Guess of ELR422J1 – British Literature (19th Century)
UNIT I: Charlotte Brontë – Jane Eyre
Long Answer Questions:
1. Discuss the theme of female independence in Jane Eyre.
2. How does Charlotte Brontë critique social class and gender roles in Jane Eyre?
3. Analyze the significance of gothic elements in Jane Eyre.
4. Examine the character of Bertha Mason and her symbolic role in the novel.
5. Trace Jane Eyre’s journey as a bildungsroman (coming-of-age novel).
Short Notes/Answers:
• Role of Thornfield Hall
• Significance of fire imagery
• Relationship between Jane and Rochester
UNIT II: Charles Dickens – Great Expectations
Long Answer Questions:
1. Analyze Pip’s moral and psychological development throughout the novel.
2. How does Dickens portray the themes of social class and ambition in Great Expectations?
3. Discuss the role of Estella and her influence on Pip.
4. Explain the symbolic importance of Satis House.
5. Explore the use of first-person narration in the novel.
Short Notes/Answers:
• Character sketch of Miss Havisham
• Role of Magwitch in Pip’s transformation
• Contrast between Joe Gargery and Jaggers
UNIT III: Victorian Poetry
Alfred Tennyson
Poems: “Ulysses” and “Break, Break, Break”
Long Answer Questions:
1. Explain the theme of eternal striving in Tennyson’s Ulysses.
2. Analyze the contrast between action and inaction in Ulysses.
3. Discuss the themes of loss and transience in Break, Break, Break.
Short Notes/Answers:
• Imagery and symbolism in Break, Break, Break
• Significance of the sea in Tennyson’s poetry
Robert Browning
Poems: “My Last Duchess” and “The Last Ride Together”
Long Answer Questions:
1. Analyze the dramatic monologue form in My Last Duchess.
2. How does The Last Ride Together reflect the Victorian view of love and failure?
3. Compare and contrast the male speakers in Browning’s two poems.
Short Notes/Answers:
• Psychological depth in Browning’s poetry
• Irony and dramatic irony in My Last Duchess
• Use of heroic couplets in The Last Ride Together
Guess of (ELR422J2: American Literature: 19th and 20th Century):
Unit I: Poetry – Emily Dickinson & Walt Whitman
1. Critically analyze Emily Dickinson’s treatment of death in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.”
2. How does Dickinson use metaphor and imagery in “Hope is the Thing with Feathers”?
3. Discuss the theme of American identity in Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing.”
4. Explore mourning and nature in Whitman’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.”
Unit II: Poetry – Robert Frost & Sylvia Plath
5. How does Frost depict nature and isolation in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”?
6. Analyze the theme of growing up and escapism in Frost’s “Birches.”
7. Examine the use of confessional poetry and father imagery in Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy.”
8. Discuss the theme of identity and hospitalization in “Tulips.”
Unit III: Drama – Eugene O’Neill
9. Discuss class conflict and alienation in Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape.
10. How does the play reflect modernist concerns such as identity crisis and industrial dehumanization?
Unit IV: Novel – Mark Twain
11. Evaluate the theme of childhood and moral growth in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
12. How does Twain use satire and humor to critique society?
13. Discuss the symbolism of the Mississippi River and its role in shaping Tom’s adventures.
Guess of ELR422J3: English Literature: Literature of the Indian Diaspora,
UNIT I: Theoretical Background
1. Discuss Salman Rushdie’s idea of “Imaginary Homelands” and its relevance to diasporic literature.
2. How does Rushdie connect memory and identity in diasporic writing?
3. Define the term “diasporic imaginary” with reference to Vijay Mishra’s introduction.
4. How do Vijay Mishra and Salman Rushdie differ in their treatment of the concept of home and exile?
UNIT II: Fiction
1. Analyze the themes of alienation and identity crisis in The Nowhere Man.
2. How does Kamala Markandaya depict racism and xenophobia in British society?
3. Examine the portrayal of immigrant life in The Nowhere Man.
4. Comment on the psychological impact of displacement on the protagonist, Srinivas.
UNIT III: Short Stories
1. Explore the generational conflict in Lahiri’s “Unaccustomed Earth.”
2. Discuss the role of guilt and responsibility in Only Goodness.
3. How does Lahiri portray diasporic identity and assimilation in her short stories?
4. Compare the treatment of relationships in both stories.
UNIT IV: Poetry
1. Analyze the theme of self and cultural identity in Ramanujan’s “Self-Portrait.”
2. How does Ramanujan’s “Conventions of Despair” reflect postcolonial alienation?
3. Explore the theme of language and identity in Sujata Bhatt’s Search for My Tongue.
4. How does Sujata Bhatt portray the emotional conflict of migration in The One Who Goes Away?
