ENG 241 Final Exam Review

How does Archimago separate the Red Cross Knight from Una?

He manufactures a sexy dream and a vision that casts doubt on Una's faithfulness

When Beowulf arrives to help the Danes, what does the king remind Beowulf of?

that Beowulf's father Ecgtheow had come to the Danes for help and protection years before, and so Beowulf implicitly owes the Danes a debt which he is now repaying

Chivalry

he medieval knightly system with its religious, moral and social code

597

re-Christianization of Engla-Land and the English is begun by missionaries from Rome

rhyme, rhyming poetry

repetition of identical vowel sounds in stressed syllables whose initial consonants differ. In poetry, rhyme often link the end of one line with another.

What is the "octave" of a sonnet?

the first two quatrains

Briefly summarize the three contrasting responses to Gawain's actions at the end of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...

1) The Green Knight praises and forgives Gawain for his actions noting that, "by confessing your failings you are free from fault and have openly paid penance at the point of my axe. I declare you purged, as polished and pure as the day you were born, without blemish or blame." 2) Gawain still feels ashamed and regretful for his actions and promises to the King and the rest of the court that he will wear the sash as a reminder of what he has done. 3) The court laughs and each member agrees to wear a sash/belt along with him as a means of honoring Gawain.

Identify three of the contrasts, antitheses, and paradoxes that Wyatt uses in "I find no peace" (p. 650-651).

1. "I find no peace, and all my war is done..." The war/violence/fighting is over, yet the narrator still can't find peace 2. "I fly above the wind, yet can I not arise..." Despite metaphorically feeling as if he/she is "flying," the narrator cannot arise 3. "And holdeth me not, yet can i 'scape nowise..." Despite no one/thing holding the narrator back or in its clutches, the narrator still feels as if he/she cannot "escape"

Identify three poetical characteristics of alliterative poetry that are found in Old English poetry, as explained in class.

1. Old English poetry is split into half-lines that are separated by a caesura. 2. Across the caesura, there are 2 or 3 alliterations of stressed syllables 3. There are frequent uses of repetition in describing the same thing (ex. Eternal Lord, Holy Creator, mankind's Guardian etc.) This repetition was considered highly artistic.

identify and briefly discuss at least three characteristics of the romance genre...

1. They are episodic and sequential. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight follows this example. The story moves along with the structure of "this happened, then this happened, then this happened." 2. They deal with specific social class content. A good example is found in Capellenus' The Art of Courtly Love in which 'love' is described with strong class consciousness, detailing scenarios for upper class men and women. 3. They frequently focus on 'the subject' or the interior psychological life of the individuals in the story.

the period of the Wars of the Roses, ending with the advent of the Tudor dynasty

1450-1485

the first printing press comes to England

1476

the beginning of the Protestant Reformation

1517

the publication of Tottel's Miscellany, beginning the strong influence of Petrarchanism in English poetry

1557

the period of Queen Elizabeth I's rule

1558-1603

the death of Queen Elizabeth I and the accession of King James I

1603

the Gunpowder Plot

1605

publication of the King James Version of the bible

1611

the first Civil War

1642-1646

the second Civil War

1648

the Commonwealth Period, including the English Republic and Protectorate

1648-1660

According to tradition, when did the Germanic tribes—the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes—arrive in Britain?

449-450 A.D.

According to Alison of Bath's "Prologue" to her tale, how many husbands has she had in her life?

5

The Green Knight enters the court of Arthur bearing what?

A holly bob an axe

What is the persona Viola adopts as her disguise in Twelfth Night?

A male courtier

Which of the following is the rhyme scheme of a Spenserian stanza?

ABAB BCBC C, in iambic pentameter, with the last line in iambic hexameter

What is the rhyme scheme of Edmund Spenser's Amoretti #1 "Happy ye leaves"? (p. 985-986)

ABAB BCBC CDCD EE

What is the rhyme scheme of William Shakespeare's sonnet #130 "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun"? (p. 1184)

ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

What is the rhyme scheme of Sir Thomas Wyatt's "I find no peace"? (p. 650-651)

ABBA ABBA CDD CEE, or ABBA ABBA CDDC EE

Which angel is the one who gets caught up with Satan's rebelling angels but refuses to go along with them after he learns they are planning to revolt against God?

Abdiel

In Book 9 of Paradise Lost. Adam and Eve have a sort of "argument" over how best to go about their work. What do they disagree on? Explain.

Adam and Eve disagree about whether or not they should work together. Eve believes they could accomplish more if they split up, but Adam argues that Eve will be more vulnerable by herself.

Who wrote "The Rules of Love"?

Andreas Cappellanus

Who commands Cædmon to sing, and what does he sing about?

Anonymous; The Genesis

Which of the following is a comedic misrecognition in Twelfth Night?

Antonio mistakes Cesario for Sebastian Malvolio mistakes Maria's handwriting for Olivia's Olivia mistakes Sebastian for Cesario

Which character consistently misleads the Red Cross Knight and Una through "magic" and false images/imaginings ?

Archimago

14 Oct 1066

Battle of Hastings, Norman Conquest: William of Normandy defeats Harold Godwinson and conquers England

Who tells the story of Cædmon, the first named English poet?

Bede, in The Ecclesiastical History of the English People

When he returns to Geatland, what does Beowulf give Hygelac, and in turn what does Hygelac give Beowulf?

Beowulf gives Hygelac all the treasure and significant items he has received, and in return Hygelac gives Beowulf treasures and lands

In Book 2 of Paradise Lost, who comes up with the idea to get back at God by causing the downfall of humanity?

Beëlzebub expresses the idea in the meeting of the devils, but actually Satan came up with it first For this detail see Beëlzebub's speech and the reaction to it at 2.299-389, especially lines 378-385: Thus Beëlzebub / Pleaded his devilish counsel, first devised / By Satan, and in part proposed...

What is the name of the genre of short, magical romance tales written by Marie de France?

Breton lai

What is the kin of Grendel?

Cain's clan and a fiend of hell

How does Chaucer create complex voices by weaving together narratorial points-of-view and different voices?

