Professor Canada, October 3, 1997
20 minutes, 10 points
Identify and interpret five of the following items. In the case of literary devices such as setting, define the term and illustrate it by referring to a specific work or author. Explain the way this item contributes to the work's meaning or effect. In the case of quotations, identify the work or author and interpret the meaning of the quotation in the work. Defining or identifying the item is worth one point. Interpreting the significance of the item in a particular work is worth another point.
30 minutes, 10 points
Using what you know about character, symbolism, setting, plot, and other elements of fiction, identify and analyze a theme in one of the two novels we have read this semester. In your essay, you should refer to at least three elements of fiction--such as point of view, style, and allusion--and show how these elements convey a theme. You also may quote or paraphrase key passages from the novel and refer to material outside the novel, such as other stories, your personal experience, and the principles of fiction discussed by Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James, Nadine Gordimer, William Faulkner, and other writers quoted in "Chapter 12: Criticism: On Fiction."
Professor Canada, February 11, 1997
30 minutes, 10 points
Identify and interpret 10 of the following items. In the case of literary devices such as symbol and irony, define the term and illustrate it by referring to a specific work and author. In the case of quotations, name the work in which the item appears, along with the author, and interpret the meaning of the quotation in the work.
45 minutes, 10 points
Using what you know about character, symbolism, setting, plot, and other elements of fiction, interpret one of the stories we have read this semester. You may want to identify a theme of the work and then explain how this theme is developed. On the other hand, you may want to ignore theme and simply discuss the writer's creation of an effect, atmosphere, or character.
Feel free to quote or paraphrase key passages from the work and to refer to the principles of fiction discussed by Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James, Nadine Gordimer, William Faulkner, and other writers quoted in "Chapter 12: Criticism: On Fiction." If you like, support your interpretation by referring to personal experiences or other works you have read.