OCR GCSE English Literature key terms

Concerned with what seems practical or achievable rather than with an ideal or principle.

A person who prioritises practical results over principles or ideals.

An earlier decision that provides an example for deciding similar cases in future.

An unfair judgement about a person or group based on assumptions rather than their individual actions or qualities.

A warning or feeling that something will happen before it occurs.

An opinion or feeling formed in advance which influences later judgement.

A later-written work that imagines events before those of an existing story.

A feeling that something, often something troubling, is going to happen.

A high opinion of oneself or one’s importance; it can mean justified self-respect or an exaggerated sense of superiority.

A moral belief used to guide behaviour, including when following it is difficult.

An old ship used as a prison. In Great Expectations, prison hulks are moored near Pip’s marshes.

An advantage available to someone because of their social position, wealth or connections.

A label used for a play whose moral difficulties or unsettling ending complicate its apparent comic resolution.

Extravagant or wasteful; in Love, it describes the newborn’s outpouring of heat.

The belief that societies will develop and improve over time, for example through knowledge, technology or moral understanding.

A movement forward in narrative time to show future events; also called a flash-forward.

An opening speech that introduces a work’s situation, themes or forthcoming events.

Communication designed to shape beliefs or behaviour, often through selective information, repetition or misleading claims.

A prediction of a future event. In Macbeth, the witches’ predictions influence characters’ decisions without explicitly commanding them to murder.

Behaviour considered appropriate according to a society’s expectations of manners and morality.

Writing without the regular metrical pattern of verse. Its significance depends on the speaker, situation and surrounding language.

The central character whose experiences and actions organise a story.

An interpretation of events as directed by God. Rochester understands his suffering and reunion with Jane through divine judgement and mercy.

The use of physical distance and positioning between characters on stage to communicate relationships, power or emotion.

An assumed name used by an author instead of their own name.

A word or expression that plays on more than one meaning, or on similar sounds.

The removal of actual or suspected political opponents through expulsion, imprisonment or killing.