Literature 1 Flashcards
Why is the idea of “British” literature complicated?
Anglo-Saxons and other cultures that spoke Old English languages did not consider themselves British
What happened to the Auburn of “The Deserted Village” (why did it die)?
Landlords buying out and kicking people off
Questions that are unanswerable except to the person asking
neck riddle
A poem of serious reflection usually mourning a loss of a loved one
elegy
What is the Old English Alliterative Verse pattern and why was it used?
a. Two syllables alliterate when they begin with the same sound
b. To help remember the poem
Purposely being unclear or riddling, typically so one can determine a multitude of scenarios.
Precise ambiguity
The largest group in ancient Europe sharing language, religious beliefs, and traditions
Celts
What are the characteristics of a sonnet?
A) A sonnet consists of fourteen lines in iambic pentameter.
B) A sonnet is an old poetic form that nobody uses anymore.
C) A sonnet is any poem shaped like a square.
D) A sonnet is a rhyming love poem.
A) A sonnet consists of fourteen lines in iambic pentameter.
To whom is the poem “Blame not my lute” addressed?
A lover of the poet who has been unfaithful
Who was Anne Boleyn?
Second wife to Henry VIII, later executed, along with several of her alleged lovers, for infidelity.
What term designates unrhymed iambic pentameter?
Blank verse
What seems to prevent Astrophil (Sidney) from writing a good poem to his beloved Stela?
The work of other poets get in the way of his own thoughts.
What is “Whoso list to hunt” about?
A) The pleasure in romantic chases.
B) Going hunting with the king.
C) Unrequited love.
D) Being overworked.
C) Unrequited love.
Why did Henry VIII break from the Catholic Church?
The Catholic Church did not allow him to divorce his wife.
The second wife of King Henry VIII. She was executed under the order of King Henry for infidelity.
Anne Boleyn
What story is told in “Mannerly Margery Milk and Ale?”
A clerk that’s known for his sexual behavior insults a barmaid for being a tease. The clerk fails as the barmaid did not give into him.
The arrangement in which the author chooses to break each line. This is employed for more dramatic effect.
white space
Short verses that use many repeating rhymes
Skeltonics
A tactic often used in poems addressing love. It is part by part description of a lover.
Blazon
What is unusual about the poem’s Astrophil and Stella 1 meter?
Each line is six feet (12 syllables)
What is ironic about the process Sidney describes in stanza 1?
He criticizes people who pity themselves, but he is using pity to win over a lover.
An attempt to blow up the House of Lords and kill James I made by unhappy Catholics. The plan was foiled when more than 36 kegs of gunpowder were discovered (guarded by Guy Fawkes).
Gunpowder plot
Which of the following lines are iambic pentameter:
I. A sound magician is a mighty god
II. With wealth your state, your mind with arts improve
III. My life and lines are free, free as the road
All of them
Which of the following is true of John Donne’s A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”?
He says his love is like a compass: it always points right at her.
He compares his feeling of love to an earthquake.
He compares his lover’s death to his own death.
He imagines them connected as if by a remarkable thin plane of gold.
He imagines them connected as if by a remarkable thin plane of gold.
A name given to the early seventeenth century poets whose work is characterized by its complex and unusual metaphors, varied prosody, and frequent enjambment.
Metaphysical poet
In what ways did Pamphilia to Amphilanthus challenge the traditional sonnet cycle (name several)?
It’s one of the first notable sonnet cycles written by a woman, which changed the dynamic around the theme of love.
What occurs in Wroth’s opening sonnet?
A woman dreams about a lover and wakes up hoping it will go away
What is unique about the structure of Wroth’s sonnet?
It has a 4-4-2 line structure
What is the closing sonnet of Pamphilia to Amphilanthus about?
The closing sonnet relates back to the first one of the woman dreaming about a lover. She states that she no longer wants to write about love.
In what ways does the closing sonnet of Pamphilia to Ampilanthus show a conscious looking back to the first sonnet?
The same central theme of love and dreams is still present
What is a kenning?
A kenning is a compound expression that represents a metaphorical meaning
e.g. Sky Candle = the Sun
Single meter, unrhymed, four stresses per line with alliteration linking each half of the line
Old English Alliterative Verse Pattern
What is an epithet?
An epithet is an adjective that describes a specific characteristic of someone or something.
Who wrote Beowulf? When?
It is not known who wrote Beowulf, and there is a dispute on when it was written (c. 700-1000 A.D.)
What two genres are appropriate to Milun?
Romance and Lai
What was the most important factor in the change from Old English to Middle English?
The Norman Conquest: After the conquest, official government business was all conducted in Old French. Middle English is in some ways a kind of blending of Old English and Old French.
What languages were spoken on the British Isles during the Anglo-Norman era (c. 1066-1250)?
Old English
Old French
Celtic
Latin
What is the main characteristic of a classical Romance?
Structural: it begins with a stable social order. Then that order is challenged and the protagonist is exiled. After a series of trials, the protagonist is able to return to the stable society.
How does Langland’s Estates’ Satire differ from that of Chaucer?
Langland is more critical of society and incorporates elements of Old English Alliterative Verse. Chaucer believes that satire no longer fits the world, so he designs his own version different from Langland.
An incidence where something is revealed in a dream that would be otherwise unavailable to the dreamer in a normal state.
dream vision
A long, mournful rant/complaint
jeremiad
A work of literature that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden moral meaning.
allegory
What is the verse style of Piers Plowman
Piers Plowman uses unrhymed, alliterative verse.
How did the view of Christ change from Anglo-Saxon times to Chaucer’s era?
During the Anglo-Saxon times, Christ is seen as a warrior and a representation of strength. During Chaucer’s era, Christ is seen as more of a sacrifice and someone who endured many hardships.
