A Level English Literature Edexcel

This subject offers 679 topics in 52 modules:

  1. A Doll's House 25 topics
  2. The Color Purple 16 topics
  3. A Midsummer Night's Dream 6 topics
  4. Antony and Cleopatra 6 topics
  5. A Streetcar Named Desire 17 topics
  6. A Thousand Splendid Suns 16 topics
  7. Atonement 6 topics
  8. Beloved 6 topics
  9. Chaucer: Medieval Poet 1 topics
  10. Chaucer: Medieval Poet (Wife of Bath) 11 topics
  11. Christina Rossetti: Victorian Poet 30 topics
  12. Dracula 6 topics
  13. Dr Faustus 6 topics
  14. Frankenstein 17 topics
  15. Hamlet 6 topics
  16. Hard Times 6 topics
  17. Heart of Darkness 6 topics
  18. John Donne: Metaphysical Poet 39 topics
  19. John Keats: Romantic Poet 23 topics
  20. King Lear 6 topics
  21. Measure for Measure 6 topics
  22. Mrs Dalloway 6 topics
  23. My Antonia 6 topics
  24. Never Let Me Go 6 topics
  25. Othello 17 topics
  26. Philip Larkin: The Movement Poet 28 topics
  27. Poems of the Decade 17 topics
  28. Poems of the Decade (Anthology) 20 topics
  29. Taming of the Shrew 6 topics
  30. Tess of the D'Urbervilles 6 topics
  31. The Duchess of Malfi 6 topics
  32. The Great Gatsby 22 topics
  33. The Handmaid's Tale 15 topics
  34. The Home Place 6 topics
  35. The Importance of Being Earnest 6 topics
  36. The Little Stranger 20 topics
  37. The Lonely Londoners 6 topics
  38. The Medieval Period: Mystery Plays 3 topics
  39. The Metaphysical Poets (Anthology) 35 topics
  40. The Modernist Poets (Anthology) 31 topics
  41. The Movement Poets (Anthology) 35 topics
  42. The Picture of Dorian Gray 6 topics
  43. The Pitman Painters 6 topics
  44. The Pitmen Painters 1 topics
  45. The Romantic Poets (Anthology) 26 topics
  46. The Rover 6 topics
  47. The Victorian Poets (Anthology) 34 topics
  48. The War of the Worlds 6 topics
  49. T S Eliot: Modernist Poet 18 topics
  50. Twelfth Night 6 topics
  51. Waiting for Godot 6 topics
  52. Wuthering Heights 6 topics
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  • 52
    modules
  • 679
    topics
  • 229,590
    words of revision content
  • 29+
    hours of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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English Literature

A Doll's House

A Doll's House: Character Profiles

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A Doll's House: Character Profiles

Nora Helmer

  • Nora is the play's protagonist and tormented heroine. She is the wife of Torvald Helmer and a mother of three children.
  • At the beginning of the play, Nora is portrayed as childlike and naive, and is treated more like a doll than a person by her husband.
  • Despite this initial impression, Nora reveals that she borrowed money illegally to save Torvald's life, demonstrating her significantly more tactical and rebellious side.
  • Nora's decision to leave her family at the end signifies her rebellion against societal norms, and the pursuit of her individuality and freedom.

Torvald Helmer

  • Torvald is Nora's husband. He is portrayed as condescending and controlling towards his wife.
  • His view of Nora as weak and incapable mirrors 19th-century patriarchal attitudes.
  • However, Torvald's life also orbits around societal expectations, which is highlighted when Nora's secret threatens his reputation.
  • His inability to forgive Nora reveals his true nature shaped by societal standards, rather than his proclaimed love for Nora.

Krogstad

  • Krogstad is the man from whom Nora borrowed money. His threat to expose her elicits a series of dramatic events.
  • Depicted as a villain in the beginning, he proves himself more understanding than Torvald, demonstrating Ibsen's exploration of deceit and appearances.
  • His redemption in the end in the form of his reunion with Christine also underscores the theme of societal pressures and their impact on personal morality.

Christine Linde

  • Christine is Nora's school friend. Her situation differs from Nora's - she willingly entered into a loveless marriage for financial security.
  • Following her husband's death, she has been juggling various jobs to survive and decides to seek employment from Torvald.
  • Christine serves as a foil to Nora, presenting an alternative view of womanhood.
  • Her reunion with Krogstad also provides a contrast with Nora's decision, reflecting the complexity of women's choices in a patriarchal society.

Dr. Rank

  • Dr. Rank is a family friend who secretly loves Nora. His terminal illness adds a sobering perspective on life and death in the play.
  • His frankness stands in stark contrast to Nora and Torvald's relationship, which is built on illusions and secrets.
  • Dr. Rank also serves as a reminder of the imperfections that lurk underneath respectable societal surfaces.

Course material for English Literature, module A Doll's House, topic A Doll's House: Character Profiles

English Literature

Poems of the Decade

Comparing and contrasting between poems, looking for thematic, stylistic and contextual connections.

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Comparing and contrasting between poems, looking for thematic, stylistic and contextual connections.

Identifying Connections Between Poems

  • Begin by identifying the main themes in both poems. Look for any recurring motifs or patterns in both. They might be directly related or they could be paradoxical, providing contrast. This will help build a first layer of comparison or contrast.

  • Apart from themes, identify stylistic elements such as language, form, structure, and rhyme scheme. Analyse if both poets use similar methods to express their perspectives or if they differ significantly.

  • Check for imagery and symbols in both poems. Do the poets employ similar images or symbols to represent their ideas or emotions? For instance, both could use nature as a metaphor but one might associate it with freedom while the other associates it with constraint.

Delving Deeper Into the Poems

  • Look for both overt and subtle linguistic techniques. Puns, alliteration, onomatopoeia, or rhythm might be used by both poets but to varying effects and for different purposes.

  • Take note of the mood or tone of each poem. Think about whether they are similar or if they starkly contrast, and consider how this influences the messages or ideas being expressed by the poets.

  • Analyse the narrative or speaker’s perspective and how it impacts the poem. Are the speakers in both poems akin, do they share a similar viewpoint, or are they dissimilar, providing contrast?

Contextual Links

  • Understand the historical, social, or personal contexts in which each poem was written. This might involve some research outside the poem itself. Look to see if these contexts interlink or diverge significantly.

  • Evaluate the purpose of the poems in the context of the time they were written. Do they aim to challenge societal norms, influence the reader, or celebrate something particular? The poets' objectives can be a rich source of comparison and contrast.

  • Reflect on whether the poets have been influenced by the same literary movement or ideology, or whether they arise from different literary contexts.

While comparing and contrasting poems, one must remember it isn’t enough to just spot these connections. Elaborate on their significance and effects on the reader and support any statements with appropriate quotations and references from the poems.

Course material for English Literature, module Poems of the Decade, topic Comparing and contrasting between poems, looking for thematic, stylistic and contextual connections.

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