OCR GCSE English Literature key terms

A structure that develops two connected stories, allowing their characters, events and outcomes to be compared.

Money or property provided by a bride's family as part of a marriage arrangement.

The purpose a character, action or prop serves in developing a play’s ideas and dramatic effects.

A situation in which the audience knows something that one or more characters do not, affecting how their words and actions are understood.

A poem spoken by an imagined character whose words reveal their situation, feelings and personality.

A sudden change in a character's situation or fortunes, such as Shylock's change from claimant to someone facing punishment.

The presence of two contrasting aspects within something; in the novel, the coexistence of good and evil within human nature.

A gold coin used in Venice; ducats are the money borrowed, protected and stolen in The Merchant of Venice.

A fight between two people, often undertaken to settle a dispute or defend a reputation.

A scene or exchange involving two speaking characters. A scene involving two characters can nevertheless become effectively a monologue if only one speaks.

Deceit or double-dealing. In Jekyll’s account, the word also draws attention to his divided public and private life.

A succession of rulers from the same family.

A learning difficulty that affects accurate and fluent reading and spelling; it does not mean a person lacks intelligence.

An imagined society characterised by injustice, suffering or oppressive control.

Listening secretly to a conversation, often without the speakers' apparent knowledge.

A poem of mourning or reflection on loss, especially someone’s death.

Running away secretly to marry, especially without parental permission.

A story told within another story, such as Enfield’s account of Hyde within the opening chapter.

A quotation incorporated grammatically into your own sentence.

The ability to understand and share another person’s feelings.

Mysterious or difficult to understand fully.

The continuation of a sentence or phrase beyond the end of a line of verse.

A scene involving a larger group of characters rather than a single speaker or pair.

A legal restriction governing the inheritance of property. In Pride and Prejudice, the Longbourn entail prevents the Bennet daughters from inheriting the estate.

Resentment of another person’s qualities, achievements or possessions, often accompanied by a wish to have them oneself.

A long narrative poem, often concerned with a people’s heroes, history or legends.

A quotation placed before a literary work that helps frame its ideas.