AQA GCSE English Literature key terms

Education under colonial rule, in which the ruling power can determine which languages, histories and values are taught.

Rule over another territory and its people by an outside power. British colonial rule in India supplies the setting for the theft of the Agra treasure.

Establishing control over a territory and its inhabitants by people arriving from elsewhere.

A dramatic genre usually moving towards union, reconciliation and restored order rather than a fatal ending; it need not be funny throughout.

A novel or play that uses wit and social situations to expose the manners, pretensions and values of a particular society.

A humorous episode that briefly reduces tension within a serious narrative.

A dramatic ending in which conflicts are resolved and relationships restored, often through marriage and communal celebration.

An Italian theatrical tradition using recognisable character types, including comic servants, and improvised dialogue and physical humour.

A political community organised for its people's shared welfare; Gonzalo imagines one without wealth, poverty or service.

A relationship that offers company, understanding and shared feelings.

An examination of similarities and differences between texts, explaining how these affect their meanings.

A deliberate separation between different parts of life, such as Wemmick’s professional hardness and private affection.

Sympathy for another person's suffering, accompanied by a wish to relieve it.

Involvement in another person’s wrongdoing. Pip fears that stealing the file has indirectly involved him in the attack on Mrs Joe.

In this historical context, a person of high rank graciously dealing with someone considered socially inferior. Mr Collins treats it as praise, although Austen exposes the superiority it assumes.

An admission of wrongdoing. Small’s confession also functions as a defence in which he explains his suffering and attempts to reduce his responsibility.

A trusted person to whom someone reveals private thoughts or secrets.

A trusted companion with whom someone shares private thoughts and feelings.

An expert judge with specialist knowledge, often of art or fine objects. Jones applies this term to Holmes’s knowledge of crime.

A person’s inward sense of what is morally right or wrong.

Agreement freely given to a proposed action, such as marriage.

A secret agreement between people to carry out an unlawful or harmful act. In Julius Caesar, Cassius organises the plot to assassinate Caesar.

A local officer responsible for keeping the peace. In Shakespeare’s England, constables were ordinary members of the community rather than modern professional police officers.

Firmness of purpose, loyalty and self-control, especially under pressure.

Having sexual intercourse to complete a marriage.

An older name for tuberculosis, the disease from which Helen Burns dies.

The circumstances, beliefs and wider ideas relevant to understanding a text, such as expectations about parenthood or marriage.