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Literary Glossary “Work Title”

Definition:“copy and quote the definition of the literary element”. Use your textbook.Parenthetically document correctly (Author’s Last Name page #).

Example:“Provide at least two examples of the definition from the work; quote the examples exactly and use quotation marks”; use proper parenthetically documentation (Author’s Last Name page #).

Function*: This is the 1st C, the CONTEXT of the work. This should generally be two-to-three sentences long and should include the work title and author. This is the 2nd C, the CONTENT based on the literary element defined above. The content section should include the literary element, effectively introduce a direct quote which exemplifies the element, and an explanation. Proper parenthetical documentation should be included as well. This example contains two “chunks” and explanations. The 3rd C is the CONNECTION between the content and a broader purpose/literary element. Examples of your connection include theme, mood, tone,author’s purpose, etc.

Works Cited

Create works cited entries as necessary. My webpage (look under links) or your textbook has MLA citation structure.

Sally Student

August 10, 2015

1st Period, English 12

Literary Glossary 1

Allusion:“a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art” (Wiggins R 24).

Example:“He was spawned in that slime,/Conceived by a pair of those monsters born/Of Cain, murderous creatures banished/By God, punished forever for the crime/Of Abel’s death” (Raffel 19-23).

Function*: In Burton Raffel’s translation of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, the title character is a great warrior who travels to Denmark to slay a beast who has been terrorizing King Hrothgar’s kingdom for twelve years. The opening lines of the poem which introduce the monster contain many allusions to the Biblical account of another fiend, Cain, who committed the first murder of man. This allusion enriches the narrative because its reference to Cain’s crime characterizes Grendel not just as a “murderous [creature]” himself but one whose ancestors have cursed him to be “banished/By God, punished forever for the crime/Of Abel’s death” (Raffel 19-23). He is part of a “brood forever opposing the Lord’s/Will, and again and again defeated” (Raffel 28-29). This second allusion refers to the fall of Lucifer from Heaven and his subsequent war against God, a war in which Grendel participates through his actions against Hrothgar. These Biblical allusions support the theme of Good versus Evil. Grendel, whose evil nature is inherent due to his ancestry, constantly opposes Hrothgar, who has been blessed and protected by God (Raffel 83-84). Their struggle echoes the struggle between Lucifer and God, further enriching the narrative and supporting its theme.

Works Cited

Raffel, Burton. "Beowulf."Prentice Hall Literature: The British Tradition. Ed. Grant P. Wiggins. Alabama Common Core Edition. Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2014. 40-63. Print.

Wiggins, Grant P. Ed. Prentice Hall Literature: The British Tradition. Alabama Common Core Edition. Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2014.