Chaucer creates complex voices and descriptions for his characters by offering multiple points of view for the same character. For example, with the wife of bath, we get a description of her from the narrator, her personal description of herself through her first-person narrated prologue, as well as a more in-depth and implicit view of her character from her actual tale. These three layers, narrator, first person, and story character combine to form an collaborative but contrasting view of the character. Can we take the Wife of Bath's story as literal or truthful? Do we trust her personal recollection of the story when she readily admits that she is a manipulator of men? The contrast is a common theme within the tales as we have multiple characters who readily admit to their sin before giving a tale that usually has something to do with that very sin. Can they be authorities on subjects they are scrutinized for?

Briefly explain the ending of The Second Shepherd's Play: whom do Coll, Gib, and Daw meet, and what do they give him?

Coll, Gib, and Daw meet baby Jesus (the messiah) and give him three presents: a branch (bob) of cherries, a ball, and a bird (depicted in most images as a dove).

To whom does Lear say, "Do not laugh at me, for, as I am a man, I think this lady to be my child?"

Cordelia

Order of texts from earliest/oldest: Lanval Beowulf Canterbury Shephards Play History of Kings of Britain?

Correct Answer: Beowulf, History of the Kings, Lanval, Canterbury Tales, Second Shepherd's Play

In the Pardoner's "Tale," who are the young rioters looking for?

Death

Where do the events of the story of Beowulf take place?

Denmark and southern Sweden

The "cursed man" with "griesie locks, long growen and unbound" whom Red Cross Knight and Una encounter in Canto 9 is an allegorical representation of:

Despair

What is Fidessa's real name?

Duessa

Who is the architect of the plot to frame Gloucester in King Lear?

Edmund

At the beginning of Book 8, why does Eve get up and leave the discussion? Explain what her motivations are, according to the narrator.

Eve gets up and leaves the discussion because she would rather hear the words directly from Adam instead of hearing it from Raphael.

Which of the following works does not use alliterative versification?

Everyman

Which character adopts the disguise of a priest?

Feste

What verse form did Chauer use in Canterbury Tales?

Five-stress rhyming couplets

Which of the following characters is stuck in a tree and tries to warn the Red Cross Knight to beware of Duessa?

Fradubio, Brother Doubt, in Canto 2.

What were some of Chaucer's strongest artistic influences in both style and content?

French poets like the authors of the Romance of the Rose, Guillaume de Machaut, and Eustache Deschamps Italian poets such as Dante Alighieri, Francis Petrarch, and Giovanni Boccaccio

In Katherine Philips' lyric "Friendship's Mystery", what mystery or mysteries does she describe?

Friendship is a captive freedom Friendship is a princely subjection Friendship is an engrossing loss Friendship is a deathless death

Which work sometimes uses a free indirect style of narration?

General Prologue of Canterbury Tales

449

Germanic invasions of Britain begin in earnest: the arrival of the "Angles" "Saxons" and "Jutes" from the continent

Who says, "ah my middill/I pray to God so mild/if ever I you beguiled/that I eat this child"?

Gill in Second Shephards Play

In Raphael's retelling of the fall of the rebel angels, what event or change first motivates Satan's rebellion against God?

God's announcement of The Son's pre-eminence, who is appointed "head" of all the angels

Who is the judge of the rapist-knight in the first part of Wife of Bath's tale?

Guinevere

Where does Piers the Plowman come from when we meet him first?

He appears from among the community of folk when they look for a guide to Saint Truth

How does Beowulf react to the Dragon's arrival?

He is deeply troubled and confused, wondering if he broke some divine commandment or law to deserve this punishment

At the end of the story, where does Lanval go?

He leaves with his lady to go to the Isle of Avalon, departing from the court of Arthur forever

When Piers Plowman agrees to take the folk on a pilgrimage to Truth, what actually happens?

He puts them all to work plowing his half-acre

In Book 9 of Paradise Lost, how does Satan, in his guise of the Serpent, tempt Eve?

He says that by eating the fruit she will gain wisdom, and that can only be a good thing since knowledge is a good thing. He claims that she will not die, any more than he died when he ate the fruit. He asks, Does it make sense that God would forbid humans to eat something that he let beasts eat? He argues that knowing evil will enable her to avoid evil, so gaining the knowledge of good and evil will actually be morally helpful and just.

How does Beowulf respond to the insulting challenge by Unferth about the swimming contest with Breca?

He speaks eloquently, tells a different version of the story, and then he challenges Unferth right back about how Unferth killed his own clansmen

Why is Red Cross Knight so easily defeated when he faces the giant Orgoglio?

He's not wearing his armor He's "enchanted" by a magical fountain

1399

Henry Bolingbroke returns to England, King Richard is deposed, the last of the Plantagenets Dynasty, and Henry Bolingbroke becomes King Henry IV, the first king of the Lancastrian Dynasty.

670

Hilda is abbess of Whitby, a great English monastery in North Yorkshire; period of the legendary poet Cædmon

Who tells the Dreamer "when all treasures are tried, Truth is the best" in Piers?

Holy Church

At the start of Beowulf, which leader decides to build a great hall as a monument to his growing power as a king?

Hrothgar

When Piers puts all the people to work on his half-acre, and some people refuse to work, who attacks them?

Hunger

When does the frame narrative of The Canterbury Tales begin?

In April, during Spring

Where did Spenser live for much of his professional life?

In Ireland as secretary to Arthur, Lord Grey de Wilton, the Lord Deputy of Ireland

satire, estates satire

In Roman literature, the communication, in the form of a letter between equals, complaining of the ills of contemporary society. Characterized by first person narrator exasperated by social ills, the letter form, a high frequency of contemporary reference and the use of incentive in low-style language

Summarize Despair's argument to Red Cross Knight for committing suicide: how does Despair try to convince him that it is better to die than to live? Be brief but specific in your summary, providing at least three specific points.

In order to convince the Red Cross Knight, Despair asserts an argument built on the following three points: One; The Red Cross Knight has hurt/harmed the people he most cares about Two; Life undoubtedly breeds sin. By continuing to live, the Red Cross Knight will continue to sin. Three; Death is sweet release. It is final. Whereas life harbors terrible pains such as sickness, sorrow, age loss, strife, cold, and hunger.

In the beginning of the second part of the story, where did the Dragon's treasure hoard come from?

It was left by an ancient "highborn race" of men who drove themselves to extinction through war, and then the dragon found it

"Great Charles his double misery was this / Unfaithful friends, ignoble enemies..." : who is referred to here?

