Note.—In answering some of the following questions the General Tables (Appendix I) will be of use.
1. With the aid of the following and other quotations, give an account of the origin and development of English blank verse. Compare and contrast the styles of the given extracts.
2. Point out the features of each of the following extracts that are typical of the author or his period. Write a brief critique of the style of each.
(1) Although there be none so ignorant that doth not know, neither any so impudent that will not confess, friendship to be the jewel of human joy: yet whosoever shall see this amity grounded upon a little affection, will soon conjecture that it shall be dissolved upon a light occasion: as in the sequel of Euphues and Philautus you shall soon see, whose hot love waxed soon cold: for as the best wine doth make the sharpest vinegar, so the deepest love turneth to the deadliest hate. Who deserved the most blame, in mine opinion, it is doubtful and so difficult, that I dare not presume to give verdict. For love being the cause for which so many mischiefs have been attempted, I am not yet persuaded whether of them was most to be blamed, but certainly neither of them was blameless.
Lyly, Euphues and his England
(2) A doubtful truce restored the appearances of concord, till the death of Abu Taleb abandoned Mahomet to the power of his enemies, at the moment when he was deprived of his domestic comforts by the loss of his faithful and generous Cadijah. Abu Sophian, the chief of the branch of Ommiyah, succeeded to the principality of the republic of Mecca. A zealous votary of the idols, a mortal foe of the line of Hashem, he convened an assembly of the Koreishites and their allies, to decide the fate of the apostle. His imprisonment might provoke the despair of his enthusiasm; and the exile of an eloquent and popular fanatic would diffuse the mischief through the provinces of Arabia. His death was resolved; and they agreed that a sword from each tribe should be buried in his heart, to divide the guilt of the blood, and baffle the vengeance of the Hashemites. An angel or a spy revealed their conspiracy; and flight was the only resource of Mahomet. At the dead of night, accompanied by his friend Abubeker, he silently escaped from his house: the assassins watched at the door; but they were deceived by the figure of Ali, who reposed on the bed, and was covered with the green vestment of the apostle.
Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
(3) There was no sleeping in the daytime on the planter’s clearing: the wages were too high to risk. Deesa sat on Moti Guj’s neck and gave him orders, while Moti Guj rooted up the stumps—for he owned a magnificent pair of tusks; or pulled at the end of a rope—for he had a magnificent pair of shoulders; while Deesa kicked behind the ears and said he was the king of elephants. At evening time Moti Guj would wash down his three hundred pounds’ weight of green food with a quart of arrack, and Deesa would take a share and sing songs between Moti Guj’s legs till it was time to go to bed. Once a week Deesa led Moti Guj down to the river, and Moti Guj lay on his side luxuriously in the shallows, while Deesa went over him with a coir-swab and a brick.... Then Deesa would look at his feet, and examine his eyes, and turn up the fringes of his mighty ears in case of sores or budding ophthalmia. After inspection, the two would “come up with a song from the sea,”
Moti Guj all black and shining, waving a torn tree branch twelve feet long in his trunk, and Deesa knotting up his own long wet hair.
Kipling, Moti Guj—Mutineer
(4) As the dawn was just breaking he found himself close to Covent Garden. The darkness lifted, and, flushed with faint fires, the sky hollowed itself into a perfect pearl. Huge carts filled with nodding lilies rumbled slowly down the polished empty street. The air was heavy with the perfume of the flowers, and their beauty seemed to bring him an anodyne for his pain. He followed into the market, and watched the men unloading their waggons. A white-smocked carter offered him some cherries. He thanked him, and wondered why he refused to accept any money for them, and began to eat them listlessly. They had been plucked at midnight, and the coldness of the moon had entered into them. A long line of boys carrying crates of striped tulips, and of yellow and red roses, defiled in front of him, threading their way through the huge jade-green piles of vegetables. Under the portico, with its grey sun-bleached pillars, loitered a group of draggled, bareheaded girls, waiting for the auction to be over. Others crowded round the swinging doors of the coffee-house in the Piazza. The heavy cart-horses slipped and stamped upon the rough stones, shaking their bells and trappings. Some of the drivers were lying asleep on a pile of sacks. Iris-necked and pink-footed, the pigeons ran about picking up seeds.
Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
3. With the aid of the following extracts, and of others known to you, say what subjects are best suited to the simple style in poetry. State the merits of the style, and its limitations. Write a critical note upon each of the given extracts.
4. Sketch the history of the prose drama from the Restoration to modern times. The following extracts are fairly typical of the style and formal features of the drama:
(1)(To them) Lady Wishfort and Fainall
Lady Wishfort. Nephew, you are welcome.
