Here are a couple of sample exam questions. You are asked to write an answer that is 2-3 paragraphs long (say a page, in an exam booklet).
There will be questions on each of the texts we studied, and you will be asked to answer 8 of them.
- Is race important in “Everyday Use”? Why/Why not?
- What is the effect of the shifting points of view in “Mrs Turner Cutting the Grass?
- How does the fragmentary and interwoven structure of Everything is Illuminated affect your experience as a reader?
- Pick a theme from The Great Gatsby; give 3 examples of how this theme is represented in the novel.
- Give 2 examples of the use of irony in Weldon’s story “Ind Aff…” How does this irony affect your experience as a reader?
If you still need Reading Responses, you go look at the Collected Works of Saki (HH Munro) – the full text is available in google books. You may write one or two responses on any of his stories.
For the MWF class, these responses are due on Monday November 24, for the Thursday class, they are due Thursday November 27.
I kind of liked this one from the New Yorker. It’s quite short, so we can all read it and discuss. Do have a poke around the fiction section; there are lots of stories on line, so if something takes your fancy, read it too, and we can talk about it on Monday.
Here’s the link to In Defense of Mrs Elton, which is mentioned on the Essay question sheet.
Essay questions (in case you lose them):
research-essay The questions are the same for both sections; just be sure to double check the due date on your course outline.
A couple of people were asking for the information for your comparison essay. Here’s the text of the requirements. Due dates are as indicated on your Course Outline.
Length: 1200 to 1500 words
For this essay, you are required to write about two texts. You must choose one story or novel from the list of required reading; the second may be any text you wish. Your essay should use the comparison to make an observation about the stories; in other words, you need a thesis. An essay that just says: “Story A is like this. Story B is like this…” will not receive a mark higher than a C.
The following questions are meant as guidelines or inspiration. Some of them suggest comparisons with works not found in your anthology. You are encouraged to develop your own topic; make sure you consult with Robyn about it.
1. “Clay” is a story from Joyce’s sequence, Dubliners “a representation of life in his native city of Dublin”. Choose one other story from this series, and explain how it and “Clay” portray Dublin life.
2. Compare “Dead Men’s Path” and “Everyday Use” as stories that examine the nature of culture and education.
3. Examine the use of household objects as symbols in “Everyday Use” and “I Stand Here Ironing”.
4. Can you argue that Foer is influenced by Barth?
5. “Meosis” is one of a series of three stories by Calvino. Does reading it in this context change its meaning?
6. “Recitatif” is a story that forces readers to confront their assumptions about race. Is this typical of Morrison’s work? Discuss with reference to one other text.
7. Write a comparison of “Funes the Memorious” and one other story from Borges’ collection, Labyrinths, focusing on how Borges’ plays with the shifting nature of reality and truth.
8. Is Weldon a feminist author? Discuss with reference to “Ind Aff…” and one other work.
9. Although there is a lot of speech in “Benny…” it is Benny’s silences which make up the story. Compare the nature of silence in “Benny…” and “Stones” by Findley.
10. Is “A&P” just a rewrite of “Araby”? Why or why not?
11. Take a literary concept we have discussed in class (Modernism, metafiction, unreliable narration) and discuss it with reference to two texts.
12. Develop a topic of your own and have it approved by your instructor.
All quotations from the text must be documented appropriately using MLA style. You are not required to do research for this essay, but you may if you wish (consult critical works on the story or the author, for example). When you consult other works, you must be sure to cite them appropriately in your essay, using MLA citation style. You must include a list of Works Cited with your essay.
Here’s the article I mentioned in class, written by Chinua Achebe (author of “Dead Man’s Path”): “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness“
Achebe, Conrad and colonialism or racism would make an interesting essay topic.
I would like to warn you about the dangers of googling this text; it’s a popular one, which might lead you to think there are lots of good resources on it on the web. However, most of the links google comes up with are to resources of dubious quality, like SparkNotes, or 123HelpMe. If you want to read some criticism or analysis, use the library’s research databases to look for articles from scholarly journals. Start here, and try searching for “Heart of Darkness” (title in quotes) in one of the databases, like Literary Reference Centre.
We have been talking about postmodern literature in class. Here is a list of reminders of some of the elements we identified:
- rejection or subversion of modernist ideas
- subversion of expectations about literary genres or other reader expectations
- use of different genres in one work
- confusion of narrative timeline
- incorporation of information and ideas from different sources, real or imaginary (pastiche)
- juxtaposition of the serious and playful or comic
- self-reflexive, self-knowing literature (metafiction)
- blurring of lines between reality, history and fiction (hyperreality)
- written post WWII
Some good links for further reading:
Postmodernism
Postmodern Literature – links to a series of articles and essays
Some Attributes of Postmodern Literature
Postmodern Literature with activities from Open Learning UK