King Charles I, abandoned by friends and executed by the parliamentary forces

Of the following characters, which one represents "Church Theft" in The Faerie Queene?

Kirkrapine

"Everyman I will go with thee and be thy guide" who says this?

Knowledge

Which of the following characters advises Everyman to go to confession?

Knowledge

How do Maria and her accomplices manage to trick Malvolio into embarrassing himself in front of Olivia in Twelfth Night?

Leave him a forged note

What happens at the end of the story of King Leir?

Leir and Cordelia recover the kingdom of Britain

What happens to King Leir at the end of Monmouth's "Story of King Leir and his Daughters"?

Leir regains control of his kingdom with the help of Cordelia and Aganippus

In Shakespeare's sonnet #130, "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" (p. 1184), where is the turn?

Line 13

What conflicting ideals of chivalry and courtly love must Lanval uphold?

Loyalty to his beloved and to his lord, devotion to his beloved and courtesy to his feudal lord's lady, and secrecy with his beloved and the desire for public fame and a good reputation at court

Error vomits up ______________ in Book I:

Lumps of flesh Books and papers Frogs and toads

Who in the play is heavily implied to be a "Puritan" in Twelfth Night?

Malvolio

Epic Poems and Heros:

Many of the famous Greek Epic Poems, such as The Odyssey and The Iliad, contain these larger-than-life heroes and their deeds. King Arthur, Beowulf, Siegfried, Gilgamesh, and Rama are all

According to Andreas Capellanus, which of the following is one of the "rules of love"?

Marriage is no excuse for not loving

Which of these lines, spoken by Satan, best express Satan's paradoxical and tragic reaction upon seeing the beauty and nobility of Adam and Eve for the first time?

O Hell! what do mine eyes with grief behold! Into our room of bliss thus high advanced Creatures of other mold, earth-born perhaps, Not Spirits, yet to heavenly Spirits bright Little inferior; whom my thoughts pursue With wonder, and could love, so lively shines In them divine resemblance...

Name one theme that is central to Mary Wroth's sonnet sequence that isn't central to Sidney's sonnet sequence.

One theme that is central to Mary Wroth's sonnet sequence that isn't central to Sidney's sonnet sequence is female desire. It stands in contrast to Sidney's sequence which focuses on the theme of male desire.

Using the categories you have learned and the comparative genres we have studied, explain briefly how Shakespeare's changes to "The Story of Lear and his Daughters" make it "tragic" in a formal sense. Identify at least three specific things that make King Lear into an innovative tragedy, when it could have been a different kind of story. Credit will be given only for answers that demonstrate an undertanding both of the drama and of the literary-historical categories we have discussed in class.

Peripeteia: The turn or change in fortune occurs when King Lear, originally a powerful lord, loses everything when the daughters whom he has bequeathed his land ownership to betray him and kick him out of his own house. Catastrophe: The final disaster in which everyone dies and everything lies in ruin. Anagnorisis: Only after Gloucester is blinded is he able to see the real truth.

In Lanyer's Salue Deus Rex Judaeorum, who is the main speaker or speaking character who expresses the critical sentiments of the poem?

Pilate's Wife

Who rescues Red Cross Knight from Orgoglio by killing the giant and by freeing him from the giant's prison?

Prince Arthur

Seven Deadly Sins/Seven Corporal Works of Mercy:

SDS- pride, gluttony, lust, anger, envy, sloth, greed; SCWM- feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, give shelter to travellers, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, bury the dead

In the Wife of Bath's prologue, who is the Apostle with whom Alison of Bath argues so much?

Saint Paul

At the end of Twelfth Night Sebastian says, "So comes it, lady, you have been mistook. But nature to her bias drew in that. You would have been contracted to a maid, Nor are you therein, by my life, deceived. You are betrothed both to a maid and man" (5.1.257-262). Explain this: what is Sebastian saying, and how is it true, in a sense, that the "lady" was both deceived and not deceived?

Sebastian is confessing that Olivia was indeed deceived into thinking that Viola was Sebastian. However, he notes that nature really made it all work itself out in the end. Nature turned Olivia's love for Viola (the fake Sebastian) into a love for the real Sebastian. Furthermore, Sebastian is a virgin, so even though Olivia was going to marry a "maid" in the form a girl, she is now marrying a "maid" in the sense of a virgin, Sebastian.

During the Commonwealth Period and Protectorate (1649-1658), what was Milton's primary job?

Secretary of Foreign Tongues or Latin Secretary

What does Guenevere do that puts Lanval in a difficult position?

She propositions Lanval and says she wants to be his lover, which he must refuse because of his commitment to his lady She accuses Lanval of having propositioned her, and so she goes to her husband king Arthur for vengeance She charges Lanval with treason, and so Lanval must prove what he said to Guenevere is true by providing the testimony of his lady

Which of these texts was written in the fourteenth century?

Sir Gawain

Anti-Catholicism/nascent Protestant nationalism:

Sorry, find information on this one by yourself XD

Elizabethan court culture and the Cult of Elizabeth:

Sorry, find information on this one by yourself XD

Who is "The Apostle" that Alison argues with in her "Prologue" about marriage and the body?

St. Paul

What does Mak try to do to Coll, Gib, and Daw?

Steal their sheep

What are some defining characteristics of Anglo Saxon alliterative poetry?

Stress accent on root syllables of words and a medial caesura between half-lines of variable syllables joined by alliteration on two or three out of those four root syllables

At the end of Lanval, what choice does the knight make?

Submit indifferently to the courts judgement as long as his lover still loves him

What is the predicted fate of the Geatish people at the end of the story?

The Geatish nation will be destroyed, its people killed and scattered

What event did Chaucer live through?

The Great Plague of 1348 The Peasant's Revolt of 1381 The Downfall of King Richard II in 1399

In the "General Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales, which character suggest that the pilgrims all travel together and that they have a tale-telling contest along the way?

The Host

Which Canterbury pilgrim is described as "meeke as is a maide"?

The Knight

What was the important political event that brought about the ned of the Old English period?

The Norman Invasion of 1066

What historical event is the pivotal beginning of the Anglo-Norman period?

