English IX First Quarter Reviewer: Literature, British History, and Fiction

Vocabulary flashcards covering the definition of literature, early British history, the medieval period, reading techniques, epic poetry, and elements of short stories based on the first quarter reviewer.

Litera

A Latin term meaning "an encounter with letters".

Universality

A literary standard referring to a work that is appealing to everyone.

Artistry

A literary standard where a work possesses a sense of beauty and uses descriptive words.

Intellectual Value

A literary standard that stimulates critical thinking.

Spiritual Value

A literary standard that motivates and inspires people by using characters’ experiences as life lessons.

Permanence

A literary standard reflecting a work that endures across time.

Style

A literary standard that presents different ways on how man sees life.

Fiction

Literature with the purpose to entertain, make the readers think, and to feel.

Non-Fiction

Real life narration or writing based on history and facts.

Prose

A form of literature that gives information, relates events, expresses ideas, or presents opinions while focusing on grammar.

Poetry

A form of literature expressed in verse, measure, rhythm, and sound that allows freedom in writing.

Oral literature

Literature that has been passed through generations by word of mouth.

B.C.

An abbreviation for Before Christ, specifically used regarding Great Britain in $55\,B.C.$.

A.D.

Anno Domini, meaning after the birth of Christ; used regarding Great Britain in $43\,AD$.

Picts

Agricultural people who lived in Britain during the Early Middle Ages.

Britons

Iron Age people who inhabited Great Britain from the British Iron Age until High Middle Ages and created iron sharp objects.

Gaels

The group that introduced Gaelic languages, composed of Irish, Manx, and Scottish people.

Jutes

A tribe of invaders characterized as barbarians who hunt.

Angles

A tribe of invaders characterized as semi-agricultural.

Saxons

A tribe of invaders characterized as semi-nomadic, moving from one place to another.

Witan

The most powerful leader or council that decides on who will lead the community.

Cyning

A strong and successful leader, also referred to as a "king".

Bretwalda

The strongest king among the Anglo-Saxon leaders.

Thane (Freeman)

The second most powerful rank; in charge of a village and granted status as a reward for military services.

Churl (Ceorl)

Common people or peasants who worked on the land for special favors such as weaving, metalworking, or carpentry.

Slave (Thrall)

People who were badly treated and forced to work for a thane for their whole lives.

Feudalism

A form of government and social order where vassals are given land and protection by people of higher rank in return for work and fighting.

Magna Carta

A document of "rules" that nobles forced King John to sign.

Parliament

The most powerful branch of government that makes and amends laws.

Bubonic Plague

Also known as The Black Death, a flesh-eating bacteria that caused swollen lymph glands (buboes) and killed $\frac{1}{3}$ of the population.

Le Morte d’Arthur

A work by Thomas Malory that exemplified medieval romances and tales of chivalry.

Mystery Play

A type of biblical play performed during the Medieval period.

Pageants

Stages built on large wagons where plays were performed.

Morality Play

A play where characters are personified abstractions teaching ethical or educational ideals, with themes like the struggle between good and evil.

Everyman

The oldest surviving English morality play.

Scanning

A reading technique used to find key words that lead to a specific answer.

Skimming

A reading technique used to find the main idea and see what the text is about.

Close Reading

A technique known as "serious reading" or digesting to extract detailed information, note sequence of events, and find patterns.

Epic

A long narrative poem about the deeds of a legendary or historical hero engaged in heroic adventure.

Heorot

The hall built by King Hrothgar for feasts and celebrations in the epic Beowulf.

Aeschere

Beowulf's best friend who was killed by Grendel's mother.

Wiglaf

The young warrior who helped an aged Beowulf fight the dragon and became king after Beowulf's death.

Omniscient POV

An "all-knowing" point of view where the narrator describes everything and reveals all characters' thoughts and feelings.

Dynamic Character

A character that exhibits noticeable development or changes throughout the story.

Static Character

A character that exhibits no changes regardless of the story's events.

Round Character

A character that displays different or multiple personalities.

Flat Character

A character that displays the same traits throughout the entire story.

Exposition

The part of the pyramid pattern of development that introduces characters, setting, and the situation.

Denouement

The stage in the pyramid pattern which focuses on the finishing of the story.

Theme

The underlying truth being conveyed in a story; the backbone or foundation of a literary work.

Pilgrimage

A journey, such as the one taken by the characters in The Canterbury Tales to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket.

Pardoner

A morally-corrupt church official who exploits people’s fear of sin for personal gain by selling fake relics.