Order and disorder
What Order and disorder means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Order and disorder
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Order and disorder in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
The movement of the text from an initial condition of order towards disorder as it passes through complication to catastrophe.
The structural patterning of the text as it moves from disorder to order.
Topics that use Order and disorder
- Aspects of comedy (AQA A-Level)
- Aspects of tragedy (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Ambiguity and unresolved endings
- Audience expectation and response
- Audience response and emotional effect
- Catharsis
- Classical tragedy
- Comic mood and tonal balance
- Comic versus tragic structure
- Complex plotting
Using Order and disorder in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise English Literature questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge