English Literature key terms

The ability to make and act on one’s own choices.

An examination of a dead body to investigate the cause of death.

An excessive desire for wealth or possessions.

The Somali word for grandmother.

A man who is not married.

A storytelling poem traditionally associated with song, rhythm and repetition. Tennyson’s poem has ballad-like qualities without following a standard ballad stanza throughout.

A rhythm typically alternating lines of four stresses with lines of three stresses. Variations can alter emphasis and the pace of the story.

A four-line stanza traditionally alternating four and three main beats, often rhyming its second and fourth lines.

A traditional four-line stanza, usually alternating four-stress and three-stress lines, with rhyme between the second and fourth lines.

An order forcing someone to leave a place and remain away from it.

Public announcements of an intended marriage, made before the wedding so that objections can be raised.

An abrupt descent from an elevated or serious tone to something ordinary or potentially ridiculous.

Humour involving sexual references or jokes.

A blade attached to the end of a rifle, used as a weapon in close combat.

An official responsible for maintaining order. In ‘Holy Thursday’, the beadles lead and supervise the children.

A story that uses animals with human characteristics to explore behaviour and communicate a moral lesson.

A feeling of connection, acceptance or being at home with a place, group or culture.

A person who provides money or other support to help someone. In Great Expectations, Magwitch is Pip’s secret benefactor.

Someone who gives help or support. In Jane Eyre, the description of Mrs Reed as Jane’s benefactress conflicts with Jane’s experience of her cruelty.

Kindness and a wish to help others, shown through both attitudes and actions.

The breaking of trust or a commitment to another person or cause.

A promise or agreement to marry; it is not the wedding ceremony itself.

A preference or prejudice that influences judgement, potentially preventing a fair assessment of evidence.

A narrator whose account is shaped by personal loyalties, prejudices or interests rather than being entirely impartial.

A reference to another text, person or event. Biblical allusions in Jane Eyre can offer comfort, claim authority or expose the misuse of Christian teaching.

A stand or frame on which a coffin or dead body is placed before burial.

The act of marrying someone while already legally married to another living person.