The Norman Invasion of 1066 which made William of Normandy the king of England

The opening episode with the fight against the monster Error is an allegorical representation of what?

The need to stay "on the right path" from the start when undertaking an important task The dangers of "wandering" and vacillation in spiritual faith and fidelity to the truth A lesson in reading allegorically, that is, of being alert to the potential for multiple meanings in a single setting or environment

In the discussion of the doctrinal background of the Red Cross Knight's encounter with Despair, you learned about the three fundamental elements of Protestant doctrine: they are the "only" (Latin sola) things that the faithful person needs to be saved, and they are the three things — or manipulation of them — that Despair uses to drive the Red Cross Knight to attempt suicide. Name these 3 "solas" either in Latin or in English.

The three "solas" are as follows: Sola fides (which means 'only faith'), Sola Scriptura (which means 'only scripture'), and Sola Gratia (which means 'only grace').

Who travels with Red Cross Knight the beginning of The Faerie Queene?

Una and a dwarf

How is Duessa finally dealt with?

Una has her stripped and lets her go

Name two characteristics of Satan that make him a kind of anti-hero. Obviously Satan is a villain: he is the author of all evil. And yet he holds the narrative position of major protagonist, the one whom we identify with. Why? How? Briefly identify two things (for one point each) about him that make him heroic and sympathetic. And (for two points), say why Milton made Satan his "hero". What end or purpose might it serve to present Satan this way?

We identify with Satan because he is imperfect and because he displays very human emotions (he is 'pathetic'). If Milton wrote a story from the perspective of God or The Son, it would be dull or impossible to empathize with because they are perfect -- and thereby not complex -- beings. Satan has the ability to make mistakes and makes them often. It is this fallible nature that we as humans can relate to and allows us to potentially identify with Satan -- at least in the beginning. Satan also shows very human emotions. He is prideful, overconfident, self-doubting and many more pathetic characteristics that humans are able to empathize with. He pride and confidence make him seem heroic in the beginning of the tale, yet his self-doubt ingratiates us to him as a character with real, complex emotions. Milton tasked himself with answering one of the most difficult questions in Theodicy. If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving, where does evil come from? By painting Satan as partially heroic, yet partially pathetic and someone we can empathize with, he is able to address the question in a way that the Bible never would. We can see the slow, spiral toward downfall that Satan ventures on, and in doing so, evil is not seen as God's creation, but Satan's fallacy.

What religious movement began to influence English literature and language during the later fourteenth century?

Wycliffism or Lollardy

What does Malvolio wear in the hopes of wooing Olivia?

Yellow Stockings

According to the surviving records of his life, what were some of the jobs Chaucer held?

a court bureaucrat and royal diplomat, and a legal official

The Second Shepherd's Play is what kind of play?

a cycle play or mystery play

When the host and Gawain exchange winnings in Part 3 of the story, what does the host give to Gawain?

a deer, a boar, and a fox

Assonance

a figure of speech. The repetition of identical or near identical stressed vowel sounds in words whose final consonants differ, producing half-rhyme.

Type

a figure of thought in Christian allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament, pre-Christian figures were regarded as "types" or foreshadowings, of Christ of the Christian dispensation

Apostrophe:

a figure of thought. An address, often to an absent person, a force, or a quality. For example: a poet makes an apostrophe to a Muse when invoking her for inspiration.

epic, heroic poetry

a genre. An extended narrative poem celebrating martial heroes, invoking divine inspiration, beginning in medias res, written in a high style, and divided into long narrative sequences

elegy*, lament

a genre. In classical literature, a form written in elegiac couplets devoted to many possible topics. In Ovidian elegy, a lover mediates on the trials of erotic desire.

courtly love

a highly conventionalized medieval tradition of love between a knight and a married noblewoman, first developed by the troubadours of Southern France and extensively employed in European literature of the time. The love of the knight for his lady was regarded as an ennobling passion and the relationship was typically unconsummated.

tetrameter (meter)

a line with four stresses

Catalogues:

a list of people, things, or attributes, usually extended to some length. It is a device used particularly by ancient and oral literatures

dream vision

a literary device in which a dream or vision is recounted as having revealed knowledge or a truth that is not available to the dreamer or visionary in a normal waking state

Literary Epic:

a long narrative poem, often written about a hero or heroines.

Epic poetry

a long, serious,poetic narrative about a significant event, often featuring a hero

What kind of play is Everyman?

a morality play

Introduction and solidification of a 'feudal' social system

a more legally codified and extensive system of dependent cultivation is introduced, with the king at the top as supreme land-holder and 'feudal' dependents (from Latin feodum 'fee, payment') forming a chain down to the lowest reaches of society, villeins and serfs. Primogeniture (inheritance by eldest son) gradually becomes the norm; common law gradually codified in the twelfth century.

third-person narration

a narration in which the narrator recounts a narrative of characters referred to explicitly or implicity by third-person pronouns without the limitation of a first-person narration

first-person, first-person narration

a narrative in which the voice narrating refers to itself with forms of the first person pronoun and in which the narrative determined by the limitations of that voice

Story

a narrative's sequence of events, which we reconstruct from those events os they have been recounted by the narrator

Caesura

a pause or breathing space within a line or verse, generally occurring between syntactic units

Character

a person, personified animal, or other figure represented in a literary work, especially in narrative and drama

Before Beowulf confronts Grendel's mother, Unferth loans Beowulf something. What item does Unferth loan Beowulf, and what happens to it?

a rare and ancient sword, but it fails when Beowulf tries to use it against Grendel's Mother

Plot

a sequence of events in a story as narrated

What does Gawain exchange with the lady of the castle, which Gawain then gives to the lord of the castle?

a series of big, smoochy kisses

lai, Breton lai:

a short narrative, often characterized by images of great intensity

Lyric

a short poetic form, without restriction of meter, in which the expression of personal emotion, often by a voice in the first person, is given primacy over narrative sequence

Parable

a simple story designed to provoke, and often accompanied by, allegorical interpretation, most famously by Christ as reported in the Gospels.

Beginnings of "courtly love

a social and sexual ethic stressing refined or 'courtly' behavior, class distinction, service to women and devotion to the domna or high lady, and an aesthetic value of love, combined with a new sense of psychological interiority, all reflected in new genres of 'romance', = literature written in Romanz, Latin-derived vernacular languages.