Sir Wilfull Witwoud. Aunt, your servant.
Fainall. Sir Wilfull, your most faithful servant.
Sir Wilfull. Cousin Fainall, give me your hand.
Lady Wishfort. Cousin Witwoud, your servant; Mr. Petulant, your servant—nephew, you are welcome again. Will you drink anything after your journey, nephew, before you eat? Dinner’s almost ready.
Sir Wilfull. I’m very well I thank you, aunt—however, I thank you for your courteous offer. ’Sheart, I was afraid you would have been in the fashion too, and have remembered to have forgot your relations. Here’s your cousin Tony, belike, I mayn’t call him brother for fear of offence.
Lady Wishfort. O he’s a rallier, nephew—my cousin’s a wit; and your great wits always choose to rally their best friends. When you have been abroad, nephew, you’ll understand raillery better. [Fainall and Mrs. Marwood talk apart.
Sir Wilfull. Why then let him hold his tongue in the meantime; and rail when that day comes.
Congreve, The Way of the World
(2) Mrs. Candour. What do you think of Miss Simper?
Sir Benjamin Backbite. Why, she has very pretty teeth.
Lady Teazle. Yes, and on that account, when she is neither speaking nor laughing (which very seldom happens), she never absolutely shuts her mouth, but leaves it always on a jar, as it were—thus—[Shows her teeth.
Mrs. Candour. How can you be so ill-natured?
Lady Teazle. Nay, I allow even that’s better than the pains Mrs. Prim takes to conceal her losses in front. She draws her mouth till it positively resembles the aperture of a poor’s-box, and all her words appear to slide out edgewise as it were thus: How do you do, madam? Yes, madam.[Mimics.
Lady Sneerwell. Very well, Lady Teazle; I see you can be a little severe.
Lady Teazle. In defence of a friend, it is but justice. But here comes Sir Peter to spoil our pleasantry.
Enter Sir Peter Teazle
Sir Peter. Ladies, your most obedient. [Aside] Mercy on me, here is the whole set! a character dead at every word, I suppose.
Sheridan, The School for Scandal
(3) Sarah [tidying herself, in great excitement]. Let you be sitting here and keeping a great blaze, the way he can look on my face; and let you seem to be working, for it’s a great love the like of him have to talk of work.
Michael [moodily, sitting down and beginning to work at a tin can]. Great love, surely.
Sarah [eagerly]. Make a great blaze now, Michael Byrne.
[The Priest comes in on right; she comes forward in front of him.
Sarah [in a very plausible voice]. Good evening, your reverence. It’s a grand fine night, by the grace of God.
Priest. The Lord have mercy on us! What kind of living woman is it that you are at all?
Sarah. It’s Sarah Casey I am, your reverence, the Beauty of Ballinacree, and it’s Michael Byrne is below in the ditch.
Priest. A holy pair, surely! Let you get out of my way.
[He tries to pass by.
Sarah [keeping in front of him]. We are wanting a little word with your reverence.
Synge, The Tinker’s Wedding
(4) Hornblower enters—a man of medium height, thoroughly broadened, blown out, as it were, with success. He has thick, coarse hair, just grizzled, very bushy eyebrows, a wide mouth. He wears quite ordinary clothes, as if that department were in charge of someone who knew about such things. He has a small rose in his buttonhole, and carries a Homburg hat, which one suspects will look too small on his head.
Hornblower. Good morning! good morning! How are ye, Dawker? Fine morning! Lovely weather!
[His voice has a curious blend in its tone of brass and oil, and an accent not quite Scotch nor quite North country.
Haven’t seen ye for a long time Hillcrist.
Hillcrist [who has risen]. Not since I sold you Longmeadow and those cottages, I believe.
Hornblower. Dear me, now! that’s what I came about.
Hillcrist [subsiding again into his chair]. Forgive me! Won’t you sit down?
Hornblower [not sitting]. Have ye got gout? That’s unfortunate. I never get it. I’ve no disposition that way. Had no ancestors, you see. Just me own drinking to answer for.
Hillcrist. You’re lucky.
Galsworthy, The Skin Game
5. What do you understand by “Romanticism” in poetry? Point out any Romantic features in the following extracts. Does Romanticism take any other forms than those apparent in the given passages? Give an account of what is commonly known as the Romantic Revival. Are there any other periods in our literature in which Romanticism flourished?
6. In what respects are the following passages realistic? What are the chief aspects of realism in poetry? Are there any periods in our literature when realism was a prominent feature?
(3) (A newcomer overhears some men discussing his wife.)
