the early Anglo-Saxon era, common themes are loneliness and religion Imagery – used to convey visual representations of ideas Elegy – purpose is to describe feelings, rather than tell a story Visualization – the reader making a mental image of what they have read Characterization – the process of describing a character's personality, appearance, thoughts, and motivations Exemplum – a narrative that emphasizes a moral idea Narrator – the character or voice that is telling the story

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Paraphrase – putting text or ideas in your own words Predictions – guesses about the next part of a story Conflict – the struggle between opposing forces External conflict – the struggle between a character and an outside force that drives the action of the plot Internal conflict – the psychological struggle characters have which helps create the plots suspense Summarizing – reading strategy that helps keep track of the plot's events

Module 2 – The Renaissance Stanza – a verse; a group of lines in a poem Octave – the first 8 lines, include a rhyme scheme of aabbaabba and establishes the situation, (Petrarchan Sonnet form) Quatrain – stanzas of 4 lines Couplet – stanza of 2 lines, resolution of Shakespearean poem Rhyme scheme – the pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse Imagery – author's use of descriptive language that appeals to human senses to help develop the reader's understanding of the literature Comedy – has a happy ending and often contains humor Tragedy – includes a tragic hero and an unhappy ending Theme (of a Dramatic Tragedy) – involves aspects of fate, determination, loyalty, defeat, death etc. Plot (of a Dramatic Tragedy) – hero vs. antagonist, conflict, events lead to a catastrophe Tragic hero – the main character, has many positive characteristics but contains a tragic flaw that results in their demise Foreshadowing – the author's intent of providing hints to the reader suggesting future events Verse drama – drama written as verse to be spoken Soliloquy – a speech made by a character while alone on stage, reveals their thoughts to the audience Aside – a remark usually directed to the audience or a specific character, other characters on stage are not supposed to hear

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Dramatic irony – when the reader or audience knows something important that a character in the story does not Argument – expresses a position on a subject and supports the position using evidence Irony – expressed using language that normally signifies the opposite resulting in a humorous effect Paradox – a contradictory statement Subtly – indirect and clever approach Author’s perspective – author’s beliefs and values regarding the subject Blank verse – poetry without rhyme Allusion – a figure of speech in order to make comparisons Paraphrasing – rephrase, or reword, part of the text to help clarify the main idea Metaphysical poetry – combining emotion with intellect Conceit – a complicated metaphor that compares two very dissimilar things, often using a spiritual aspect and physical object Cavalier poetry – uses a direct approach with less complicated metaphors and no conceits End rhyme – when rhyme occurs at the end of verse lines Exact rhyme – repetition of the same stressed vowel sound as well as any consonant sounds that follow the vowel (run and fun) Slant rhyme – stressed syllables of ending consonants match, however the preceding vowel sounds do not match, less obvious to the ear (flow and fellow) Interpret – explaining the meaning of the conceits and paradoxes, helps readers simplify the complexity of the poetry Speaker (in poetry) – the voice/character the author uses

Module 3 – British Restoration and 18th Century Literature Fantasy – purposely disregards aspects of reality, but often parallels real aspects of society Satire – humor used in literature to convey shame, or ridicule, regarding human nature Historical context – the social, political, cultural and economic setting of historical events Verisimilitude – the use of details that convey reality; often makes it hard to distinguish fact and fiction Inferences – conclusions based on logic, helps readers identify messages in literature that the author purposely does not explicitly state Voice – the unique expression of an author

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Tone – the author's attitude toward the writing and is determined by the use of diction Diction – the words the author chooses Drawing conclusions – making judgments about the literature

Module 4 – Romanticism Symbolism – using a person, place, object or action to convey a message that is much deeper than what appears Word choice – the use of descriptive words that emphasize parts of the poem Tone – the author's attitude which helps convey the underlying message of the poem Compare – identifying similarities Contrast – identifying differences Characteristics of Romantic style poetry – include inverted syntax and a focus on simple subjects, nature, emotions, and everyday life Stylistic elements – use of any of a variety of techniques to give meaning or feeling to the writing such as free flowing sentence structure, inverted syntax and unique punctuation Inverted syntax – where the pattern of words in a sentence structure is changed; often helps to create rhyming patterns Figurative language – using words or phrases in a way other than their intended or literal meaning Metaphor – a direct comparison Simile – characterized by the use of the words "like" or "as" Apostrophe – when the speaker of the poem breaks away from the poem by speaking to someone or something not in the poem Stanza – group of lines in a poem used to group ideas, similar to paragraphs Quatrain – 4 lines Sestet – 6 lines Octave – 8 lines Spencerian stanza – 9 lines

Module 5 – Realism and Naturalism Personification – giving human qualities to something nonhuman, Ex. "That piece of cake is calling my name"

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Hyperbole – the use of exaggeration to emphasize an idea and is not meant to be taken literally, Ex. "I've told you that a million times" Theme – the underlying message that the poet is expressing Point of view – the mode of narration used; revealing certain information to the reader from a specific perspective Omniscient – the narrator knows the thoughts, feelings and motivations of all characters Mood – the feeling the reader gets in response to the writing Rhyme scheme – contain patterns that are meant to catch the attention of the reader

Module 6 – Contemporary British Literature First-person point of view – someone telling you his or her story Naive narrator – one that reveals flaws about the world due to their innocence Clear narrative – an account of events intended to support a viewpoint Rhetorical devices – stylistic elements that captivate listeners Persuasive techniques – the use of descriptive words to evoke the listener to feel a certain way and elicit emotions, also known as loaded language Overstatement – similar to hyperbole in that it is an exaggeration used to make a point more serious Social components of setting – aspects of culture and customs in a story are also considered elements of the setting Situational irony – when what happens in a story is the opposite of what the reader thinks will happen Ambiguity – allowing aspects of a story to be open to interpretation and a reader’s own thinking Evaluate – form an idea/opinion to understand characters’ actions

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