Midterm Flashcards
A stage device in which a character briefly discloses his thought in the presence of other characters who by convention do not hear him
Aside
The emotion pervading a work
Atmosphere
A short, simple narrative song
Ballad
Unrhymed iambic pentameter
Blank Verse
A break between words within a metrical foot
Caesura
A strained and elaborate comparison
Conceit
A pair of rhymed lines
Couplet
Concerned with teaching; instruction in literature
Didacticism
A poem of solemn meditation or lamenting the death of a particular person/ meditating on the subject of death itself
Elegiac Poetry
A long, stylized narrative poem celebrating the deeds of a national hero
Epic
Characteristically impersonal, compressed, dramatic, ritualistic in effect, and simple in stanza form
Folk Ballad
A story within a story
Frame Story
A type or category of literature
Genre
Exaggeration - implies less than what is said
Hyperbole
A metaphoric compound of two words
(such as whalepath for sea)
Kenning
Is written by known poets for literary effect
Literary Ballad
A short, melodic, personally expressive poem
Lyric Poetry
Consists of ten syllables per line, paired by alternating stresses of five iambic feet
Meter
An expression in which a related thing stands for the thing itself
Metonymy
A work that treats a trivial subject in heroic terms
Mock Epic
A highly artificial literary mode which centers on shepherds and idealizes rural settings
Pastoralism
First eight lines, called the octave, rhymes abbaabba and forms a distinct unit of the thought; the last six lines, a sestet, rhymes variously with two or three new rhymes and forms another unit of thought
Petrarchan / Italian Sonnet
The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form
Personification
The expression of an idea in a roundabout, more elegant way
Periphrastic Epithet
A connected series of incidents
Plot
Four line stanza
Quatrain
A typical long narrative poem
Romance
Identical sound in corresponding words or phrases
Rhyme
An old English poet or bard
Scop
The unit of thought is usually distributed over three quatrains with a concluding couplet, the whole rhyme scheme is ababcdcdefefgg
Shakespearean / English Sonnet
A speech addressed to an audience by an actor alone on stage
Soliloquy
A fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter
Sonnet
The use of symbols
Symbolism
A recurring or emerging idea in a work of literature
Theme
The attitude of a work towards its subject
Tone
Implies more than what is said
Understatement
The repetition of an idea in different words with the same grammatical form
Variation
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words
Alliteration
Fate, the Anglo-Saxon belief that all men must die
Wyrd
A group of stories unified by a central theme or situation
Frame tale
What are the years for the Middle Ages?
450-1485
What are the years for the Old English period?
450-1100
What are the years for the Middle English period?
1100-1485
What are the years for the Tudor Period?
1485 - 1603
The most accurate assessment of the Middle Ages is that the period was a time of ________________ change.
Dynamic
Humor in Old English poetry evidenced itself in the forms of what?
Irony and Riddles
Who as a Benedictine monk and spent most of his life in the monasteries of Jarrow and Wearmouth writing?
Bede
What was the purpose of Bede’s “Ecclesiastical History”?
To chart the spread of Christianity throughout England from Roman times
Which work is a major source of information about the Anglo-Saxons before the time of Alfred the Great about the conversion of Edwin?
Ecclesiastical History
What do the three basic philosophical questions alluded to by Edwin’s counsellors deal with?
The subjects of origin, meaning and destiny
What is the earliest surviving English Poem?
Caedmon’s Hymn
Epics are usually what?
Didactic
What are the two types of Epics?
Folk and Literary
What are the heroic attributes that Beowulf exemplifies?
Fortitude, prudence, loyalty and generosity
Why are the Danes being assaulted by Grendel?
Because of the Sin of Pride
What is the main theme of Beowulf?
That the continuance of civilization requires virtuous heroes
Who is Grendel the offspring of?
Cain
Who is most responsible for the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles?
Alfred the Great
What word describes William the Conquerer’s rule?
Severe
Old English literature reacted primarily against the _______ threat to society while Middle English literature sought to remedy the __________ threat to society.