7. Trace the presence of realistic elements in the English novel from Fielding to Thomas Hardy.
8. The following extracts illustrate the history of the ballad. What features have they in common, and in what respects do they differ? Trace the history of the ballad in English literature.
9. What effects had Milton’s politics and public work upon his prose and verse? In this respect compare him with Dryden. Write a general essay upon “The Influence of Contemporary Events upon the Poet and the Man of Letters.”
10. Observe the style and subject of each of the following extracts, and name the author of each. Write a critical comparison of the extracts. In what respects is each typical of its period?
(1) Then said Christian, “You make me afraid, but whither shall I fly to be safe? If I go back to mine own country, that is prepared for fire and brimstone; and I shall certainly perish there. If I can get to the celestial city, I am sure to be in safety there. I must venture. To go back is nothing but death; to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it. I will yet go forward.” So Mistrust and Timorous ran down the hill; and Christian went on his way. But thinking again of what he heard from the men, he felt in his bosom for his roll, that he might read therein and be comforted; but he felt and found it not.
(2) His prose is the model of the middle style: on grave subjects not formal, on light occasions not grovelling; pure without scrupulosity, and exact without apparent elaboration; always equable and always easy, without glowing words or pointed sentences. Addison never deviates from his track to snatch a grace; he seeks no ambitious ornaments and tries no hazardous innovations. His page is always luminous, but never blazes in unexpected splendour.
(3) Two men I honour, and no third. First, the toilworn Craftsman that with earth-made Implement laboriously conquers the Earth, and makes her man’s. Venerable to me is the hard Hand; crooked, coarse; wherein notwithstanding lies a cunning virtue, indefeasibly royal, as of the Sceptre of this Planet. Venerable too is the rugged face, all weather-tanned, besoiled, with its rude intelligence; for it is the face of a Man living manlike. O, but the more venerable for thy rudeness, and even because we must pity as well as love thee! Hardly-entreated Brother! For us was thy back so bent, for us were thy straight limbs and fingers so deformed: thou wert our Conscript, on whom the lot fell, and fighting our battles wert so marred.
11. Compare Shakespeare’s methods of description and characterization with those of Chaucer. Wherein lies the difference, and wherein the resemblance?
12. Give a historical account of the sonnet in English, from its inception to the death of Tennyson. Who were the most successful writers in this type of poetry, and why were they so successful?
13. Distinguish between wit and humor. In which class would you place the works of Chaucer, Bernard Shaw, Swift, Thackeray, Charles Lamb, Wilde, Goldsmith, and Shakespeare? Give reasons for your classification.
14. In what respects is Burns a national poet? Try to explain why in this respect he is unique in British literature.
15. It has been said that Shakespeare’s women characters are more important in his comedies than they are in his tragedies. Quote the examples of some of his plays in support of this statement, and try to account for it.
16. Compare any one of Shakespeare’s comedies with one by Goldsmith or Sheridan.
17. Trace the Celtic (Irish and Scottish) influence in English literature. Can you account for the comparative poverty of the Welsh influence in English?
18. Mention some of the great English nature-poets. What is their outlook upon nature? What aspects of nature particularly appealed to them? State your preference among the poets you mention, quote from his works, and give reasons for your choice.
19. Discuss the statement that “Wycliff, Langland, and Chaucer are the three great figures of English literature in the Middle Ages.” Would you place any of their contemporaries along with them?
20. What is Chaucer’s attitude to chivalry and to the Church? Compare his Knight (in The Prologue) with a similar character of Spenser and Tennyson.
21. Give a historical account of the English essay (a) from its origin to the death of Addison; (b) from the death of Addison to the death of Charles Lamb; (c) from the time of Lamb to modern times. Then give a brief summary of the history of the essay, indicating its periods of progress and decay.
22. What are the chief merits of the literary essay? Mention some English essayists who approach the ideal essay-manner.
23. Distinguish between the tale and the novel. Show how the one developed into the other. Give some account of one medieval and one modern prose tale-teller.
24. Mention five books of exploration and travel. Give a more detailed account of the one that appeals most strongly to you. What are the ideals to which in your opinion the travel-book ought to aspire?
25. Compare Milton’s Samson Agonistes with any tragedy by Shakespeare.
26. Account for the late appearance of historical literature, and sketch its subsequent development.
27. In the light of your knowledge of the English lyric criticize Shelley’s statement that “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.”
28. Give an account of the verse-tale (a) from Chaucer to Dryden and (b) from Crabbe to William Morris. What style and meter are best adapted to the verse-tale? Illustrate by means of extracts.
