BRITISH LITERATURE EXAM 3

The “Big Six” Romantics

The six most famous English Romantic poets

“Ozymandias” (symbolism)

The ruined statue shows that power and fame don’t last

“Ozymandias” (enjambment)

The lines flow into each other without stopping

“Ozymandias” (poetic foot and meter)

Written mostly in iambic pentameter

Frankenstein, Romanticism, and the Enlightenment

Combines emotion and nature (Romanticism) with science and reason (Enlightenment)

Aestheticism

Art for beauty, not for teaching or morals

“The Lamb” (alliteration)

Repeated starting sounds make it musical

“The Lamb” (speaker)

Spoken by a childlike, innocent voice

“The Lamb” (biblical allusions)

Refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God

Odes

Poems that praise or honor something or someone

Gothic Fiction

Scary, dark, mysterious stories with strong emotions

Narrative Structure of Frankenstein

Story told through letters and different perspectives

Prometheus

A symbol of ambition and taking risks, like Frankenstein

Disability Studies

Studies how disability is shown in literature

Madonna

Whore Complex

Modernism: historical context

Late 1800s–early 1900s, after big changes like WWI

Modernism: characteristics

Fragmented, experimental, shows alienation

Modernism: recurring themes

Isolation, broken traditions, personal perception

Subjective Reality

Reality depends on personal view

(Victorian) Meanings of Earnestness

Being sincere, serious, and proper

Aphorisms

Short sayings that give a truth or lesson

Aptronyms

Names that match the character’s traits or job

Farce

Funny plays with crazy situations

Narrative Structure of Heart of Darkness

Story told through Marlow’s point of view in layers

Binarism and Orientalism

Western literature often shows East vs. West as opposite

Stream of Consciousness

Writing shows the character’s thoughts as they happen

Realism vs. Surrealism

Realism shows real life

Surrealism shows dreamlike or strange things