Key Terms of Lit Survey

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47 Terms

1

Fate

The principle, power, or agency by which events are predetermined; destiny.

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2

Feud

Hostile relations between groups of people, often related to family honor.

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3

Fealty

The loyalty of a vassal to his lord, typically in exchange for gifts and protection.

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4

Fame

Reputation derived from great achievements; celebrity or renown.

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5

Alliteration

The repetition of an initial consonant sound in closely positioned words.

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6

Epic

An extended narrative poem celebrating martial heroes, written in a high style.

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7

Epithet

An adjective or phrase used to express a characteristic of a person or thing.

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8

Invocation

An appeal for aid made to a muse or deity, usually at the beginning of a work.

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9

Kenning

A metaphorical compound word used in Old English and Old Norse poetry.

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10

Scop

An Anglo-Saxon minstrel or poet, often a historian and preserver of oral tradition.

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11

Chivalry

The code of conduct associated with the medieval institution of knighthood.

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12

Romance

A medieval narrative relating the extraordinary adventures of a hero of chivalry.

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13

Pilgrimage

A devotional practice of a prolonged journey toward a significant destination.

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14

Three Estates

The three classes of medieval society: nobility, clergy, and laborers.

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15

Frame Narrative

A story that contains another story, creating a tale within a tale.

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16

iambic

The basic foot of English verse, consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

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17

Pentameter

A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet, common in English poetry.

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18

Gentilesse

The notion of gentleness and the expected behaviors from a noble birth.

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19

Gloss (noun)

A word inserted between lines to explain a difficult word; a comment or interpretation.

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20

Gloss (verb)

To comment on or interpret a word or passage; to explain away.

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21

Fabliau

A short, comic narrative that often parodies the values of the clerical class.

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22

Affective Piety

Emotionally charged devotion to Christ’s humanity, popular in medieval spirituality.

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23

Anchoress/Anchorite

A religious recluse who has vowed to remain enclosed and not leave.

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24

Apocryphal

Books not regarded as canonical by certain sects of Christianity.

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25

Courtly Love

A conventionalized code governing the behavior of lovers in the Middle Ages.

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26

Eucharist

A Christian ceremony celebrating communion with Christ through bread and wine.

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27

Trinity

The unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead.

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28

Lai (lay)

A short narrative poem dealing with love and adventure, popular in medieval literature.

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29

Conceit

An often unconventional metaphor whose delight is more intellectual than sensual.

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30

Couplet

A pair of successive rhyming lines in poetry.

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31

Quatrain

A stanza of four lines in poetry.

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32

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhyme in a poem, typically denoted using letters.

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33

Sonnet

A lyric poem consisting of fourteen lines, typically in a specific rhyme scheme.

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34

Volta

The turn of thought or argument in a sonnet.

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35

Hellmouth

A prop in medieval plays representing the entrance to hell.

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36

Seven Deadly Sins

The cardinal sins of pride, wrath, envy, avarice, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

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37

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter, a common English verse form.

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38

Chorus

A group of people who provide commentary in a play, often in verse.

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39

Soliloquy

A monologue delivered by a character alone on stage, revealing inner thoughts.

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40

Tragedy

A serious drama typically ending in disaster, focusing on a character's reversal.

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41

Restoration

The return of monarchy in England in 1660, marking a period of change.

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42

Masquerade

A social gathering where attendees wear masks, often associated with extravagance.

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43

Abolition/Abolitionist

The movement to end the slave trade and slavery, prominent in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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44

Slave Narrative

A narrative written by a former slave recounting their experiences.

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45

The Gothic

Referring to medieval architecture characterized by intricate details and verticality.

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46

Shakespearean Sonnet

fourteen lines, is divided into three quatrains and a couplet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg.

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47

Petrarchan sonnet

has fourteen lines and consists of two parts: the octave, eight lines with the rhyme scheme abbaabba, and the sestet, six lines usually rhyming cdecde or cdcdcd.

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