External; Internal
What did the writers of the Middle English period declare to be the primary remedy for the ills of society?
Ideals of the past
The event associated with the end of the English Middle Ages was
The ascension of Henry VII to the throne
Blended philosophy and theology and attempted to use reason to support faith
Scholasticism
Who influenced English medieval poets who wrote for sophisticated audiences?
French writers
Elements emphasized in the medieval romance
An adventurous knights quest, Romantic love, Acts of chivalry, Supernatural elements, The ideals of civilized society
John Wycliffe was associated with what?
Nationalism, scholasticism, and Lollardism
Who taught that the primary requirement for clergy is a godly lifestyle?
Wycliffe
Chaucer’s aims were what?
Literary and moral
In the Canterbury Tales, the people were _____ because they were eager to go on their ______
Restless, pilgrimage
Where do the Canterbury Tales begin?
At the Tabard Inn in Southward, a suburb in London
Who is the host in the Canterbury Tales?
Harry Bailey
As the legend of King Arthur spread in the 13th and 14th centuries, it gained what embellishments?
The French turned Arthur from chieftain into king, The Welsh added supernatural elements to the tale, When legend returned to England, it became fiercely patriotic, The Tudor dynasty claimed descent from Arthur
List examples of foreshadowing in Morte d’Arthur.
Narrator mentions Beaumains interest in observing jousts, the kinship of Beaumains and Sir Gawain, and Lancelot states his opinion that Beaumains is a man of great worship
Typical characteristics of a ballad
Impersonal, Concentrated, Dramatic, Ironic repetition, Detachment, Conciseness
The characteristics of the ballads generates _____ and ____
Atmosphere and tone
Repetition with variation
Incremental repetition
This ballad cycle communicates the common mans viewpoint
Robin Hood cycle
What ballad is NOT concerned with death?
“Get Up and Bar the Door”
During the Tudor period how did the middle class gain power, growth, organization?
1) the rise in powers in local governments
2) the growth of trade companies
3) increase membership in the House of Commons
Which decree officially divorced England from the Roman Catholic Empire?
Act of Supremacy
Describe Elizabeth’s religious policy.
Moderate
Who was the leading English humanist during the Tudor period and why?
Thomas More, because northern humanists were not worldly intellectuals. Their enthusiasm for classical studies was matched by their religion zeal.
Who produced the first complete Bible in English?
Miles Coverdale
The greatest English literature was written for what purpose?
The moral improvement of mankind
Why was the Reformation not as successful in Italy as it was in England?
The middle classes were equally strong, but they didn’t have the foundation of Lollardism England had.
During the Renaissance, ____ was a type of human love that was considered the highest and most spiritual.
Friendship
Shakespeare wrote ___ plays that have been preserved.
35 or 37
What were two long narrative poems that Shakespeare wrote?
- “Venus and Adonis”
2. “The Rape of Lucrece”
During Shakespeare’s lifetime, he had a great ___ and was well off being materially _____.
Reputation, successful
How did Shakespeare support himself?
By writing plays with a general appeal and evident meaning. He could not afford to let meanings be shadowy and only resurface in classrooms centuries later.
Because of Macbeth’s treason, he forfeits what two things?
Sleep and Honor
At the beginning of Macbeth, the witches foreshadow the struggle between what?
Good and evil in the human soul
Why did Lady Macbeth say she couldn’t murder Duncan?
He looked like her father in his sleep
The primary function of the porter is what?
To provide comic relief
The appearance of Banquo’s ghost is an example of what?
Situational irony
Macbeth’s actions in Act IV disrupt what three things?
Nature, Society, and Family
Name the three apparitions Macbeth sees at the witches’ cave.
An armed head, A bloody child, A crowned child
Name the three prophecies Macbeth receives.
1) Beware of Macduff
2) None born of a woman shall harm him
3) He shall never be vanquished until birnan wood comes to Dunsinane
The witches’ statement _______ introduces what theme?