Sermon; mock-sermon, sermon joyeux; theme

a talk on a religious or moral subject, especially one given during a church service and based on a passage from the Bible.

Apposition

a term of syntax. The repetition of elements serving an identical grammatical function in one sentence. The effect of this repetition is to arrest the flow of the sentence, but in doing so to add extra semantic nuance to repeated elements.

In Book 4 of Paradise Lost, when Satan crouches next to Eve's ear and gives her bad dreams by whispering in her sleep, what form does he resemble?

a toad See lines 4.797-802: "... Him there they found Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve, Assaying by his devilish art to reach The organs of her fancy, and with them forge Illusions, as he list, phantasms and dreams..."

trochee (meter, rhythm)

a two-syllable foot following the pattern, in English verse, of stressed followed by unstressed syllable, producing a falling effect

exemplum, exemplary story

an example inserted into a usually nonfictional writing to give extra force to an abstract thesis

Where do Chaucer's pilgrims meet before going on their pilgrimage?

an inn in Southwark

In "The Dream of the Rood" who is the one dreaming?

an unnamed narrator

In "The Dream of the Rood" how is Jesus described as he approaches the cross?

as a warrior going into combat, strong and stout-hearted

Where do the pilgrims meet?

at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, just outside London

While Milton had long wanted to write a great epic, when did he start working on his epic project in earnest?

at the end of the Protectorate when Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, when it appeared inevitable that the Commonwealth was coming to an end and the monarchy would be re-established

Spenserian formal allegory

believed to be the necessary condition for the poem's functioning as a cautionary tale against the seductive dangers of figurative and formal ambiguity.

In the "Prologue" of Piers Plowman, where does the dreamer see a "Fair field of folk" full of different kinds of people from all walks of life?

between a tower on a toft and a dungeon in a dale

What is the poetic form of the verse in Paradise Lost?

blank verse

What are some of the genres that Shakespeare creatively combines in King Lear?

classical tragedy, romance, medieval tragedy, and history Recall that in King Lear, Shakespeare draws the story of Gloucester and his sons from romance (via Sidney's Arcadia); the story of King Leir and his daughters from national history (ultimately from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain); the emphasis on the "downfall of great men" from medieval tragedy of the "de casibus" tradition; and the overall structure of the play from classical tragedy, especially Seneca.

morality play-

discrete single dramas focusing on the spiritual life of a symbolic character — "Mankind", "Everyman", "Humanum Genus" — tracing the personal spiritual history of a representative figure faced with allegorized temptations, admonishments, and moral decisions;

What is the genre of the "General Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales?

estates satire

What is the explicit thematic contrast that Alison establishes right at the very start of her "Prologue"?

experience vs authority

frame narrative

explains the genesis of, and/or gives a perspective on, the main narrative of narratives to follow

How does Chaucer's Pardoner fool people?

fake holy relics, fake papal bulls and pardons, and preaching outrageously and making tempting but absurd claims

1348

first arrival of the Black Death or Great Pestilence, a bubonic plague killing up to 50% of the population in some areas; the disease recurs in the following decades and leads to long-term demographic shifts.

Introduction of "chivalry

from French chevalier (from Latin caballus 'horse'), a new style of horse-mounted warfare requiring extensive training, coordinated tactics, and expensive resources, resulting in a new martial class of elite trained warriors with their own esprit de corps and social ethic

estates satire

genre of writing from 14th Century, Medieval literary works. The three Medieval estates were the Clergy (those who prayed), the Nobility (those who fought) and lastly the Peasantry (those who labored)

mystery play

great collections of civic dramas for towns such as York, Towneley, Chester, Coventry, and elsewhere, often covering scriptural history from The Creation to the Last Judgment. Some collections have over 40 separate plays;

Stanza

groupings of two or more lines, usually reserved for groupings of at least four lines. Joined by rhyme, often in sequence, where each group shares the same metrical pattern and, when rhymed, rhyme scheme.

What is the one condition that Lanval's lover gives him for having her love?

he must never reveal it to anyone else

How old was Shakespeare when he first married, and what was his probable job before he became renowned as a playwright and actor?

he was 18 years old and he may have been a local schoolteacher around Stratford-upon-Avon before heading to London to start his career in the theater

What were John Milton's personal origins?

he was the son of a London merchant Puritan family, attended Cambridge University, and sided strongly with the Puritans at the time of the Revolution and Commonwealth

In "The Wanderer" the wanderer recounts kissing his loved one and putting his head and his hands in the lap of his beloved. Who is he referring to?

his man-lord, that is, his warrior lord and protector

"Great Chain of Being":

is composed of a great number of hierarchical links, from the most basic and foundational elements up through the very highest perfection: God. God sits at the top of the chain, and beneath him sit the angels, both existing wholly in spirit form

After the decline of drama in the late classical and early medieval period, how did drama arise again in the west during the Middle Ages?

it arose largely as a part of liturgy and church services where plays became a part of Christian worship and teaching

What is the temporal and structural framework of Everyman?

it is an allegorical representation of the soul's last moments before death, but it also structurally parallels the course of a whole human life

What is the First Folio and when did it appear?

it was the collected edition of Shakespeare's plays published by his friends and business partners in 1623, seven years after his death

comedy

iterary genre and a type of dramatic work that is amusing and satirical in its tone, mostly having a cheerful ending. The motif of this dramatic work is triumph over unpleasant circumstance by creating comic effects, resulting in a happy or successful conclusion

In the "Anglo-Saxon Genesis" how is Satan characterized?

like a proud and presumptuous warrior stirring revolt against his rightful lord

tragedy-

literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances

According to Andreas' story, which of the following is one of the Rules of Love?

marriage is no excuse for not loving

Legend

narrative of a celebrated, possibly historical, but mortal protagonist

Myth

narrative of protagonists with, or subject to, superhuman powers. Expresses some profound foundational truth, often by accounting for the origin of natural phenomena

free indirect style

narrative voice that manages, without explicit reference, to imply, and often implicitly to comment on, the voice of a character in the narrative itself

Which character in Sir Gawain for his ethical failure?

no one does

What is the poetical style of Lanval?

octosyllabic rhyming couplets

What is the primary genre or style of Beowulf?

oral formulaic folk-epic, with elements of mythology and history

Persona

originally the mask worn in the Roman theater to magnify an actor's voice; in literary discourse persona refers to the narrator or speaker of a text, whose voice is coherent and whose person need have no relation to the person of the actual author of a text.

