English Literature A-Level
Catharsis
What Catharsis means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of Catharsis
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Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Catharsis in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
The movement from emotional disturbance to insight, where the audience leaves with a clearer, sadder grasp of what humans are like.
Topics that use Catharsis
- Aspects of tragedy (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Ambiguity and unresolved endings
- Audience expectation and response
- Classical tragedy
- Complication, climax and catastrophe
- Determinism and free will
- Domestic tragedy
- Hamartia
- Order and disorder
Using Catharsis in the exam
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