Volta
What Volta means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for OCR, Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Volta
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 Volta in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: Pearson Edexcel
The turn in the sestet, introduced by 'Yet if you should forget me for a while', marking a shift from selfish desire to selfless love.
The turn at the beginning of the sestet that marks a profound psychological shift in the speaker's attitude.
A turn in the sonnet that shifts the setting from a heavenly search to an earthly discovery.
Topics that use Volta
- 5c. Component 01 – Drama and poetry pre-1900 selected poems - Christina Rossetti – Selected Poems (OCR A-Level)
- Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – Metaphysical Poetry – Metaphysical Poetry, editor Colin Burrow (Penguin, 2006) (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
- 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
- Earthly versus divine love
- Grief and Loss
- Nature and the seasons
- Petrarchan sonnet
- Victorian mourning conventions
- Ageing and mortality
- Ageing and the loss of youth
- Alchemy and Science
Using Volta 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