British Literature I Exam 1

Stanza

a grouped set of lines in a poem, like a paragraph in poetry

Cotton MS Nero A X

The manuscript that preserves Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Dream of the Rood, part of the Cotton Library

Anglo-Saxon / Old English

The early form of English (before 1100), language of The Dream of the Rood and The Wanderer

Middle English

The form of English used after Norman Conquest (1100-1500), language of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Fitt

A section or division of a Middle English poem

Elegiac

A mournful or reflective tone, often about loss

Caesura

A pause or break in a line of poetry, common in Old English verse

Augustus Caesar

First Roman emperor, ruled during Virgil’s time, the Aeneid glorifies his Rome’s origins

Canto

A major division or chapter in an epic poem

The Furies

Mythological goddesses of vengeance, appear in the Aeneid and Inferno as symbols of divine punishment 

City of Dis

Lower part of Hell in Inferno, containing the more serious sinners

Maleboldge

The evil ditches, the eighth circle of Hell in Inferno for fraudulent sinners

Bob and Wheel

A rhyme pattern used at the end of each stanza in Sir Gawain

Divine Comedy

Dante’s epic journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, explores sin, repentance, and salvation

Dactylic hexameter

Meter of epic Latin poetry, six feet per line, used in the Aeneid

Scop

An Anglo-Saxon poet or storyteller, performer of oral poetry like The Wanderer

Filial piety

Respect and duty toward one’s parents and ancestors

Ubi sunt

Latin for “where are they”, a poetic theme mourning the past, seen in The Wanderer

Harrowing of Hell

Christ’s descent into Hell to save the righteous souls, referenced in The Dream of the Rood

Alliterative vs metrical poetry

Old English poetry uses alliteration (same initial sounds) later poetry like The Aeneid uses strict meter

Norman Invasion

1066 conquest of England by William the Conqueror, led to French influence and Middle English

Teleology

The idea that history has a purpose or end goal, The Aeneid uses it to justify Rome’s destiny

Prolepsis

A flash-forward or hint of future events, used The Aeneid when Aeneas sees Rome’s future heroes

Terza rima

A rhyme scheme invented by Dante for The Divine Comedy

Punic Wars

Wars between Rome and Carthage, background to Aeneas’s doomed love with Dido in The Aeneid

Translatio imperii

“Tranfer of empire” idea that power moves westward, Troy to Rome to Britain

Sins of Incontinence

Sins of uncontrolled desire or emotion, punished in early circles of Inferno, lust, gluttony

Translatio studii

“Tranfer of learning” idea that wisdom moves with empire, from Greece to Rome to Europe

Sins of Volition

Sins committed intentionally, punished deeper in Inferno, fraud, treachery

Vernacular

The everyday language of the people, Dante wrote Inferno in Italian instead of Latin

Contrapasso

Law of symbolic punishment in Inferno, sinners suffer poetic justice matching ther sins

Alliterative “revival”

14th century return to Old English alliterative style, seen in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Epic poetry vs Lyric poetry

Epic = long narrative about heroes, The Aeneid, Lyric = short, emotional reflection, The Wanderer