Key Vocabulary Flashcards
What does the term ‘fin-de-siècle’ refer to?
Characteristic of the end of a century, especially the 19th
Define ‘façade’.
A deceptive outward appearance; a false display
What is a ‘flâneur’?
A man who saunters around observing society
What is a ‘penny dreadful’?
A cheap, sensational comic or storybook
Popular in Victorian England
What does ‘primitive’ mean
Relating to the early stage in the evolutionary or historical development of something
Define ‘protégé’.
A person who is guided by someone more influential
The relationship often implies mentorship.
What is ‘repression’?
The act or thought of suppressing a thought or idea
What does ‘sawbones’ refer to?
A physician, especially a surgeon
A colloquial term
Define ‘transcendental’.
Refers to things that lie in the spiritual, non-physical world, beyond practical experience
What is a ‘troglodyte’?
A pre-historic cave dweller; a cave man
Who is considered a ‘Victorian’?
A person who lived during the reign of Queen Victoria
Define ‘apocryphal’
of doubtful authenticity - false, untrue.
Define ‘atavist’
an organism which has the characteristics of something more primitive
Define ‘balderdash’
nonsense, rubbish, claptrap, bull
Define ‘blasphemy’
the act of speaking against God
