LGCSE Literature in English (0185) key terms

The perspective from which a story is told, shaped by who narrates and how much they know; it controls what readers can see, trust and sympathise with.

A narrator who speaks as 'I' and takes part in the action, so the account is limited to that character's knowledge, memory and bias.

An all-knowing narrator outside the story who can report any character's thoughts, move between places and comment directly on events.

A way of reporting a character's thoughts in third person without speech marks, blending the narrator's voice with the character's own words and attitudes.

The methods a writer uses to build a character: description, action, speech, what others say, and how the character changes under pressure.

A character whose qualities contrast with another's, making particular traits stand out by comparison, such as a cautious figure set beside a reckless one.

A recurring image, object or phrase that gathers meaning each time it appears and quietly points towards a theme.

Giving weather, landscape or objects the mood of a character or scene, so a storm signals conflict or sunlight signals relief.

A hint early in a text about what will happen later, which builds expectation and makes later events feel prepared for rather than arbitrary.

Opening in the middle of the action, before any explanation, so the reader must work backwards to understand events and relationships.

The time and place of a story, including social and physical surroundings; it shapes mood, plausibility and what characters are able to do.

The point of greatest tension or decision in a plot, where the central conflict comes to a head and the story must move towards resolution.

The voice constructed by the poet, who may be a persona rather than the writer; the speaker's attitudes and situation shape how a poem is read.

A poem in which a single speaker addresses a silent listener at a revealing moment, exposing character and situation through what is said and dodged.

Running a sentence past the end of a line or stanza without punctuation, so the reader is pulled onwards and meaning is deliberately delayed.

A pause or break inside a line of poetry, created by punctuation or syntax, which slows the pace or marks a shift in thought.

A turn in argument, mood or direction in a poem, often signalled by 'but' or 'yet' and often placed at the ninth line of a sonnet.

The regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in verse, producing rhythm; breaking the pattern draws attention to particular words.

Repetition of hushing 's' and 'sh' sounds close together, which can create a soft, secretive, sinister or whispering effect in a line.

A comparison carried through several lines or a whole poem, developed in detail so that the image grows rather than being stated once.

Poetry without a fixed metre or rhyme scheme, organised instead through line breaks, the rhythms of speech and recurring patterns of imagery.

The attitude a text takes towards its subject and its reader, such as ironic, tender or bitter, built through diction, rhythm and choice of detail.

A speech in which a character alone on stage thinks aloud, letting the audience hear private thoughts that other characters cannot access.

A short remark spoken to the audience that other characters on stage are not meant to hear, often creating comedy, intimacy or conspiracy.

A gap between what the audience knows and what a character understands, so the character's words mean more, or less, than they intend.

Instructions in the script about movement, position, props, lighting or delivery, which guide performance and reveal shifts in power between characters.

A fatal flaw or error in a tragic protagonist that contributes to their downfall, often a strength pressed too far or a judgement made in ignorance.

Meaning carried beneath the literal words of a scene, conveyed by pauses, evasion, gesture and the things characters carefully avoid saying.

Brief notes made on an unseen text while reading: questions, patterns noticed, effects of particular words, and possible lines of argument to develop.

The associations and emotional colouring a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning, which shape how a reader responds to that word.

A group of words in a passage linked by shared meaning, such as words of decay or of money, whose accumulation creates a noticeable pattern.

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the text rather than stated outright, reached by weighing details and considering what they imply.

The level and kind of language suited to a situation, ranging from formal to colloquial, which signals speaker, audience and attitude.

A short claim near the start of an essay stating the argument you will prove, specific enough to be supported by evidence from the text.

The first sentence of a paragraph, naming the point the paragraph will make and showing how it moves the overall argument forward.

A short quotation built into your own sentence so that it reads grammatically, allowing you to comment on the exact words the writer chose.

Careful attention to a short passage's word choices, word order, punctuation and patterns, explaining how these produce particular effects on the reader.

A reasoned assessment of how well a text achieves its effects, or how far the evidence supports a reading, rather than a statement of liking.