“Fair is foul and foul is fair”, deceiving appearances or reversal of values
Why is Macduff prevented from getting complete revenge on Macbeth?
Macbeth has no children
Macbeth does not consider ____ during his losing battle.
Suicide
What is the Beatitudes Scripture reference?
Matthew 5:1-12
In “The Faerie Queene”, the six books that Spenser completed treat respectively what subjects?
Holiness, Temperance, Chastity, Friendship, Justice, Courtesy
The flimsiness of the House of Pride is indicated by what?
Its thin, insubstantial walls, The crumbling back sections, It’s foundation of sand
Spenser’s Sonnet 68, “Most Glorious Lord”, is about what?
Christ’s resurrection
Who introduced Renaissance themes and verse forms into England?
Wyatt
All sonnets contain what?
14 lines and 5 poetic feet
What is the more official title of “The Book of Martyrs”?
“Acts and Monuments”
Who decided to publish an English version because he wanted to influence the ________?
John Foxe, common people
John Foxe’s writings can best be described as what?
Honest, Forward, Structured
The King James version is also known as what?
Authorized version
What year was the King James Version translated?
1611
Who was the most responsible for the organization and style of The Book of Common Prayer?
Thomas Cranmer
Who wrote The Parable of the Wicked Mammon and what was the main subject?
William Tyndale, salvation by faith
Who said “the righteous man is the one who hears and believes the word of God”?
William Tyndale
In Tyndale’s answer to Sir Thomas More, he declares that the true interpreter of scripture is who?
The Holy Spirit
Tyndales style is _____ as a result of his evangelizing. He uses plain, ____ to reach the common man and his influence determined that the style of the English bible would be popular rather than what?
Informal, energetic language, erudite and liturgical
What are the years for the Stuart period?
1603 - 1688
List the pilgrim groupings
Knight, squire, and yeoman, Merchant and student, Skipper and physician, Lawyer and Franklin, Parson and plowman, Summoner and pardoner
Know the 12 pilgrims and basic characteristics
We have a worksheet 👌🏼
Three common features of Old English poetry
Irony, alliteration, and variation
The chancellor at Oxford University and ecclesiastical council considered Wycliffe’s works to be what?
Heretical; he was brought to trial before an ecclesiastical synod
Where was Chaucer born?
London
Who is known as the father of English literature?
Chaucer
Chaucer used satire for what two purposes?
To entertain and show moral indignation
The original plan for the Canterbury Tales was for how many stories?
120
Why was Chaucer’s use of pilgrimage appropriate?
He structurally united a variety of tales in a single composition, provided a vehicle for social commentary by bringing people together from all walks of society, and brought together a variety of people with universal character traits
Where does the author of the Canterbury Tales give his plan for the work?
The General Prologue
What two roles did Chaucer play?
He was a civil official and diplomat
Chaucer’s work offers what two things?
High literary artistry and a satiric commentary on his time
Why did the pilgrims tell stories?
To entertain
Why does King Arthur agree to let Beaumains try to rescue the damsel?
He had promised to grant him three wishes and this was one of them
Why did Tudor period writers offer more to God’s people than those of any other British literature?
They thought on moral and religious issues
What is evident in Thomas More’s “Utopia”?
Humanism
What did More write as a reply to Tyndale’s “Parable of the Wicked Mammon”?
“A Dialogue Concerning Heresies”
What did the influence of John Foxe’s book do?
Helped make England firmly Protestant
What are the two most similar versions?
Geneva and King James
Who invented blank verse?
Surrey
What was Sidney described as?
Idealistic
How did Sidney defend poetry?
He said it was more effective than philosophy and history
In “An Apology for Poetry”, what did Sidney say?
Fictional stories can actually be true in that they may convey universal, spiritual truths rather than particular historical truths
What is the dual purpose of poetry?
To teach and delight
What do “gowns of clay” represent?
Their earthly bodies
What is Spenser’s sonnet sequence?
Amoretti
What two genres is “The Faerie Queene”?
Both romance and an allegory
