Preparation for Winter Exam

Winter Exam Materials

Primary Works to Study:
- Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales
- Jonathan Swift - Gulliver’s Travels
- Lord Byron - Darkness and She Walks in Beauty
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning - How Do I Love Thee?
- Thomas Gray - Elegy in a Courtyard
- John Keats - When I Have Fears that I May Cease to Be
- William Wordsworth - I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
- William Shakespeare - Sonnet 116, Sonnet 130, Sonnet 29, Sonnet 73, Macbeth
- Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol

Hyperbole:
- Definition: Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Simile:
- Definition: A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, using "like" or "as."
Metaphor:
- Definition: A comparison of two different things without using "like" or "as."
Personification:
- Definition: A literary device used to give a human attribute or feeling to an idea, animal, or object.
Alliteration:
- Definition: The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words.
Types of Conflict:
- Person vs Person
- Person vs Self
- Person vs Nature
Imagery:
- Definition: Visually descriptive or figurative language.
Allusion:
- Definition: An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
Assonance:
- Definition: The repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in non-rhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible.
Onomatopoeia:
- Definition: The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.
Mood:
- Definition: The emotional atmosphere conveyed through the text, influencing how the reader feels.

Tone:
- Definition: A literary device that reflects the writer's attitude toward the subject matter or audience of a literary work.
Foreshadowing:
- Definition: A warning or indication of a future event.
Point of View:
- Definition: A particular attitude or way of considering a matter. Includes:
- 1st Person
- 2nd Person
- 3rd Person (Limited and Omniscient)

Types of Irony:
- Dramatic Irony: The reader or audience knows something that the main characters do not.
- Situational Irony: An expected outcome is subverted.
- Verbal Irony: The speaker says one thing but means another.
Theme:
- Definition: The subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; essentially, the topic.
Setting:
- Definition: The place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or an event takes place.
Plot:
- Definition: The sequence of events that make up a story, whether it's told, written, filmed, or sung.

Types of Sonnets:
- Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet - ABBAABBA
- Spenserian Sonnet - ABABBCBCCDCDCD
Byronic Hero:
- Definition: A character archetype named after Lord Byron, characterized by traits that defy traditional heroic ideals.
Satire:
- Definition: The art of making someone or something look ridiculous, employing humor to embarrass, humble, or discredit targets.

Monologue:
- Definition: A lengthy speech delivered by a single character, either to other characters or to the audience.
Globe Theater:
- Historical significance: An Elizabethan playhouse in London associated with William Shakespeare, performing many of his plays. It was an open-air theatre crucial to English theater.
Aside:
- Definition: A theatrical device wherein a character speaks directly to the audience, revealing thoughts or feelings while other characters on stage are presumed not to hear.
Shakespeare’s Acting Companies:
- Elizabethan Era: When Queen Elizabeth I ruled (1558-1603).
- Theater Company: Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
Iambic Pentameter:
- Definition: A common meter in Shakespeare’s plays, consisting of lines with 10 syllables, following a rhythm of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one.

Night-Cap:
- Definition: A cap worn in bed or an alcoholic or hot drink taken at the end of the day or before sleep.

Renaissance:
- Definition: Refers to "rebirth," a revival of classical Greek and Roman philosophy.
Restoration:
- Definition: English literature created during the historical period post-Glorious Revolution.
The Enlightenment:
- Definition: A philosophical movement focusing on humanism and reason.
Romanticism:
- Definition: A literary, artistic, and philosophical movement of the 18th century, characterized by a reaction against neoclassicism and an emphasis on imagination and emotion.
Victorian Age:
- Definition: Characterized by Realism in literature.

Humbug:
- Definition: Deceptive or false talk or behavior.
Counting-House:
- Definition: An office or building in which accounts and money are kept.
Apparition:
- Definition: A ghost or ghost-like image of a person.
Gruel:
- Definition: A thin liquid food boiled in milk or water, typically oatmeal or another meal.
Covetous:
- Definition: Having or showing a great desire to possess something belonging to someone else.
Poulterer’s:
- Definition: A dealer in poultry and typically game.
Balustrade:
- Definition: A railing supported by balusters, especially an ornamental parapet on a balcony, bridge, or terrace.
Venerable:
- Definition: Accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character.
Austerity:
- Definition: Sternness or severity of manner or attitude.
Misanthrope:
- Definition: A person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.
Benevolence:
- Definition: The quality of being well-meaning; kindness.
Redemption:
- Definition: The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.
Waning:
- Definition: To have a progressively smaller part of its visible surface illuminated so that it appears to decrease in size.
Inarticulate:
- Definition: Unable to speak distinctly or express oneself clearly.