Y08W20VC Theme Words — Literature & society

To show or mirror something; in a literary context, to express or embody an aspect of society or culture.

Word family: reflection (n.), reflective (adj.)

Example: The novel reflects the anxieties of the post-war period through its characters’ preoccupation with loss and uncertainty.

Synonyms: mirror, embody, show

Collocations: reflect society, reflect values, be a reflection of

To analyse and evaluate something, identifying both strengths and weaknesses or exposing underlying assumptions.

Word family: critique (n.), critical (adj.)

Example: The novel critiques the class system by showing how characters are trapped by expectations based on their birth.

Synonyms: analyse, challenge, question

Collocations: critique society, critique assumptions, critique the idea

A particular way of seeing or interpreting something, shaped by position, experience, or values.

Example: Reading a text from a marginalised perspective can reveal dimensions of meaning invisible to the dominant reading.

Synonyms: viewpoint, standpoint, angle

Collocations: narrative perspective, critical perspective, consider the perspective

To hint at or warn of a future event in a narrative, creating anticipation or dread.

Word Breakdown: fore- (prefix meaning ‘before’)

Word family: foreshadowing (n.)

Example: The ominous clouds described in the opening scene foreshadow the tragedy that will unfold later in the novel.

Synonyms: hint at, signal, prefigure

Collocations: foreshadow events, foreshadow the ending, subtly foreshadow

To make an indirect reference to something without mentioning it explicitly.

Word family: allusion (n.)

Example: The author alludes to Greek mythology in her description of the protagonist’s journey.

Synonyms: hint at, reference, suggest

Collocations: allude to, make an allusion, indirectly allude

To stand for, depict, or be a symbol of something; to act on behalf of a person or group.

Word family: representation (n.), representative (adj.)

Example: In the novel, the crumbling mansion represents the decline of the old social order.

Synonyms: symbolise, depict, stand for

Collocations: represent society, represent values, be represented

To build or create something deliberately, especially in a conceptual or textual sense.

Word family: construction (n.), constructed (adj.)

Example: The author constructs the villain as a product of societal neglect rather than innate evil.

Synonyms: build, create, develop

Collocations: construct an argument, construct meaning, social construct

To tell a story or give an account of events, either as the author or through a narrative voice.

Word family: narrator (n.), narration (n.)

Example: The story is narrated from the perspective of a child, which limits the reader’s access to information.

Synonyms: tell, recount, relate

Collocations: narrate events, first-person narrator, narrative perspective

A writing function phrase that signals the writer is offering one possible interpretation of a text or detail.

Example: The protagonist chooses silence over speech at the novel’s climax; this can be read as an act of resistance.

Synonyms: this could be interpreted as, one reading of this is, this may suggest

Collocations: this can be read as a, this can be read as an act of, this can be read as evidence