OCR GCSE English Literature key terms

A historical label for poor people considered worthy of assistance because they were seen as hardworking, virtuous or unable to support themselves. Dickens presents the Cratchits in ways that challenge the assumption that poverty results from laziness.

Overwhelming unhappiness associated with the loss of hope.

Rule through absolute authority, with little respect for another person’s freedom or wishes.

Extreme poverty in which a person lacks necessities such as food, money and shelter.

A variety of language associated with a particular region or community, with distinctive vocabulary and grammar.

An exchange of speech between voices or characters.

A system of government in which a ruler or ruling group holds power without effective democratic control.

Written to teach a lesson or guide behaviour.

A text intended to teach a lesson, particularly a moral lesson about how people should behave.

Writing intended to teach a lesson, often about moral behaviour.

A lack of confidence in oneself or one’s judgement; Bingley’s diffidence helps explain his reliance on Darcy.

A departure from the main narrative action to explore another memory, description or thought.

Language addressed directly to a person or thing, as when Hardy’s speaker turns to the “journeying boy”.

The ability to judge accurately and recognise differences between appearance and reality.

Careful restraint in what someone says or reveals, especially about private or potentially damaging matters.

An extended essay question that asks you to explore an aspect of a text or evaluate a view, selecting your own supporting moments rather than being directed to a particular extract.

The public shame caused by behaviour judged to violate accepted social or moral standards.

A change in outward appearance used to conceal someone's identity or make them appear to be someone else.

Disappointment caused by discovering that something is not as good or trustworthy as previously believed.

A feeling of being out of place or separated from a secure sense of belonging.

Opposition to a decision or to the person exercising authority.

The belief that a monarch’s authority comes from God.

A festival of lights celebrated by several religious communities. The Kumars’ celebration includes welcoming Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess associated with prosperity.

Genetic material that can be used in forensic investigation to link a person to biological traces. In DNA, genuine traces are planted to create a false account of events.

A factual-seeming style that uses precise details, reports and records to present events as though they could be documented.

Threatening, controlling, degrading or violent behaviour within a family or intimate relationship.

Power or rule over others.