British Literature: Unit 1 Study Guide

Which of the following might be described accurately as a "kenning"?

"whale-road" (in place of the word "sea")

What file type should students use to submit documents in this class?

.docx

Led by William the Conqueror, the French invaded and took possession of England during the Battle of Hastings in the year

1066.

In what year did William Caxton bring moveable type to England?

1476

What percentage of your total grade in this class is Essay 2 (the research paper) weighted?

18%

The presence of French loan words (such as "marriage" and "parliament") in our modern English language is due to the fact that Anglo-Norman or Old French was spoken in England after the Norman Conquest for nearly ____ years?

400

List the major elements of a romance.

A romance is a narrative focusing on courtly life and the knightly code of chivalry; it involves a knightly quest and incorporates fantastical elements of magic.

After the Romans withdrew from England in the fifth century, which three Germanic tribes invaded the island?

Angles, Jutes, and Saxons

What term refers to a perspective that precludes fairness in judgment?

Bias

What was the Roman name for England?

Britannia

Which of the following examples provides a Works Cited citation in correct, current MLA style for a selection from an anthology? (Note: The D2L quiz system does not allow me to create a hanging indent.)

Browning, Robert. "My Last Duchess." The Norton Introduction to Literature, edited by Kelly J. Mays, shorter 12th edition, W. W. Norton, 2017, pp. 1103-04.

In Le Morte d'Arthur, the character of Arthur is comparable to a real person in his characteri- zation and narrative function; the similarity is particularly obvious regarding Arthur's death. What is the term for this literary concept?

Christ Figure

Explain the movement of the heroic ideal between the Anglo-Saxon age and the High Middle Ages. How did common values, prized character, and ultimate honor shift during this time? Provide examples from this unit's literature to defend your claim.

Core ideas include development from the concept of a warrior to a knight and from the importance of war glory in battle to that of courtly conduct. (You must elaborate on these points)

The following excerpt from Beowulf exemplifies what function of Anglo-Saxon literature? Hail / To those who will rise to God, drop off / Their dead bodies and seek our Father's peace!

Didactic

In Le Morte d'Arthur, what is the name of King Arthur's sword?

Excalibur

TRUE/FALSE Sir Modred aids King Arthur by throwing his sword into the lake.

False

TRUE/FALSE The characters of Beowulf and Gawain underscore the unchanging qualities of the heroic English ideal.

False

TRUE/FALSE The primary focus of a traditional romance is love between a man and a woman.

False

The Black Death caused a massive influx of popular faith in the Roman Catholic Church.

False

True or False: You do not have to cite your source if you rewrite the sentence in your own words.

False

True or False? According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, William was cruel to those who loved God.

False

True or False? Throughout the text's excerpt from Beowulf, Hrothgar clearly envies Beowulf's strength and seeks to show how he is of greater heroic virtue than Beowulf.

False

The worldview present in Beowulf blends what two perspectives? Give an example from the text.

It blends Christian and Anglo-Saxon tribal perspectives, Examples will vary. For example, Anglo-Saxon wyrd is spoken of at the same time as God's providence.

What does the word "medieval" mean?

It comes from the Latin words for "middle ages."

How does the beheading game develop the theme(s) of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?

It offers the chance to test Gawain's courage and virtue. The stakes are very high, so his true character comes out.

What character embodies England's greatest legend?

King Arthur

Because they developed from an oral tradition but lacked factual evidence, the Arthurian tales are classified as what kind of literature?

Legend

Here are four lines of poetry. Based on your reading of the period introduction, what language is this passage? Some saiden wommen loven best richesse;Some saide honour, some said jolinesse;Some riche array, some saiden lust abedde,And ofte time to be widwe and wedde.

Middle English

Based on the excerpt from the original poem quoted below (line 9 to line 12), which example shows a quotation that has been properly integrated and cited in the sentence? Think not for this, however, the poor treasonOf my stout blood against my staggering brain, 10I shall remember you with love, or seasonMy scorn with pity—let me make it plain: —Edna St. Vincent Millay, "I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed"

Millay's speaker believes her body has betrayed her mind, and she decries "the poor treason / Of [her] stout blood" (9-10).

Which of the following phrases could be the theme of a literary work?

