Brit Lit Mid-Term

Allegory

Story where characters/events represent larger ideals

Aliterattion

Repetition of beginning consosnant sounds

Elegy

Poem mourning loss/death

Epic

Long narrative about a heroic figure and major cultural values

Frame Narrative

Story containing other stories

Irony

Difference between appearance/expectiation and reality

Metaphor

Comparison between unlike things without “like” or “as”

Motif

Recurring element, image, idea, or pattern

Personification

Giving human qualities to nonhuman things

Petrarchan sonnet

Love sonnet following conventions associated with Petrarch

Rhyme scheme

Pattern of rhymes in a poem

Satire

Uses humor/irony to criticize flaws

Symbolism

An object/image represents a larger meaning

Tone

The speaker’s attitude toward the subject

Volta

A turn or shift in a poem

Beowulf

An Old English epic about a warrior who fights Grendel, Grendel's mother, and later a dragon. It explores heroism, loyalty, reputation, mortality, and the tension between Germanic heroic culture and Christianity

What is the main idea of Beowulf?

A hero seeks to protect his community and earn lasting fame, but the poem also shows that earthly life, strength, and reputation are ultimately temporary

The Wanderer

An Old English elegy about an exile who has lost his lord, companions, and home. It explores loneliness, memory, loss, impermanence, and finding stability through wisdom and faith

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

A Middle English Arthurian romance in which Gawain accepts the Green Knight's challenge and is tested for courage, honesty, courtesy, loyalty, and moral integrity

They Flee from Me

A poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt about a speaker reflecting on a changed romantic relationship, focusing on desire, loss, memory, uncertainty, and shifting power.

Astrophil and Stella

Sir Philip Sidney's sonnet sequence about Astrophil's desire for Stella, exploring Petrarchan love, frustration, self-conflict, desire, and the speaker's struggle between reason and emotion

The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer's collection of stories presented through a pilgrimage frame, allowing him to explore different social classes, occupations, personalities, and beliefs

“The Wife of Bath’s Tale”

A tale about a knight who must discover what women most desire. The story explores marriage, gender, power, authority, appearance, and true nobility

Everyman

A morality play in which Everyman discovers that worldly possessions, relationships, beauty, and strength cannot accompany him after death; Good Deeds is ultimately his most important support

Amoretti 75

Edmund Spenser's sonnet about writing his beloved's name in the sand and arguing that his poetry can preserve their love after physical things disappear

What is the heroic code?

A system of values emphasizing courage, loyalty, strength, honor, generosity, and earning lasting fame through heroic actions

What is heroic reputation?

The honor and fame a warrior gains through courageous actions, which can survive after his death

Why is fame important in Anglo-Saxon literature?

Human life is temporary, so earning a good reputation allows a person's memory to survive after death

What is a comitatus?

The loyalty-based relationship between a lord and his warriors/retainers. The lord provides protection and rewards; warriors provide loyalty and military service

What is gift-giving in Anglo-Saxon society?

Lords gave treasure and rewards to loyal warriors, strengthening relationships and demonstrating generosity and leadership

Why is the mead hall important?

It is a center of community, celebration, gift-giving, storytelling, and social relationships

What is an elegy?

A poem that mourns loss, often the death of a person or the loss of a way of life.

What themes are common in Anglo-Saxon elegies?

Exile, loneliness, loss, memory, mortality, impermanence, and the search for stability.

What is exile in Anglo-Saxon literature?

Being separated from one's lord, community, family, or homeland, often resulting in loneliness and hardship.

What is the tension between Christian and Germanic culture in Old English literature?

Christian beliefs about God, salvation, and morality exist alongside older Germanic values such as warrior loyalty, courage, revenge, and fame.

What is alliteration?

Repetition of beginning consonant sounds, a major feature of Old English poetry.

What is chivalry?

A medieval code of behavior emphasizing qualities such as courage, loyalty, courtesy, honor, and service.

What is a romance?

A medieval literary genre often involving knights, quests, adventures, supernatural events, love, and tests of character.

What is the Arthurian tradition

Stories centered around King Arthur, his court, knights such as Gawain, and ideals of chivalry and knightly behavior.

What is the “loathly lady” motif?

A story pattern in which a woman initially appears unattractive or undesirable but possesses important wisdom or qualities that challenge assumptions about beauty and worth.

What does The Wife of Bath's Tale suggest about true nobility?

True nobility comes from virtue and good behavior rather than physical beauty, wealth, social status, or ancestry.

What does The Wife of Bath's Tale explore about power?

It explores who has authority in relationships and marriage, especially whether men or women should have control

What is the conflict between public honor and private morality?

A character may appear honorable according to society while privately struggling with guilt, temptation, dishonesty, or moral failure.

What is the frame of The Canterbury Tales?

A group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury who agree to tell stories during their journey.

What is estates satire?

Satire that examines the different social classes or “estates” of society and exposes the gap between their expected ideals and actual behavior

What is satire?

The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or criticism to expose flaws in people or society.

What is verbal irony?

: When a speaker's words mean something different from—or contrast with—their literal meaning.

What is narratorial irony?

Irony created by the narrator's perspective, especially when the narrator unintentionally reveals flaws or contradictions

Why is the Wife of Bath a complex character?

She is confident and experienced and strongly asserts her authority, but her views and behavior also create contradictions that readers can analyze.

Why does the storyteller matter in The Canterbury Tales?

The storyteller's personality, beliefs, occupation, and experiences influence the meaning and interpretation of their tale.