English Literature A-Level
emotional paralysis
What emotional paralysis means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definition of emotional paralysis
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Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain emotional paralysis in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: Pearson Edexcel
The immobilising effect of absolute grief, conveyed through the 'monumental statue' metaphor, which renders the sufferer incapable of tears or expression.
Topics that use emotional paralysis
- Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Victorian Period – The New Oxford Book of Victorian Verse, editor Christopher Ricks (OUP, 2008) (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- Ageing and mortality
- Alienation and isolation
- Art and objectification
- Authorship and constructed identity
- Distance and proximity
- Divine vs romantic love
- Domesticity and hidden spaces
- Exile and isolation
Using emotional paralysis in the exam
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