Money can't buy happiness

In addition to learned languages such as Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, known principally by the clergy, inhabitants of England spoke and wrote a number of vernacular or common languages during the Middle Ages. The anthology divides this period of linguistic flux into three sections. Select the answer below that shows these languages in the proper chronological order.

Old English, or Anglo-Saxon; Old French, or Anglo-Norman; and Middle English

Sir Bedivere's part in Le Morte d'Arthur resembles which biblical figure?

Peter

What are two examples of supernatural elements in the excerpt from Le Morte d'Arthur?

Sir Gawain's prophecy in Arthur's dream; the Lady of the Lake taking Arthur's sword,

In Sir Gawain, why did the queen tempt Gawain?

The king directed her to tempt Gawain.

Evaluate whether in your opinion Gawain's major flaw qualifies or disqualifies him as a leader.

The presence of sin and failure marks an individual as mortal and as less than perfect. Since a significant reason for the existence of a heroic ideal is to inspire people to achieve greatness, anything that Gawain's flaw disqualifies less than perfection seems to indicate a failure to achieve a worthy goal. Within this mindset, it seems logical him as a leader and a hero. However, reality reveals to us that no human completely achieves perfection. to greatness to achieve as much as possible Therefore, a reasonable expectation is for leaders and people who would aspire and be as nearly perfect as possible, since complete perfection is beyond a mortal's grasp. Since Gawain perseveres through multiple tests and displays his virtue up to the point of protecting his own life, his dedication to what is right is more significant than an exclusive focus on his single flaw. An argument for either of these positions is relevant and appropriate, given proper support and explanation. Much depends on how severe one considers Gawain's flaw to be.

In The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, how do the writers interpret the leaders' failures in the telling of them?

The writers use the leaders' failures to instruct the reader.

What is a theme?

Theme is the central message or a key insight communicated in a literary text.

In Sir Gawain, what is the significance of the five points on the pentangle?

They represent the five aspects of Gawain's virtue.

The following excerpt from Beowulf exemplifies what function of Anglo-Saxon literature? Hail / To those who will rise to God, drop off / Their dead bodies and seek our Father's peace!

Transitional Phrases

TRUE/FALSE The chivalric code demands both bravery in battle and moral character.

True

TRUE/FALSE True courtly love was spiritual, not physical.

True

True or False: Plagiarism can have severe consequences; if caught plagiarizing, a student may fail a class or even be expelled, while a professional may be formally reprimanded or even fired.

True

True or Flase? During the Middle Ages, England made the transition from primarily oral to written literature.

True

What is a pun?

a play on words in which a writer means two things simultaneously

In literary analysis, what is the best definition for "imagery"?

a word or phrase that refers to a concrete sensory experience

According to the video "Active Reading: An Early Step in the Writing Process," what are two basic types of reading?

active and passive

This class requires the use of Honorlock to proctor which assignments?

all quizzes and all exams

The following excerpt from Beowulf exemplifies what conventional Old English verse form? Then, when darkness had dropped, Grendel / Went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors / Would do in that hall when their drinking was done.

alliterative verse

What is a metaphor?

an implied comparison that presents one thing as if it were something else

What is an allusion?

an indirect reference to another text, an historical event, or some entity external to the work

Active reading usually requires which of the following?

asking a series of questions while you read

Sometimes literary texts—especially poems—are addressed to imagined listeners. The correct term for this listener is the

auditor.

Based on both the syllabus and the lessons about active reading, why should students annotate their texts while reading for this class?

because the exams are open book, and students earn better grades when they have taken notes in the book because reading actively and annotating the texts helps people retain the information being read because active reading improves comprehension, which will improve the quality of students' analytical writing all of the above

List four conventions of a traditional epic.

broad setting, larger-than-life heroes, the supernatural, and a necessary journey or battle, beginning with a clear statement of theme, an invocation to a muse or guiding spirit, beginning in medias res, and the use of epic catalog, epic simile, Homeric or stock epithets, and long formal speeches,

Writers in both academic and professional settings use signal phrases and in-text citations to mark the boundaries of their sources. In other words, these signal phrases and in-text citations

clearly distinguish your own words and ideas from other people's words and ideas.

The major turning point in the action of a plot, where the protagonist must make a choice and after which the plot begins to fall, is the

climax.

