The Old English And Middle Ages Vocabulary

Question 1

Alliteration

Answer 1

Same beginning sounds in a line or verse

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

Question 3

Antagonist

Answer 3

A character or force in conflict with the main character

Question 4

Anthology

Answer 4

A collection of various writings such as songs, stories, or poems

Question 5

Arthurian Legend

Answer 5

A narrative/tradition from the past that has more historical truth than myth

Question 6

Autobiography

Answer 6

The story of a person’s life written by that person

Question 7

Bardic Recapitulations

Answer 7

The storyteller repeating the main points in the story

Question 8

Bibliography/References

Answer 8

A list of material used to research a given topic

Question 9

Biography

Answer 9

The story of a person’s life written by another person

Question 10

Character

Answer 10

A person in a story

Question 11

Characterization

Answer 11

Information about the character revealed by the author

Question 12

Chivalry

Answer 12

Code of conduct for knights during the Middle Ages

Question 13

Concupiscent

Answer 13

A strong sexual desire

Question 14

Courtly Love

Answer 14

A philosophy of love and a code of lovemaking

Question 15

Criticism

Answer 15

An examination and judgement of something

Question 16

Crusades

Answer 16

A war initiated by Christians to recapture Jerusalem and surrounding areas from Islamic rule

Question 17

Damsel in Distress

Answer 17

A vulnerable woman who needs to be rescued by the hero

Question 18

Elegy

Answer 18

A mournful poem or song for someone who has died

Question 19

Epic

Answer 19

A long narrative poem telling of a hero’s deeds

Question 20

Epitaph

Answer 20

Words inscribed on a tombstone or place of burial

Question 21

Eulogy

Answer 21

A formal speech praising a person (oftentimes someone who has died)

Question 22

Exemplum

Answer 22

A moralized tale (right and wrong)

Question 23

Fable

Answer 23

A brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters

Question 24

Fabliau

Answer 24

A humorous tale

Question 25

Farce

Answer 25

A light dramatic play in which improbable plot situations, exaggerated characters, and often slapstick elements are used for humorous effect

Question 26

Feudalism

Answer 26

System of land ownership exchange (Medieval Period)

Question 27

Figurative Language

Answer 27

Writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally

Question 28

Foreshadowing

Answer 28

A warning or indication of a future event

Question 29

Fratricide

Answer 29

Crime of killing one's own brother

Question 30

Frithuwebbas

Answer 30

Women who are peaceweavers

Question 31

Genre

Answer 31

A major category or type of literature

Question 32

Holy Grail

Answer 32

Center of tradition in Christian mysticism

Question 33

Hubris

Answer 33

Excessive pride

Question 34

Hyperbole

Answer 34

Exaggeration

Question 35

Imagery

Answer 35

Appeal to the senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste

Question 36

Irascible

Answer 36

Easily angered

Question 37

Irony

Answer 37

Words that convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning

Question 38

Kenning

Answer 38

A long-winded or fanciful metaphor

Question 39

Lay

Answer 39

A song or short narrative

Question 40

Linguistics

Answer 40

The scientific study of language

Question 41

Lof

Answer 41

The praise and esteem of one's contemporaries

Question 42

Medieval Drama

Answer 42

Mimetic representations of religious history

Question 43

Medieval Romance

Answer 43

A knight who seek a woman's heart by undertaking a dangerous/supernatural quest

Question 44

Metaphor

Answer 44

A comparison without using "like" or "as"

Question 45

Monomyth

Answer 45

Hero's journey

Question 46

Myth

Answer 46

Stories having roots in primitive folk beliefs using supernatural to explain natural events

Question 47

Omniscient

Answer 47

All-knowing

Question 48

Onomatopoeia

Answer 48

A word that imitates the sound it represents

Question 49

Oral Tradition

Answer 49

Literature that passes by word of mouth from one generation to the next

Question 50

Oxymoron

Answer 50

A self-contradictory combination of words

Question 51

Personification

Answer 51

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Question 52

Prologue

Answer 52

The preface or introduction to a literary work

Question 53

Protagonist

Answer 53

Main character

Question 54

Revenge

Answer 54

The desire to return harm for harm done

Question 55

Rhetoric

Answer 55

The art of using persuasion in speech or writing

Question 56

Royal Generosity

Answer 56

A monarch member offers rewards to warriors; usually as a result heroism

Question 57

Sarcasm

Answer 57

The use of irony to mock or convey contempt

Question 58

Setting

Answer 58

The time and place of a story

Question 59

Simile

Answer 59

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Question 60

Symbolism

Answer 60

A device in literature where an object represents an idea

Question 61

Theme

Answer 61

Central idea of a work of literature

Question 62

Verisimilitude

Answer 62

The appearance of being true or real

Question 63

Wergild

Answer 63

Payment for death

Question 64

Wyrd

Answer 64

Fate