English Literature GCSE
The river and the city as living presences
What The river and the city as living presences means in English Literature GCSE, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definition of The river and the city as living presences
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain The river and the city as living presences in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: Pearson Edexcel
Personification endows the city with life, as in the river gliding at its own sweet will and the mighty heart lying still.
Topics that use The river and the city as living presences
- Component 2: 19th-century Novel and Poetry since 1789 - Poetry Anthology: Time and Place (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
- Alienation
- Anti-pastoral
- Control and restriction in the city
- Encounter with the sublime and mysterious
- Family relationships
- Fear and vulnerability in modern travel
- Homesickness and longing
- Human boundary versus the vast power of nature
Using The river and the city as living presences 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.
Start free
All English Literature GCSE termsA week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge