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LITS2306 (E23F) HISTORY OF CRITICISM PAST EXAM PAPERS 2007-2008 Answer TWO questions in all. In each answer, you should compare the views of at least TWO theorists. 1. Discuss the meaning of the term ‘Romanticism’ with reference to the views of TWO of the following: Vico, Herder, Humboldt, Du Bois, Brathwaite. 2. "Originals are the fairest flowers: Imitations are of quicker growth, but fainter bloom" (Young). To what degree is an emphasis on originality characteristic of Romantic and neo-Romantic views of literature? Discuss with reference to the views of TWO such theorists studied (e.g. ‘Longinus,’ Young, Schleiermacher, Brathwaite). 3. Compare and contrast the views of TWO of the following theorists on the question of literary history: Taine, Arnold ("The Study of Poetry"), Eliot, Brathwaite (e.g. "Sir Galahad and the Islands," "Roots" and "The African Presence in Caribbean Literature"). 4. Discuss the difference between ‘realism’ and ‘naturalism’ by comparing the views of TWO of the following: Zola, Watt, Ramchand (The West Indian Novel and its Background). 5. "What is this song or picture, this engaging personality presented in life or in a book, to me? What effect does it really produce on me?" (Pater). Would Arnold (in "The Function of Criticism"), Richards and/or Ramchand (in "Concern for Criticism") agree that this is the crucial question for the critic? 6. "Form expresses the spirit of each artist. . . . Just as every artist has his message, so has every race. . . . This relationship is reflected in form and is called nationality" (Kandinsky). Discuss the response of ONE of the following to this claim: Ransom, Brooks, Walcott. 2006-2007 Answer TWO (2) questions. Please do EITHER 5 OR 6, but NOT BOTH. 1 Each question requires that you demonstrate knowledge of at least TWO thinkers studied in Module 2 of this course. The two thinkers that you use to answer your first question should not be used to answer your second question. Your answers are to be in essay format. 2. Contrast the notion of an ‘essential self’ with that of a ‘socially constructed self’ with reference to the views of at least TWO (2) critical thinkers. 3. "Genius occurs at the expense of judgment." Discuss with reference to the views of at least TWO (2) theorists. 4. To what extent can the literary text be expected to offer an objective representation of nature? Answer with reference to at least TWO (2) theorists. 5. Taine declares that "I am about to write the history of a literature, and to seek in it for the psychology of a people." Discuss, with reference to any TWO (2) of the following literary critics:
6. EITHER Discuss Matthew Arnold’s concept of ‘disinterested criticism’ with reference to ONE (1) of the following:
2005-2006 Answer two (2) questions. 1. Compare the views of two of the following on the nature of identity: Herder; Hegel; Du Bois; Wollstonecraft. 2. "This living reading, this divination into the soul of the author, is the sole mode of reading" (Herder). Compare the views two of the following on how this may be accomplished: Longinus; Young; Schleiermacher. 3. Literature offers us insight, Taine argues, into the "psychology of a soul, frequently of an age, now and then of a race." Compare Taine’s view with that of one of the following: Arnold (in "The Study of Poetry"); Eliot; Brathwaite; Woolf. 4. "The true artist, the true poet, should paint only in accordance with what he sees and what he feels. He should be really true to his own nature" (Baudelaire). Can literature offer an impartial representation of reality? To answer this question, compare the views of two of the following: James; Zola; Ramchand (in The West Indian Novel and its Background); Register. 5. "The critic ought to say: ‘Gentlemen, I am going to talk about myself on the subject of Shakespeare, or Racine, or Pascal, or Goethe’" (Anatole France). Comparing the views of two of the following, discuss whether criticism can be objective: Arnold (in "The Function of Criticism"); Richards; Achebe, Ramchand (in "Concern for Criticism"); Fetterley. 2004-2005
Answer two Questions. In questions 2 and 3, you should compare the
views of one Anglo-American theorist with those of one Post-colonial theorist.
2. “To see the object as in itself it really is” (Arnold). In the light of this comment, compare the views of two of the following on the function of criticism: Arnold, Richards, Achebe, and Ramchand. 3. The issue foregrounded by the novel, Watt asserts, is the “problem of the correspondence between the literary work and the reality which it imitates.” Discuss with reference to the views of two of the following theorists: James, Watt, Achebe, and Ramchand. 4. Eliot contends that the “significance” of a poet “is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists.” Compare Eliot’s views with Brathwaite’s on the relationship of the author to tradition. 5. Is it fair to say that the New Critics make a “fetish of form” (Kazin)? Answer with reference to the views of at least two of the following theorists: Ransom, Wimsatt and Beardsley, and Brooks. 2003-2004 Answer TWO (2) questions in all, ONE from section A and THE OTHER from section B. Section A: the Early Modern Period: 17th and Eighteenth Centuries: 1. Discuss a possible contradiction between Johnson’s view that it is the "greatest excellency of art to imitate nature" and his view that it is vital to "distinguish those parts of nature which are most proper for imitation." 2. Examine Mary Wollstonecraft’s views on the effect that reading has on the female character. 3. In what ways is Wordsworth’s theory of literature Neo-classical and in what ways is it Romantic? Section B: the Nineteenth Century (and After): 4. Discuss Shelley’s view of the poet’s Imagination as the main "portal of expression from the caverns of the spirit . . . into the universe of things." 5. Explain Arnold’s notion of "disinterestedness" in criticism. 6. Discuss Ramchand’s view that critics must adopt a "larger contextual view of modern West Indian writing" given the "deterministic effect" which "social factors" have on it. 2002-2003 Answer TWO (2) questions in all, ONE from section A and THE OTHER from section B. Section A: the Early Modern Period: 1. Discuss some of the causes of "judging ill" listed by Pope. 2. The Romantic theorist Shelley defines poetry as the "expression of the imagination." In what ways does this formula mark a significant departure from the Neo-Classical model of literature? 3. Taine argues that literary works reveal the "psychology of a soul, frequently of an age, now and then of a race." Discuss the implications of this view for critical practice. Section B: the Modern Period: 4. Discuss Eliot’s "view of the relation of the poem to its author" in "Tradition and the Individual Talent." 5. In what ways, according to Watt, does the modern novel reject traditional "formal conventions"? 6. Either Discuss the implications for feminist criticism of Showalter’s distinction between ‘gynocriticism’ and ‘feminist critique.’
