Brit Lit Final

What is accentual syllabic meter?

A poetic meter based on both the number of stresses and total syllables per line

Who is the first major poet to use accentual syllabic meter in English?

Geoffrey Chaucer

What is accentual syllabic meter?

A poetic meter based on both the number of stresses and total syllables per line

Who is the first major poet to use accentual syllabic meter in English?

Geoffrey Chaucer

What is riding rhyme? Who used it and where?

A rapid, rhyming couplet style used by Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales

What is the Alliterative Revival?

A return to Old English-style alliterative verse in Middle English poetry

Which work is associated with the Alliterative Revival?

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

What is the controversy between Alliterative Revival vs. Alliterative Survival?

Debate over whether alliterative poetry re-emerged suddenly or continued without interruption

What is estates satire?

A genre that critiques social classes (clergy, nobility, commoners)

What are traits of medieval romance?

Chivalry, knights, quests, courtly love, supernatural elements

What are patronage issues?

Writers depended on wealthy patrons

What linguistic changes affected Middle English poetry?

The shift after the Norman Conquest (French influence, simplified grammar, increased vocabulary)

What is a sonnet sequence?

A series of related sonnets exploring themes like love

What is humanism?

A focus on classical learning

What other literary trends appear in the Tudor period?

Lyric poetry and the rise of secular drama

What are the dates of Old English literature?

450-1100

What is alliteration in Old English poetry?

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in stressed syllables

What is a head stave?

The main alliterating sound that links lines in Old English verse

What is a primary epic?

An epic that originates in oral tradition (e.g., Beowulf)

What is an Old English elegy?

A poem reflecting on loss, exile, and the passage of time

What is a dream vision?

A poem where the narrator falls asleep and experiences a symbolic dream

What was the Benedictine Revival and why does it matter?

A 10th-century movement that reformed monastic life and helped preserve and promote learning and Old English literature

How was medieval romance often used?

To reinforce or question social and moral ideals

What happened to drama in this period?

It moved out of the church and became secular (commercial), leading to major theatrical works

What years define the Jacobean period?

1603-1625

What years define the Caroline period?

1625-1649

What characterizes their (Ben Jonson and his circle) subject matter?

Classical themes, order, and social commentary

what inspired Ben Jonson and his circle?

Greek and Roman literature

What is Jonson and his circles style?

Formal, structured, polished

Name one writer from Jonson and his crew (the sons of Ben):

Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, Ben Jonson

Who were the Cavaliers?

Royalist poets who supported King Charles I

Cavaliers subject matter:

Love, honor, loyalty, pleasure

Cavaliers inspiration:

Classical poetry and courtly life

Cavaliers style

Smooth, elegant, lyrical

Name one Cavalier poet and work:

Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, Sir John Suckling, and Tomas Carew

Metaphysical Poets subject matter:

love, religion, philosophy

what is a metaphysical conceit?

an extended, unusual comparison (e.g. comparing lovers to a compass)

metaphysical writing style:

Complex, intellectual, irregular lines, conversational tone

What are Donne's theological learnings:

Calvinist but still valued liturgy

What are Herbert's theological learnings?

Favored liturgy, unlike the puritans

What was the Interregnum?

The period between the execution of Charles I and the restoration of the monarchy (1649-1660)

What were Milton's religious views?

Anti-high church, somewhat Puritan, but theologically unique

What was his view of salvation (soteriology)?

Arminian

What is special about Paradise Lost?

epic written in blank verse

What is blank verse?

Unrhymed iambic pentameter

What is unique about Marvell?

blends traits of Metaphysical poets and sons of Ben (Cavaliers)

What changed during the Restoration?

monarchy returned and theaters reopened

What genres came back during the restoration?

drama (especially comedy)

What type of literature flourished during the restoration?

Bawdy, witty, satirical writing

What poetic form was popular during the restoration?

Heroic couplets

Name a major Restoration writer?

John Dryden

What is the 18th century known as?

the age of satire

What is Juvenalian satire?

Harsh, biting, moralistic satire

What is Horatian satire?

light, humorous, tolerant satire

What conditions allowed the rise of the novel?

increased literacy, leisure time, and cheaper printing

What earlier form influenced the novel?

Prose romance

What literary form also rose during the 18th century?

the essay (journalistic writing)

What poetic forms were popular during the 18th century

mock epic and long poetic essays

What is a heroic couplet?

Rhymed pairs of iambic pentameter lines

What is sentimentalism?

The belief that humans are naturally good and guided by emotion

What the key traits of Sentimentalism?

Focus on individual emotion, moral feeling, and empathy

What are the negative aspects of sentimentalism?

Overly emotional or exaggerated sentiment (maudlin)

Which writer is associated with sentimentalism?

Thomas Gray

Why did the novel become so widespread?

cheap materials, literacy became widespread, and free time for everyone