In Sir Philip Sidney's Astrophil and Stella sonnet #15, "You that do search for every purling spring" (p. 1087), who is the "you" of line 1 (and also of lines 5, 6, 7, 9, and 13)?

other poets and/or the reader

In Katherine Phillips' lyric "Friendship's Mystery", the lines "we court our own captivity" and "t'were banishment to be set free" are examples of what kind of rhetorical maneuver?

paradox

According to Aristotle, what is the subject of comedy?

people who are ridiculous and worse than the average, but whose ridiculousness does not cause pain

1154-1189

reign of Henry II Plantagenet (Henry I's grandson) and Eleanor of Aquitaine: Andreas Capellanus writes the Art of Courtly Love around this time in France (c. 1170), and Marie de France writes her lais (c. 1180).

1377-1399

reign of Richard II The 'Ricardian Era' of poetry: the era of Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, William Langland, and the poet of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

1135-1154

reign of Stephen of Blois: Geoffrey of Monmouth writes the History of the Kings of Britain around this time (c. 1136-38)

1066-1087

reign of William I "The Conqueror" : introduction of the Norman aristocracy as the ruling class of England

Consonance

repetition of final consonants in words or stressed syllables whose vowel sounds are different

allegory

saying one thing and meaning another.

In the story of King Leir and his daughters, why does Leir banish his daughter Cordelia?

she refuses to flatter him when he asks his daughters to declare how much they love him

skepticism and melancholy:

skepticism- a skeptical attitude, doubt as to the truth of something, the theory that certain knowledge is impossible; melancholy- a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause

symbol, symbolism:

something that stands for something else, and yet seems necessarily to evoke that other thing

In Book 9 of Paradise Lost, what reason does the narrator give for Adam's decision to eat the forbidden fruit?

that he was fondly overcome with female charm See lines 9.997-999: ...he scrupled not to eat, / Against his better knowledge; not deceived, / But fondly overcome with female charm. Not a very good reason, in this reader's opinion, given everything Adam has thought and said up to this point.

Formally speaking, what is the "catastrophe" of King Lear?

the "down-turn" at the end, when everybody dies and everything lies in ruin

1381-82

the Church condemns the Oxford theologian and preacher John Wyclif; the start of the Wycliffites and Lollards, a proto-Protestant religious movement in England.

Which was the theatre build by Shakespeare's company?

the Globe Theatre, built by the Lord Chamberlain's Men

1378-1417

the Great Schism: Christendom split between two Popes, one in Italy and another in France.

In the "Epilogue" of the Pardoner's "Tale," whom does the Pardoner try to convince to "kiss the relics"?

the Host

In the fourteenth century, what were some of the important events and upheavals during Chaucer's lifetime?

the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the Great Schism in the church, Lollardy, and the Black Death or Pestilence

What was the name of the dissenting religious movement that began in England in the fourteenth century?

the Lollards or Wycliffites

1388

the Merciless Parliament, a coup among the nobility against King Richard, leading to the execution of several of the king's ministers and favorites.

Which of the following pilgrims leads the group out of town playing his bagpipes?

the Miller

Which of the pilgrims offers the cagey disclaimer, "Also I praye you to foryive it me / Al have I nat set folk in hir degree... My wit is short, ye may wel understonde."

the Narrator

What biblical scene forms the framework for the ending of the Second Shepherd's Play?

the Nativity of Christ

1339-1453

the One Hundred Years' War between France and England, begun because the

1154-1399

the Plantagenet Dynasty rules England down to the end of the fourteenth century (the age of Chaucer)

The later fourteenth century is sometimes called what era of English literature?

the Ricardian era

731

the Venerable Bede, monk, writes the first history of the English, titled An Ecclesiastical History of the English People, with the story of Cædmon in it.

Diction

the actual words used in any utterance-speech, writing, and, for our purposes here, literary works

Personification

the attribution of human qualities to nonhuman forces or objects

iamb (meter, rhythm)

the basic foot of English verse, two syllables following the rhythmic pattern of unstressed followed by stressed and producing a rising effect

Arthurian legend/history:

the body of stories and medieval romances, known as the matter of Britain, centring on the legendary king Arthur. Medieval writers, especially the French, variously treated stories of Arthur's birth, the adventures of his knights, and the adulterous love between his knight Sir Lancelot and his queen, Guinevere. This last situation and the quest for the Holy Grail (the vessel used by Christ at the Last Supper and given to Joseph of Arimathea) brought about the dissolution of the knightly fellowship, the death of Arthur, and the destruction of his kingdom.

What important developments influenced the English language in Shakespeare's day and after?

the continued production and wide spread of English language liturgy and bibles, such as the English Prayer Book of 1552 and the Geneva Bible of 1560 the significant growth of the English lexicon from Latin and Greek sources, making the English language grow at a faster rate than ever before or since

Feudalism

the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.

When was the period of Roman control over Britannia/Britain, prior to the coming of the Anglo-Saxons?

the first to the fifth centuries, c. 44-410 A.D.

Which of the following historical developments contextualize 16th century English poetry?

the growth of printing in England the influence of the European Renaissance the Protestant Reformation the reign of Queen Elizabeth I

43 AD

the island of Britain is successfully conquered by the Roman emperor Claudius

What clan or kin is Grendel said to be a part of?

the kin of Cain, cursed for the murder of his brother Abel

Vernacular

the language of the people, as distinguished from learned and arcane languages

What is the "sestet" of a sonnet?

the last six lines

In the end, who decides to wear green sashes in solidarity with Gawain?

the lords and ladies of the Round Table

Style:

the manner in which something is expressed contributes substantially to its meaning

order; natural order, artificial order

the narrative order in which a story is told. A narrator might use a sequence of events as they happened, and thereby follow what classical rhetoricians called the natural order. The narrator might reorder the sequence of events, beginning the narration either in the middle or at the end of the sequence of events, thereby following an artificial order.