29. Estimate the importance of journalism as an aid to literature; give a short account of its rise; and add a note upon the literary attainments of modern journalism.
30. What effect had the attitude of the Church upon the early drama? Has the Church exerted any influence, good or bad, on any other kind of literature?
31. Mention some of the earliest literary critics in English; and continue with a brief history of literary criticism up to modern times.
32. Mention three important biographies in English. In what respects do they conform to the ideal biography?
33. Consider the works of Dickens, Wordsworth (especially his sonnets), Samuel Butler (1835–1902), Milton (both prose and verse), Gibbon, Bunyan, and Shelley as political, religious, or social propaganda. Write a general essay on the use and abuse of propaganda in works of literature.
34. Estimate the value of the work of the female novelist and the poetess. In which of these two departments of literature is woman’s achievement the higher? Does the level of her accomplishment show any signs of rising?
35. Discuss Charles Lamb, Meredith, Walter Pater, John Ruskin, and R. L. Stevenson as prose stylists. Write an account of prose style during the nineteenth century.
36. What are the qualities of good poetical satire? Trace the course of the satire in English from Dryden to Byron.
37. Compare Scott and Byron as poetical tale-tellers, as lyrical writers, and as men. Comment upon the history of their respective reputations.
38. What is meant by an “ode”? What are the requirements of a good ode? Mention the chief odes in English, from those of Spenser to those of Tennyson.
39. Compare Lycidas, Adonais, and The Scholar-Gipsy as elegies. Add to this an account of other important English elegies, and sketch the growth of this type of poem.
40. Give a short account of six heroines in standard English novels; add an account of six heroines of poems; and conclude with a description of six of Shakespeare’s heroines.
41. What was Scott’s contribution to the historical novel? How far has the historical novel advanced since his death?
42. Mention some patriotic poems in English. What are the merits and chief weaknesses of this particular kind of poetry?
43. In Irish and Scottish literature are there any literary peculiarities that are essentially Irish and Scottish? Discuss the general question of nationality in literature.
44. Taking Lamb, Scott, George Eliot, Charlotte Brontë, and Junius as the chief examples, consider the use of the nom de plume or of anonymity in literature. To what extent is anonymity a feature of modern journalism?
45. What novels dealing with life in India or British colonial life are known to you? Have they any features in common?
46. Has the spread of modern education affected the standard of literature? What species of literature has it encouraged, and which has it depressed?
47. Discuss the statement that “the English epic began and ended with Milton.” Trace the course of the epic in English.
48. Justify the statement that “English poetry is full of the color and odor of the sea.” Who are the chief sea-poets in English?
49. Is the cinematograph likely to affect the literature of the future? Is it likely to affect in any way the literature of the past?
50. (a) Write a paragraph of description and criticism upon each of the following works:
Gulliver’s Travels, Sesame and Lilies, The Fortunes of Nigel, Doctor Faustus, Ancren Riwle, Henry Esmond, The Nigger of the Narcissus, Absalom and Achitophel, Euphues and his England, The Faithful Shepherdess, Locksley Hall, Jude the Obscure, Il Penseroso, The Pickwick Papers, Abt Vogler, Urne Buriall, Northanger Abbey, The Blessed Damozel, To a Mouse, The Vanity of Human Wishes, The Egoist, Paradise Regained, Satires of Circumstance, The Woman in White, Lady Windermere’s Fan, The Dance of the Sevin Deidlie Sins, Old Mortality, Tono-Bungay, Plays for Puritans.
(b) Write a paragraph on each of the following characters. Mention the work in which each appears, and write a critical estimate:
Jeanie Deans, Prospero, Sir Charles Grandison, Michael Fane, Delilah, Sir Galahad, Mr. Collins, Jos Sedley, Mrs. Proudie, Falstaff, Roderick Random, Major Barbara, Enoch Arden, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Arthur Kipps, Maggie Tulliver, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Childe Harold, Hilda Lessways, Marmion, Angel Clare, Archimago, Sairey Gamp, Alan Breck, Peter Pan, Dr. Primrose, Amyas Leigh, the Wife of Bath, Mrs. Battle, Lord Jim.
(c) Mention works in which the following types or professions are depicted. Estimate the degree of success attained in each character.
Miser; hypocrite; jester; soldier of fortune; adventuress; undergraduate; surgeon; country parson; detective; Puritan; peasant-farmer; artist; cook; innkeeper; magician; statesman; religious fanatic; garrulous woman; dominie; shepherd; dunce; usurer; boaster; murderer; fisherman; tramp; carpenter; naval officer; conspirator; antiquary.