Eduqas GCSE English Literature key terms

Responsibility shared among people whose actions affect others, rather than belonging to only one individual.

Informal, everyday language associated with conversation rather than formal writing.

The establishment of settlements and control over a territory by outsiders, often involving the displacement or subordination of its existing inhabitants.

A dramatic form in which obstacles and misunderstandings are usually overcome, often ending in marriage or reconciliation; it need not be consistently funny.

A work that explores social behaviour and conventions, often exposing pretension through witty dialogue and contrasting characters.

Humour that provides a contrast to serious or distressing action in a play.

The shared welfare or good of a community; the narrator’s phrase ‘commonweal of mankind’ extends this concern to humanity as a whole.

A group connected by a shared place, customs or relationships, which can offer belonging but also exclude outsiders.

A marriage based on affection, shared interests and companionship rather than primarily on money, status or practical advantage.

An exploration of similarities and differences between texts, explaining how these relationships help us understand their meanings and effects.

Uncritical satisfaction with one’s security or achievements that prevents recognition of danger or weakness.

The arrangement of elements in an artwork; it can also mean the finished creative work itself.

The willingness of someone of higher rank to associate with social inferiors, historically understood as gracious behaviour. Austen exposes the superiority assumed within Lady Catherine’s supposed kindness.

An account in which someone acknowledges wrongdoing, although they may also try to explain or excuse it.

A religious adviser who hears a person’s confession of sins.

A trusted person with whom someone shares private thoughts and concerns.

The associations or suggestions carried by a word beyond its literal meaning.

The moral awareness through which a person judges their own actions as right or wrong.

Freely given agreement or permission.

A local officer responsible for keeping the peace. Dogberry leads Messina’s watch.

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

Historical, social, scientific or literary circumstances that help explain a text’s meanings and the responses of its audiences.

A change from one religious faith to another.

Production carried out in workers’ homes rather than in factories, such as Silas’s weaving.

A business office where accounts and correspondence were handled.

A country gentleman, usually a parish’s principal landowner, whose position brings local prestige and influence.

Two consecutive lines of verse. A rhyming couplet ends both lines with matching sounds.