What is the correct term for a poem that adheres to strict patterns that govern its design and construction?

closed form

In Beowulf when Hrothgar offers a huge banquet after the building of Herot Hall, such gener- osity reveals his dedication to what kind of relationship between him and his followers?

comitatus

What is the correct term for the emotions associated with or evoked by a word?

connotation

What is the term for an established, traditional feature or characteristic in a literary genre or subgenre that is commonly understood by both authors and readers?

convention

When are assignments due in this class?

each week by Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 11:59 p.m.

Anglo-Saxon literature is often sorrowful and laments the past. What is the term for this quality?

elegiac

If a personal emergency arises and you need a short extension on an assignment, what should you do?

email Ms. Hall immediately to discuss the situation and see if an extension can be arranged

What is analysis?

examining something critically by looking at its separate parts

In Sir Gawain, what does the pentangle symbolize about Gawain?

faithfulness

List the four traditional heroic virtues illustrated by the character Beowulf.

fortitude, prudence, loyalty, and generosity

In Le Morte d'Arthur, what event most clearly establishes King Arthur as a Christ figure?

his death

What is the term for rhetorical/figurative exaggeration?

hyperbole

What literary term refers to opening a narrative in the middle of the story's action?

in medias res

What is the term that recognizes that information has value and that ideas or inventions which come from people's minds belong to those people?

intellectual property

The function of exposition in a work of drama or fiction is to

introduce the characters. describe the setting. present the central conflict. all of the above

Calling Grendel the "shadow of death" exemplifies what kind of Anglo-Saxon poetic feature?

kenning

The following lines from Beowulf exemplify what Anglo-Saxon poetic device? Their weapons and armor are nobly / Worked-these men are no beggars.

litotes

According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, what heroic quality does Alderman Eadric lack the most?

loyalty

According to "Active Reading and Annotating a Text," when reading actively, which of the following is the most effective way to annotate a text?

making notes on the page

What genre is Beowulf?

oral epic

What are the two types of epics?

oral folk epic and literary epic,

Reading actively often involves looking for __________ in a text.

patterns

The following excerpt from The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reveals what about the writer? Then the Scandinavian army at once went to London and besieged the town from the outside and fought strongly against it both by water and by land, but Almighty God delivered it.

perspective

Which genre of literature is always written in verse?

poetry

What is the term for the main character of a work of fiction who experiences the primary conflict and with whom authors typically expect readers to sympathize?

protagonist

When paraphrasing a passage, a writer must do all of the following except

put quotation marks around the paraphrase.

The final unraveling of a plot in drama or fiction that provides the solution, an explanation, or an outcome is the

resolution.

According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which word best describes William the Conqueror as a ruler?

severe

Phrases from Beowulf such as "the famous ring-giver," "the bracelet-wearing queen," and "Edgetho's brave son" exemplify what kind of Anglo-Saxon poetic feature?

stock epithet

A general concept that identifies an overarching element of a text—for example, mortality, obsession, class warfare, or adolescence—is known as a

subject (or topic).

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the color green, a pentangle, and the green girdle are all examples of what literary feature?

symbol

What is the term for a concrete object that's used in a text to represent an abstract concept or idea?

symbol

Beowulf mortally wounds Grendel by

tearing off his arm.

What is the name of the manuscript in which "The Wanderer" and "The Wife's Lament" were recorded?

the Exeter Book

What historical event marks the end of the Anglo-Saxon rule of England and a major shift in English culture?

the Norman Conquest,

Where can you find the source listed in an in-text citation?

the Works Cited page

One evidence of the mixing of pagan and Christian elements in Beowulf is

the assertion that wyrd is providence.

In Sir Gawain, by continuing to wear a green sash, what does every Round Table knight com- memorate?

the frailty of human hearts and the virtue of humility

What is syntax?

the grammatical structure of a sentence; the way a sentence is put together

Why is it important to include citations for your sources in all academic and professional writing?

to avoid plagiarism to allow readers to find more information to establish your credibility all of the above

What was the original purpose of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?

to inform

All of the following are examples of plagiarism/academic dishonesty except

using someone else's ideas accompanied by a signal phrase and citation.

The following quotation from Beowulf exemplifies what aspect of Anglo-Saxon culture and perspective? Fate will unwind as it must!

wyrd

The Anglo-Saxon term for fate is

wyrd.