English Literature A-Level

Illusion versus reality

What Illusion versus reality means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel.

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Reference: AQA

The clash between Willy's illusions about success and popularity and Biff's failure to 'make it', exposing the gap between Willy's self-image and reality.

AQA · Aspects of tragedy - Set texts: Drama and further texts (study guide)

The poem shifts from the collective, colloquial illusion of waiting for a sparkling future to the stark, inevitable reality of death.

Pearson Edexcel · Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Post-1900 – The Movement – Philip Larkin: The Less Deceived (Faber, 2011) (study guide)

A theme linked to Fitzgerald's stylistic choices, such as his lyrical prose, in the novel.

OCR · 5d. Component 02 – Comparative and contextual study core and suggested set texts - Core set texts for Comparative and contextual study: American Literature 1880–1940

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