Unit 1
Readers, Writers, and Texts
How language creates meaning; the relationship between author, text, and audience. Understanding purpose, audience, context, and how literary/non-literary texts construct meaning through form, style, and content.
Register
Tone
Purpose
Audience
Diction
Syntax
Narrative Voice
Example (Paper 1 Style)
In a political speech: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds." — The anaphora of "we shall" creates a collective resolve.
✓ Answer: Anaphora reinforces unity and determination through rhythmic repetition of the pronoun "we."
Unit 2
Time & Space
How texts reflect, represent, and are shaped by their time, place, and cultural context. Historical, social, and geographical settings as sites of meaning; how context shapes interpretation.
Context
Setting
Intertextuality
Cultural Identity
Zeitgeist
Unit 3
Intertextuality: Connecting Texts
How texts draw on, respond to, and transform other texts. Allusion, pastiche, parody, homage, and how meaning is shaped by relationships between works across genres and traditions.
Allusion
Parody
Pastiche
Archetype
Homage
Units 4–5
Language & Literary Devices
The tools writers use to create effect: figurative language, structural devices, sound devices, and how they contribute to meaning, mood, and argument.
Metaphor
Simile
Imagery
Irony
Juxtaposition
Enjambment
Caesura
Sibilance
Practice Example
"The fog comes / on little cat feet." (Carl Sandburg)
✓ Extended metaphor / personification — the fog is given feline qualities, suggesting stealth and quiet encroachment. Effect: creates an atmosphere of silent, gradual arrival.
Unit 6
Paper 1: Textual Analysis
Unseen text analysis in guided (SL) or comparative (HL) form. Analysing structure, purpose, audience, stylistic choices, and their effects on meaning. Awareness of genre conventions is essential.
Guiding Question
Comparative Analysis
Genre Conventions
Effect
Structure
Unit 7
Paper 2: Literary Essay
Comparative essay on two works studied in class. Focuses on theme, characterization, narrative technique, and the relationship between form and meaning. Requires close textual evidence and clear argument.
Thesis
Comparative Structure
Theme
Characterisation
Textual Evidence