2001-2002 Answer TWO (2) questions in all, ONE from section A and THE OTHER from section B. Section A: Module 3: the Author (The Expressive Approach) 1. Discuss the five main sources of the sublime in literature, according to ‘Longinus’? 2. Discuss either Taine’s model of literary history or Brathwaite’s in "Caribbean Critics." 3. What are the principal questions, according to Woolf, which arise in relation to women’s literary history prior to the twentieth century? How does she answer her own questions? Section B: Module 4: the Literary Work (The Objective Approach) 4. What do you understand by Ransom’s distinction between the ‘logical core’ and ‘local texture’ of a poem? How does Brooks build upon this distinction in his own theory of poetry? 5. Using the attached short story ("The Bridge" by Janice Shinebourne) to illustrate your answer, outline the principal objectives of and characteristic steps taken by Neo-Aristotelian critics (e.g. Crane, Booth) interested in analysing plot-structure. 6. "Few, if any, theorists in either the feminist or the Anti-colonial camp have sought to focus exclusively on matters of literary form." Referring to the work of two (2) such theorists whom you have studied at any time this semester, discuss some of the reasons why this might be the case. 2000-2001 Answer TWO (2) questions in all, each from a different section. Section A: The Expressive Approach (The Author) 1. Using the attached poem (Shakespeare's sonnet #130) to illustrate your answer, discuss the principal objectives of and characteristic steps taken by a critic who practices what Coleridge would call a ‘genial criticism.’ 2. Referring closely to the views of TWO (2) of the following theorists, discuss what you understand by the concept of literary history:
Section B: The Objective Approach (The Work) 3. Discuss Aristotle’s concept of plot and show how ONE (1) of the following theorists has sought to apply his insights to the study of narrative:
4. Using the attached poem (Shakespeare's sonnet #130) to illustrate your answer, discuss the principal objectives of and characteristic steps taken by a critic who practices what has come to be called New Criticism. Section C: The Pragmatic Approach (The Reader) 5. Discuss the views of TWO (2) of the following theorists on the formative effect of literature upon the reader:
1999-2000 Answer any TWO questions. Do not use substantially the same material for both answers. 1. Either "Comprehensive, but not infallible." Consider this view of Aristotle’s Poetics.
2. Either "The pragmatic orientation characterized the greatest part of criticism from the time of Horace through the eighteenth century." Explain what you understand by "pragmatic orientation." And referring to at least three critical statements, say how far you agree with this assertion.3. Either "A comprehensive and insightful view of the critical process." Do you agree with this assessment of Abrams’ scheme for identifying various kinds of critical theory and practice? Refer to your own reading and to the critical statements studied for this course.
3. Either "The history of literary criticism is a footnote to the Poetics." Examine the influence of Aristotle’s ideas about imaginative literature in the light of this comment.
4. Either Explain what you understand by the expressive theory of imaginative literature as outlined by the Romantic critics and discuss its strengths and weaknesses. Refer to the statement of one Romantic critic.
"FUTILITY" by Wilfred Owen Move him into the sun -- 4. Either "Ordering the aim of the artist and the Character of the work to the nature, the need, and the wellsprings of pleasure in the audience, characterized by far the greatest part of criticism from the time of Horace through the eighteen century." Discuss with specific reference to the work of at least two critics.
1998-1999 Course not offered. 1997-1998 1. Either "Comprehensive, but not infalliable." Consider Aristotle’s Poetics in the light of this statement.
2. Either "From Horace to Samuel Johnson there is no real advancement or innovation in literary theory, only restatements and refinements of Aristotle and Plato." Discuss with reference to work of at least two critics from the following list: Horace, Sidney, Ben Jonson and Samuel Johnson.
3. Either In what ways does the critical theory of the Romantic period illustrate an "expressive" orientation? Refer to the critical statement of one writer.
4. Either Say which of the theorists for this course have influenced your own practice as a critic. Explain how and why with reference to literary texts you have read.
Answer any TWO questions. 1. Either "The history of literary criticism is a footnote to the Poetics." Examine the influence of Aristotle’s ideas about imaginative literature in the light of this comment. Refer to the critical statements of at least two periods.
2. Either Write an essay on what you consider to be the major differences between the critical theories of the Renaissance and those of the Neoclassical age. Refer to one statement from each period.
3. Either "The literary theory of the Romantics represents a complete break with the past." Discuss this remark with reference to the work of one Romantic critic.
4. Either Say which literary theorist studies for this course have influenced your own practice as a critic. Explain how and why.
1995-1996 Answer any TWO questions. 1. Either "Aristotle’s Poetics is neither an infallible guide nor an outdated textbook, but for breath of outlook and sanity of judgement, for sheer penetrating power into the mysteries of imaginative writing, the work is unrivalled." Discuss.
2. Either What do you consider to be the essential differences between the critical theories of the Renaissance and those of the Neoclassical period? Refer to at least one statement from each era.
3. Either "The Romantic period formulated its new doctrine in conscious opposition to Neoclassicism." Discuss with reference to at least one critic from each era. Or In what ways do Romantic critical statements illustrate an "expressive" theory of imaginative writing? Refer to the work of at least two Romantic writers.
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