AP English Literature & Composition · Unit 6 · Allusions, literary tradition, historical context, author biography
Intertextuality & Cultural Context: every key term you need
20 flashcard terms for AP English Literature & Composition Unit 6, written to match the course framework. Study them here, then drill them as interactive flashcards — free, no account needed.
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Allusion Reference to another work, person, event, often assuming reader knowledge; enriches text; requires recognition for full impact.
Literary Allusion Reference to other literature; Gatsby references The Great Gatsby's themes of American Dream.
Biblical Allusion Reference to Bible; wide cultural knowledge assumed; titles like East of Eden, Beloved draw on religious text.
Mythological Allusion Reference to myths; Ulysses references Homer; classical education assumed; adds archetypal resonance.
Intertextuality Text's relationship to other texts; explicit (quotations, allusions) or implicit (shared themes, structures, conventions).
Homage vs Parody vs Pastiche Homage: respectful tribute; Parody: mocking imitation; Pastiche: imitation without mockery; show relationship to predecessor.
Canon Texts considered most important in literary tradition; canon changes over time, reflects cultural values.
Literary Tradition Body of works creating context; writer responds to, builds on, challenges tradition; reader benefits from knowing tradition.
Historical Context Time and place of composition and publication; shapes themes, language, concerns; affects meaning.
Authorial Context Author's life, beliefs, experiences; informs work; but reader should focus on text not biography.
Historical Accuracy Whether work accurately represents historical events; historical fiction balances fact and imagination.
Modernism Early 20th-century literary movement; experimental form, stream of consciousness, fragmentation; rejection of realism.
Realism Literary movement valuing accurate representation of ordinary life and people; precise detail, realistic dialogue.
Romanticism Literary movement emphasizing emotion, imagination, nature, individualism; reaction to Enlightenment rationality.
Gothic Genre/literary mode emphasizing mystery, darkness, supernatural; Gothic castle, mad woman in attic are conventions.
Naturalism Extension of realism; humans shaped by environment/heredity; deterministic view; society's failures depicted.
Existentialism Philosophical stance; human existence precedes essence; freedom and responsibility central; Sartre, Camus.
Existential Themes Absurdity, freedom, responsibility, authenticity, isolation; meaninglessness and human response to it.
Author's Biography Life events influencing work; Bronte sisters' isolated upbringing shaped gothic works; context enriches understanding.
Author Intentionality What author meant vs what text means; modern criticism separates author's intent from textual meaning; debate in literary theory.
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