AQA GCSE English Literature key terms

The arrangement and development of a text’s ideas, including its opening, ending, shifts and repetitions.

An experience of awe mixed with fear when confronted by something overwhelmingly vast or powerful, especially in nature.

A secondary storyline that develops alongside the main plot and may connect with its events or themes.

An adult who takes on the care or upbringing of a child in place of the child’s biological parent.

The growth of a town or city into surrounding areas through the construction of new housing and streets.

The passing of a throne or political position from one holder to the next.

Suffering or patient endurance. Shylock uses the word to describe the mistreatment endured by Jewish people.

The right to vote in political elections.

Something understood as existing or happening beyond the ordinary laws of nature, such as a ghost or communication across an impossible distance.

A belief that an event, object or sign has a supernatural meaning or influence.

A person who guarantees another person’s debt or obligation and accepts responsibility if it is not fulfilled.

People regarded as exceeding the number that available resources can support. Scrooge uses this expression to dismiss poor people’s lives as unnecessary.

The deliberate creation of uncertainty about what will happen next, encouraging readers to continue reading.

An image, object or action that represents a wider idea beyond its literal meaning.

An object, action or image that carries meaning beyond its literal role in a text.

Understanding and sharing another person’s feelings; in Frankenstein, it can also mean a mutual emotional connection.

An image that combines different senses, such as describing something seen through the language of smell.

Language that evokes the sense of touch, including texture, temperature and physical contact.

A stanza containing three lines.

A specific detail, event or quotation from a literary work used to support an interpretation.

A Scottish nobleman who holds a title and lands under the king.

A central idea explored by a text, such as love, memory or loss.

A concise statement of the overall interpretation that an essay develops and supports.

The central claim of an essay: a concise answer to the question which the rest of the response develops and supports.

Narration using pronouns such as “he”, “she” or “they”, rather than a character telling the story as “I”.

A voice that describes characters as ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘they’, rather than speaking as ‘I’. In ‘War Photographer’, this voice reveals the photographer’s memories while maintaining some distance from him.

A narrative voice outside the action that refers to characters as ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘they’ and can reveal the thoughts of different characters.