English Literature Overview

A series of flashcards covering key concepts and vocabulary from English Literature.

English Literature

The body of written works—poetry, prose, and drama—produced in the English language.

Old English Period

The period from 450–1066, exemplified by works like Beowulf.

Middle English Period

The period from 1066–1500, with notable works such as Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.

Renaissance

The literary period from 1500–1660, featuring works like Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Neoclassical Period

The literary period from 1660–1798, which includes works by Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift.

Victorian Period

The period from 1837–1901 characterized by the works of authors like Charles Dickens and Charlotte Brontë.

Modernist Period

The literary period from 1901–1945, including works by T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf.

Postmodern Literature

The period from 1945–Present, exemplified by works like Orwell’s 1984 and Rushdie’s Midnight's Children.

Poetry

A literary form that uses rhythm, meter, and imagery to express emotions and ideas.

Narrative Poem

A type of poetry that tells a story, often with a clear plot and characters.

Epic Poem

A long, narrative poem that tells the story of a heroic figure or significant historical events.

Elegy Poem

A poem that expresses sorrow or lamentation, typically for someone who has passed away.

Stanza

A grouped set of lines in a poem, focusing on a specific idea or theme.

Short Story

A brief work of fiction focusing on a single incident or a small group of related events.

Drama

A genre of literature intended to be performed by actors, typically involving conflict between characters.

Tragedy

A serious drama that often ends in disaster or death for the protagonist.

Comedy

A lighthearted drama that usually ends in a happy resolution.

Novel

A long, fictional narrative that focuses on human experiences and characters.

Fiction

Literature or storytelling that is created from the imagination.

Anecdote

A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

Rhyme

The repetition of similar sounds at the end of words, typically in poetry.

Meter

The structured pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of verse.

Prosody

The study of rhythm, meter, and intonation in language, especially in poetry.

Euphemism

The substitution of an agreeable expression for one that may offend.

Fictitious

Descriptive of something that is false or does not exist.

Vista

A distant view or an extensive mental view over a stretch of time.