Literary Terminology and Critical Vocabulary

To write with precision and confidence at A-Level, you need a strong command of literary terminology. This lesson provides definitions, examples, and analysis of the key terms you are expected to know for AQA A-Level English Literature. These terms apply across all three genres — poetry, prose, and drama — and across all components of the specification.

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Genre and Mode

These terms describe the broad category or manner of a literary work.

Term	Definition	Example
Bildungsroman	A novel tracing the psychological and moral development of a protagonist from youth to maturity	Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte), Great Expectations (Dickens), The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger)
Pastoral	Literature that idealises rural life and the countryside, often contrasting it with urban corruption	Shakespeare's As You Like It (the Forest of Arden); Romantic poetry (Wordsworth)
Gothic	Literature characterised by darkness, horror, the supernatural, decay, and transgression	Frankenstein (Shelley), Wuthering Heights (Bronte), Dracula (Stoker)
Elegy	A poem of mourning for the dead, or a meditation on loss and mortality	Tennyson's In Memoriam, Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard"
Epic	A long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events of great significance	Homer's Odyssey, Milton's Paradise Lost
Tragedy	A dramatic work depicting the downfall of a noble protagonist through a combination of fate and character flaw	Hamlet, Othello, King Lear (Shakespeare); Death of a Salesman (Miller)
Satire	Literature that uses humour, irony, or ridicule to criticise human folly or social institutions	Gulliver's Travels (Swift), The Importance of Being Earnest (Wilde)
Allegory	A narrative in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities, creating a secondary level of meaning	Animal Farm (Orwell), The Pilgrim's Progress (Bunyan)

Key Definition: Bildungsroman — from the German Bildung (formation/education) and Roman (novel). A novel that traces the development of a protagonist from childhood or adolescence to maturity, charting their psychological, moral, and social growth. The protagonist typically encounters conflict, makes mistakes, and gradually achieves self-understanding.

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Narrative and Structural Terms

Term	Definition	Example
Denouement	The final resolution of the plot; the unravelling of complications after the climax	In Pride and Prejudice, the denouement includes Elizabeth and Darcy's engagement, Lydia's situation resolved, and the Bennet family's future secured
In medias res	Beginning a narrative in the middle of the action	Homer's Iliad begins in the ninth year of the Trojan War
Motif	A recurring image, idea, word, or symbol that develops thematic significance	The "eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg" in The Great Gatsby — a motif of observation, judgement, and the loss of moral vision
Juxtaposition	Placing two things side by side for comparison or contrast	In A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"
Foil	A character who contrasts with the protagonist, highlighting particular qualities	Banquo is a foil to Macbeth — both hear the witches' prophecies, but Banquo resists temptation while Macbeth succumbs
Catharsis	The emotional release or purging experienced by the audience at the end of a tragedy	Aristotle argued that tragedy produces catharsis through pity and fear
Hamartia	The tragic hero's fatal flaw or error of judgement	Othello's jealousy; Macbeth's ambition; Lear's pride
Hubris	Excessive pride or arrogance that leads to a character's downfall	Victor Frankenstein's belief that he can play God; Macbeth's growing sense of invincibility

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Language and Style Terms