What is "The Great Chain of Being"?

the philosophical notion that all created things, from lowest to highest, are part of a great "chain" of creation, each thing with its own proper place in the divine order

What is the conceit or controlling metaphor of Sir Thomas Wyatt's "My Galley" (p. 651)?

the poet is like a ship on storm-tossed seas, helpless and hopeless in the passion of his love, without guidance and bound to sink beneath the waves of disappointment

What is the conceit or controlling metaphor of Edmund Spenser's Amoretti #54, "Of this world's theatre in which we stay" (p. 986)?

the poet is like an actor, his beloved is the audience, and even though he tries to convince her of his love through his theatrical performances, she is not convinced and remains unmoved like a stony audience

Which of the following things characterized Renaissance humanism?

the rediscovery of classical authors and texts, and the re-birth of classical modes of learning

In the history of the period of Shakespeare's life, what does the phrase "the Elizabethan settlement" refer to?

the religious settlement or compromise that came to characterize English Protestantism in doctrine and liturgy

What were important cultural and political changes occurring in the Anglo-Norman period?

the replacement of the English aristocracy by the Anglo-Norman aristocracy, effectively resulting in a total regime-change in the ruling class of England the beginning of strong French influence on the English language and literature the introduction and solidification of a feudal social system, primogeniture, and the development of common law the introduction of the military and cultural practices associated with chivalry, as well as the cultural practices associated with courtly love

Regime change

the ruling class of England was now Norman French, not English: all major property holdings, both secular and ecclesial, were held by Norman barons.

'scripture'/bible, biblical literature

the sacred writings of Christianity contained in the Bible.

In The Canterbury Tales, where are the pilgrims traveling to?

the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral

Syllable

the smallest unit of sound in a pronounced word

accent, stress-accentual poetry:

the special force devoted to the voicing of one syllable in a word over others. In the noun "accent", for example, the accent, or stress, is on the first syllable

genre; genre and mode:

the style, structure and often, length of a work, when coupled with a certain subject matter, raise expectation that a literary work conforms to a certain genre

verse form

the terms related to meter and rhythm describe the shape of individual lines. Lines of verse are combined to produce larger groupings, called verse forms.

folklore, folkloric elements

the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth.

Theodicy:

the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil; his presumption to "justify the ways of God to men"; to explain, or explain away, the inexplicable, or to justify the unjustifiable

What is the name given to the "turn" of a sonnet?

the volta

Who tries to seduce Gawain?

the wife of the lord of the castle

When Milton writes in the beginning of Paradise Lost that he hopes to "assert eternal Providence, / And justify the ways of God to men", what is this proposition or project of dealing with "God's justice" called? What word describes it specifically?

theodicy

What are the "three estates" of traditional medieval social ideology?

those who fight (pugnatores), those who pray (oratores), and those who work (labores)

How long does the War in Heaven last in Book 6, and how does it end?

three "days", and after two days of stalemate, God the Son arrives and drives out Satan and the rebel angels on the third day, purging them from Heaven

Katherine Philips, Margaret Cavendish, and John Donne explore the concept of _____________ of souls, which was taken from Platonic doctrine (we read a modern example with the in-class handout).

transmigration

Renaissance "fashioning" in poetry:

used to describe the process of constructing one's identity and public persona according to a set of socially acceptable standards

meter (accentual, accentual-syllabic)

verse as a more compressed form of expression, shaped by metrical norms. Refers to the regularly recurring sound pattern of verse lines. The means of producing sound patterns across lines differ in different poetic traditions. May be quantitative, syllabic, accentual (determined by number of accents, or stresses in the line), accentual-syllabic (determined by number of accents, but possessing a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, so as to produce regular numbers of syllables per line)

Romance

verse or prose, often characterized by a tripartite structure of social integration, followed by disintegration, involving moral test and often marvelous events, itself the prelude to reintegration in a happy ending, frequently of marriage and aristocratic social milieux

blank verse (e.g. Paradise Lost):

verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter

When do we first meet Satan at the start of Paradise Lost?

when he wakes up on the lake of fire in Hell, after having been defeated by God's angels in the war in Heaven and thrown down to Hell

Connotation

words evoke different associations. For example, depression...the blues

What were the "three estates" of the Three Estates model of medieval society?

workers, fighters, prayers

Manuscript

written with minimal punctuation and no line breaks

What is the name of the earliest English poet we know of?

Caedmon, the cowherd at Whitby Abbey

In the "General Prologue" how is the Monk described?

"An outridere that loved venerye / A manly man, to been an abbot able"

In the "General Prologue" how is the Knight described?

"And though that he were worthy, he was wis, / And of his port as meeke as is a maide"

In the "Pardoner's Prologue," what does he say is always the "theme" of his preaching?

"Avarice is the root of evil"

Identify two of the Petrarchan clichés of female beauty that Shakespeare says his lady does not fulfill in sonnet #130. (one point each)

"Coral is far more red than her lips' red..." His lady's lips are not very red like Petrarchan cliches dictate they should be "If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun..." His lady's skin (breasts) are not the desirable quality of white as identified by Petrarchan cliches.

What are some of the traditional characteristics of courtly love?

"Devotion of a knight to his superior lady whom he serves as a devoted lover, often in secret

Which text is a dream vision?

"The Dream of the Rood"

In Piers Plowman Passus 7 what does the pardon say, and what does Piers do after he reads it?

"They that have done good shall go into life everlasting; And they that have done evil into everlasting fire": he tears it up

In the "General Prologue" how is the Prioress described?

"[she] pained hire to countrefete cheere / Of court, and to been statlich of manere"

What kind of play is The Second Shepherd's Play?

A mystery play or Corpus Christi play

How old was Alison of Bath when she first got married, and how old was she when she married Jankyn?

12 and 40

How many lines does a sonnet have?

14

Of the 1000 most common modern English words, about what percentage of them come from Old English?

83%

1381

: the "Peasant's Revolt" or Uprising of 1381 in England, which occurs in May and June: a broad-based popular rebellion that almost topples the monarchy of England before it is suppressed.

What genre is Beowulf?

A traditional epic of "folk" epic

What is the rhyme scheme of Sir Philip Sidney's Astrophil and Stella sonnet #7 "When nature made her chief work, Stella's eyes" (p. 977)?

ABAB ABAB CDCD EE

At the end of the Wife of Bath's "Prologue", what happens to Jankyn's Book of Wicked Wives?

