Vocabulary & Concepts
What literary movement emphasized emotion, nature, and individuality in reaction to the Industrial Revolution?
Romanticism
Which Victorian author became famous for writing detective stories?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
What theme unites many Victorian novels?
Social inequality and moral responsibility.
What figure of speech gives human traits to non-human things?
Personification.
What major event marked the end of the Victorian Era and the rise of Modernism?
World War I.
Name one major social change in the Victorian Era that influenced literature.
Urbanization / industrial growth / expansion of the middle class. (Any one)
Explain how Oscar Wilde used humor to critique society.
He used wit, irony, and satire to expose hypocrisy in Victorian social norms.
How did World War I influence Modernist literature?
It caused disillusionment and led writers to question traditional beliefs, truth, and structure.
What figure of speech is present in the line: “Her heart was as patient as the morning light.”
Simile.
Name one shared theme between British and Brazilian Romanticism.
Landscape, emotion, heroism, or national identity.
Explain how Modernism challenged traditional narrative structures.
It broke linear storytelling and experimented with fragmented, subjective perspectives.
How did the Brontë sisters challenge gender expectations?
By writing complex female protagonists who seek independence, morality, and emotional depth.
How does Frankenstein reveal fears about scientific ambition?
Victor’s obsessive pursuit of knowledge leads to destruction, symbolizing fears of uncontrolled progress.
How do Gothic elements enhance emotion in Jane Eyre?
They intensify mystery, fear, and emotional tension in Jane's experiences.
How did industrialization influence 19th-century British literature?
Writers criticized harsh working conditions, poverty, and social inequality.
Describe one feature that distinguishes Postmodernism from Modernism.
Postmodernism questions truth and meaning, often using irony and playful ambiguity.
Name one Romantic poet who criticized industrialization and celebrated nature.
William Wordsworth.
Identify one shared theme between British and Brazilian Romanticism.
Celebration of nature, emotion, or national identity.
How does figurative language shape tone in Romantic sonnets?
It adds passion, intensity, and emotional depth to expressions of love or nature.
How did changing roles for women influence authors like the Brontë sisters and Elizabeth Barrett Browning?
They explored female independence, education, and moral agency in patriarchal society.
What is the name of the narrative technique that imitates the continuous flow of a character’s thoughts?
Stream of consciousness.
Compare Dickens and Hardy in their portrayal of social issues.
Dickens focused on urban poverty and social injustice; Hardy emphasized rural hardship and tragic human struggle.
How do class and morality conflict in Victorian literature?
Characters often face moral dilemmas caused by rigid class expectations, hypocrisy, or social pressure.
Compare metaphor and symbolism.
A metaphor makes a direct comparison; symbolism uses an object/event to represent a deeper idea.
Explain how the shift from Modernism to Postmodernism reflects changes in global culture.
As society questioned absolute truth and authority, literature embraced irony, fragmented identity, and skepticism toward universal narratives.