A Christmas Carol key terms Flashcards
define alliteration
repetition of the same sound or letters
define allusion
indirect reference to a concept or theme without explicit mention
define anaphora
a word that refers to a previously used word
define antithesis
rhetorical device where contrasting concepts are placed together in a text, typically a sentence to highlight how opposite they are
define asyndetic listing
a list broken up by commas rather than conjunctions like ‘and’
define auditory imagery
language which appeals to the reader’s hearing
define biblical
relating to the bible, religious connotations
define catalyst
a dramatic tool which is used to speed up the plot
define colloquialism
an informal phrase common at its time of utterance
define connotation
using text to create implied meaning without explicitly referring to said meaning
define didactic
a moral message, meaning to give instructions
define dramatic irony
audience knows information which the character does not know
define epitome
a perfect example or embodiment of a concept
define foreboding
apprehension that a bad event will occur
define foreshadowing
an indication that an event will occur later in the narrative
define hyperbole
use of exaggerated statements
define interjection
sudden remark, used often as an interruption or aside in the text
define irony
embedding a meaning by using language typically implying the opposite of wat the writer intends to express, often for a humorous effect
define juxtaposition
comparing two concepts, characters or clauses, in close proximity in a passage for the effect of contrast
define moral imperative
an instruction on what is right and wrong, in A Christmas Carol, the Ghosts provide this
define olfactory imagery
appeals to the reader’s sense of smell
define oxymoron
two opposing terms are placed next to each other
define pathetic fallacy
attributing human qualities to nonhuman things
define poetic justice
this is normally accompanied with some sort of irony or when characters get what they deserve
define polysyndetic listing
listing using conjuctions such as ‘and’
define prolepsis
flash forward
define satire
criticising people through the use of irony
define semantic field
a writer uses words which are linked by a theme or topic throughout a text or passage
define sibilance
the repetition of the ‘s’ sound in a word, sentence or section of text
define stave (music)
in musical notation, a stave is a set of five horizontal lines where music is written and each often represents a different musical pitch
define syntactic
relating to the arrangement of words within a sentence within a text
define symbolism
using one object or character to represent a wider concept running throughout the novel
define superlative
an adjective describing the highest degree of what it is
define temporal deixis
language which references or manipulates time
define tricolon
three parallel phrases/words are placed in succession within a text, without interruption
define altruistic attitude
behaviour which is based on devotion to others
define authorial voice
an authoritative voice, which the Ghosts have in A Christmas Carol
define dichotomy
contrast of two beings that are opposed or distinctly different
define idealisation
imagining something better than it is in reality, it can be argued that the character of Bob Cratchit is idealised
define intrusive narrator
a narrator who sometimes interrupts the story to give commentary
define metamorphosis
a transformation or change
define narrative arc
the storyline of the novel
define novella
a short novel 20,000 - 40,000 words
define omniscient narrator
a narrator who is all-knowing
define archetype
typical idea/example of a concept
define blue laws
laws prohibiting leisure on Sundays
define bob
during the Victorian era, the word ‘bob’ was often used as a slang word for ‘shilling’
define catharsis
relief derived from releasing repressed emotions
define capitalism
an economic system based on private ownership
define counting house
similar to an accountant’s office
define covetous
synonyms with jealousy
define debtors prison
a prison someone goes to when they owe money, Dickens’ father spent some time here
define deviant
someone who breaks social norms and values
define humbug
an expression of distaste
define industrial revolution
this was when the means of production of Britain switched from agriculture to industry
define Malthusian economics
Thomas Malthus was an economist in Victorian times and believed that London was overpopulated and so poverty would be inevitable as food supplies and housing would not be enough to sustain the growing city population
define misanthropic
a person who dislikes other people
define moral
awareness of the principles of right and wrong conduct
define ostracised
cut off from society
define parliamentary journalist
someone who reports on governmental issues, Dickens was a parliamentary judge which may be why he was so socially aware
define philanthropy
an act of helping those less well off than yourself, especially involving donations of money
define phrenology
a Victorian science which studies bumps on the skull to predict mental traits, which has now been disproved and is regarded as pseudoscience (fake science)
define purgatory
the Medieval Christian belief which is a prison, a sort of limbo between hell and life, in which you are given another chance and supposed to be made ready for Heaven, Marley’s ghost lives in incessant torture
define ragged schools
schools which provided basic education and provided for children who lived in poverty, Dickens was a contributor of these
define sabbatarianism
a religious belief that it is a sin to work on Sunday as it is the Lord’s day
define socialism
an economic system based on shared ownership
define transmorphism
a transformation from on thing to another
define union workhouses
these were apart of the Gilbert Act which allowed parishes to join together to become responsible for workhouses
define the 1834 Poor Law
a system of welfare which introduced workhouses
define the 1833 Factory Act on Child Labour
Children have to be 9 years old to work and had to have basic education
