English Literature key terms

Behaviour considered socially appropriate, respectable and well-mannered.

The public identification and outlawing of political enemies, exposing them to punishment or death.

Ordinary speech or writing without a regular metrical pattern; Shakespeare often uses it for conversation and wit.

The central character whose experiences organise a narrative.

A person or character whose resistance to women’s subordination anticipates later feminist ideas, although they belong to a period before modern feminism.

A familiar saying that expresses a general lesson or piece of advice.

God's guidance or governing purpose in the world.

The positioning and distance between performers, which can communicate relationships and power.

Careful consideration of practical consequences, especially financial security.

A name used by an author instead of their own name when publishing.

The identity or behaviour a person presents to others, which may differ from their private thoughts and feelings.

Boxing or fighting with the fists. The phrase “pugilistic chivalry” refers to honourable conduct in such a fight.

Wordplay using two or more meanings of a word, or similar-sounding words.

An organised removal of people considered opponents or threats, through measures such as dismissal, imprisonment or execution.

A Protestant seeking further reform of religious life, often opposing practices associated with Catholicism and entertainment considered morally corrupt.

The separation or restriction of people who may have an infectious disease, intended to prevent its spread.

A stanza consisting of four lines.

A stanza containing five lines.

A stanza containing five lines.

A word or phrase taken directly from a text and used as evidence for an interpretation.

The situation surrounding a quotation: who speaks or thinks it, whom it addresses, and what has happened. These details help establish what the words mean.

Treating someone unfairly because of their race or perceived racial identity.

Prejudice or discrimination based on race, including the belief that racial groups have fixed characteristics or can be ranked as superior and inferior.

The repeated word or phrase at prescribed line endings in a traditional ghazal.

A charitable school providing free education for impoverished children, including those excluded from other schools.

A person’s position within a social hierarchy, influenced by birth, family connections and titles; it is not identical to wealth.

An explanation used to make troubling behaviour seem reasonable or acceptable.