Exam Schedule (Re-revisited)

The notice is up next to the Head's Office. On July 6, we have Paper 1: Group A and B; while on July 8 we have Paper 2: Group A, Group B, Group C. This means that on 6th July we have our Theory papers, whilst on 8th July we have General Background and Post-Colonial/Cultural Studies. And the timings are from 11:30am to 3:30pm.

However I suggest you take a look at the notice yourselves, the next time you're in campus.

Exam Roll Numbers

Our Examination Roll Nos. for the Qualifying Exam are up, on the noticeboard to your left if you stand facing the door of the Head's office. And the likely dates of our exam seem to be the 6th and 8th of July.

In our General Background classes...

...this is, more or less, what we have done so far:

Renaissance

The lecture focused on the way in which the term ‘Renaissance’ was used in history and literary criticism in the last two centuries, thus attempting to prove that the phenomenon of the ‘Renaissance’ was a constructed entity that may or may not have corresponded to the way in which it actually took place. The debates regarding the time-span, the geographical distribution and the very use of the term ‘Renaissance’ were discussed. A brief discussion of the social and political condition under which texts were produced also took place.

Enlightenment

The development of the deliberately rationalist and secularist discourse, reflecting the divergence of science and philosophy from theology, was discussed at length. Specific concepts such as libertinism and pantheism, ideas of the natural morality and the absolute liberty of conscience, and issues such as the sexual liberation of women were also spoken of. Major figures of the period --- Newton, Locke, Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza --- were mentioned in some detail.

Romanticism

The difficulties and contradictions inherent in the dating of the period were mentioned. The issue of the women poets was discussed, with special attention to the differences in the theories of creativity held by them and by the male canonical poets. We looked at the intricate and involved relationship literature had with contemporary politics, with reference to the culture of dissent. Figures such as Leigh Hunt and John Thelwall figured in this context, as well as in the context of the repressive legislation prevalent in England at the time, and the effects of the same on literary endeavours. The role of artists and musicians in fostering literary endeavour was also discussed briefly.

The Victorian Period

Discussion revolved around the “double” nature of Victorian society, with its enlightened legislation and obvious scientific and technological advancements on the one hand, and its darker underbelly of exploitation, inequality, and social callousness on the other. Major developments of the period, including the Industrial revolution and the Darwinian revolution, were discussed at some length, as was the Woman question, educational reforms, and the issue of suffrage. The social consciousness of many of the major Victorian novelists, as expressed in their novels, was discussed, and we looked at how this affected the development of the novel form.

Modernism

The revolutionary nature of Modernism, with its radical rethinking of the relation of reality to fiction, its apparent abandonment of well-established literary traditions, and its use of new and startling forms and idioms, was emphasized. The question of the roots of Modernism, and attempts to posit it in continuity with literary history were also discussed, as was the question of its complicated relationship to organized Christianity. We also looked at the limitations of Modernism.

Linguistics

Class discussion revolved around the shift of focus from diachronic to synchronic linguistics that occurred at the turn of the century, and noted the similar upheavals in literature at the same time, discussing the possibility of the two being related. We also briefly looked at the difference in focus between Sassure and the Post-Structuralists

Theatre Studies

We looked at the events leading up to the formal recognition of the field of Theatre Studies in the early twentieth century, and considered the subsequent major developments in it. Class discussion focused on the necessity of having Theatre Studies as a separate discipline, allied to but not dependent on, mainstream literary studies.

Post-Colonialism

Taking a historical account of the large-scale cultural interactions that marked as a starting point, discussion focused on how such interactions could be seen to have affected the cultural sensitivities of the communities concerned. We discussed why and how the cultural fallout of the European imperial projects were different from earlier empire-building attempts, and how attention to this aspect of cultural history could serve to illuminate our understanding of literature.

Post-Modernism

Discussion focused on the idea of Post-Modernism as a historical concept, and the conditions which led to its rise. We discussed the essentially negative nature of the idea of Post-Modernism. We also looked at some of the major developments in the theory.

Just to clear up any misunderstanding: I do not have any articles, reading lists etc. other than those that have been put up on the blog. It's all up --- I don't have anything else.