Alison forces him to burn it as a part of their mutual agreement

What is the Green Knight carrying when he first encounters the court at Camelot?

An axe and a holly branch

Which one of these is Kent?

An earl of Lear who later disguises himself as Caius

Who comes to help Una when she realizes the trouble that Red Cross Knight is in?

Arthur

What is the genre of the General Prologue of Canterbury Tales?

Estates satire

Whom does Lear banish in the first act of King Lear?

Cordelia

Which of the following characters accompanies Everyman into the grave?

Good Deeds

Which of Alison's husbands is the one who "beats her for a book"?

Her fifth husband, a young clerk named Jankin

What is odd about Red Cross Knight's armor at the outset of The Faerie Queene?

It's well worn despite the knight's inexperience.

Who advises the Dreamer, "When all treasures are tried, Truth is the best"?

Lady Holy Church

In Sir Philip Sidney's Astrophil and Stella sonnet #7, "When nature made her chief work, Stella's eyes" (p. 977), who is the "him" of line 13?

Love

871

King Alfred "the Great" (849-899) ascends English throne of Wessex and leads the defense against the Scandinavians

In Sir Gawain, which character first accepts the Green Knight's challenge?

King Arthur

Which one is Beowulf's wife?

NOT, I REPEAT NOT! -> Freawaru, Wealhtheow, Hildeburh or Queen Modthyth

Which canterbury pilgrim says "I praye you to forgive it me/al have i nat set folk in hir degreee/ my wit is short ye may wel understonde"?

Narrator

What event provide the concluding scene of Second Shephard's play?

Nativity of Christ

Whom in the play does Orsino woo unsuccessfully?

Olivia

What literary genres characterize the hybrid narrative of Piers Plowman?

Quest romance, estates satire, dream vision, and allegorical narrative

Who talks with Adam and Eve and advises them in Books 5 through 8?

Raphael

Who dies from drinking poison in the last act of King Lear?

Regan

Which of the following characters challenges the Red Cross Knight immediately after Red Cross has abandoned Una?

Sans Foy

Which of the following works is a romance?

Sir Gawain

In Medias Res:

Starting in the middle of the action

How does Beowulf defeat Grendel?

Tears his arm off

Which Canterbury Pilgrim is a devoted student of Aristotle?

The Clerk

Who are the courtiers in the House of Pride who accompany Lucifera in her procession?

The Deadly Sins: Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Envy, Greed, and Wrath

Which of the following is a good example of an elegy?

The Wife's Lament

Which of the following is a mock sermon?

The first part of the Wife of Bath's Prologue

Denotation

a word has a basic, "prosaic" (factual) meaning prior to the associations it connotes

In the Wife of Bath's "Tale", the knight goes on a quest to find the answer to a question. What is the question, and what is the answer he eventually gets that saves his life?

The question that the knight goes on a quest to find is, "What do all women desire?". The answer that he eventually gets is, "Wommen desiren to have sovereynetee As wel over hir housbond as hir love, And for to been in maistrie hym above." Essentially, they want autonomy over themselves or some sovereignty over their husbands.

In the Pardoner's "Tale," who ends up killing the three rioters?

Themselves

What happens to the Dragon's treasure at the end of the story?

They burn it and bury it with Beowulf's body in Beowulf's funeral rites

'Theme'; sermon theme

designates what the work is about, the concept that unifies a given work of literature

In Second Shephards Play, how is Mak punished?

Tossed in a blanket

Who helps Beowulf kill the dragon?

Wiglaf

Which of the following is an example of an allegory?

Will speaking to Lady Holy Church in Piers Plowman

Metaphor

designates identification or implicit identification of one thing with another with which it is not literally identifiable

In Lanyer's Salue Deus Rex Judaeorum, what defenses does the speaker give for Eve's original sin?

all she did "was for knowledge sake" her "fault was too much love" she "was simply good and had no power to see" what she was doing if there was any evil in Eve, since she was made from Adam then "he was the ground of all"

Piers Plowman is written in what poetical style?

alliterative long lines

What is the poetical style of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?

alliterative long lines with a short "bob-and-wheel" quatrain at the end of each verse section

Profound influence on the English language:

begins the long and powerful French influence on vocabulary, pronunciation, syntax, and style, a trend that will continue for centuries in all aspects of English.

When was Beowulf probably composed?

between the eighth and tenth centuries

irony, dramatic irony:

designates the result of inconsistency between a statement and a context that undermines the statement

Syntax

designates the rules by which sentences are constructed in a given language

Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain is a fanciful example of what kind of writing?

chronicle history

Rhythm

denotes the patterns of sound within the feet of verse lines and the combination of those feet

Which animals are hunted in third part of Sir Gawain?

deer, boar, and fox

What two genres are most explicitly joined in Paradise Lost?

epic and tragedy: it combines an epic scope in the poem's subject and treatment (and in the many epic conventions it copies and satirizes), and the tragedy of Mankind's fall from grace.

What is "the only evil that walks / Invisible, except to God alone, / By his permissive will, through Heav'n and earth..." ?

hypocrisy This is specified in 3.681-685, when Satan deludes the archangel Uriel who is standing guard over creation.

pentameter(meter)

in English verse, a five-stress line

Couplet

in English verse, two consecutive rhyming lines usually containing the same number of stresses

In "The Wife's Lament" where does the wife reside as she tells her story?

in exile from her lord and his kin, in an earth-cave beneath a tree in the forest

Folk Epic:

is a long poem about a traditional or historical hero. An example of a folk epic is Beowulf, a poem that describes the traditions of a nation.

Sonnets: sonnet form (octave, sestet, turn/volta); different stanza forms (e.g. Italian, "Shakespearean," Spenserian); Petrarchan conventions and their revision:

is a poem of fourteen lines, usually in iambic pentameter, that has one of two regular rhyme schemes, octave- a poem/stanza of 8 lines, sestet- a poem/stanza of 6 lines, turn/volta- the shift of thought or argument: in Petrarchan or Italian sonnets it occurs between the octave and the sestet, and in Shakespearean or English before the final couplet

Which of these texts is an example of symbolism?

the pentagram on Gawain's shield in Sir Gawain

meter; rhythm

the rhythm of a piece of poetry, determined by the number and length of feet in a line.