Dear Senior English Majors:

The faculty in English would like to meet with you on Thursday, March 2, at 12:30 in the dining hall to discuss the comprehensive examination in English. The exam this year will be held over the weekend of April 7-10. The information below indicates the basic format of the exam. At the meeting, we’ll give you suggestions for preparation and answer any questions you might have. If you’re unable to attend the meeting on March 2, you should make an appointment to meet with your advisor to discuss the exam.

Information on the Comprehensive Examination in English

Spring 2006

The comprehensive examination in English is a timed take-home exam in two parts taken over the course of one weekend. This year, the exam will be available by 10:30 a.m. on Fri. April 7 and must be returned no later than 10:30 a.m. on Mon. April 10.

The take-home format allows you to write the two parts of the exam at times convenient to you, but you may spend no more than 3 1/2 hours on each of the two parts.

Sample copies of recent exams will be on reserve at the library. Below are the instructions you will receive for the two parts of the exam:

PART ONE

You have 3 1/2 hours to complete this part of the examination: a half hour to read through the questions and select the three you wish to write on, and three hours to write the essays. Please record the time you start and finish on your bluebook or typescript.

Your purpose on the first part of the exam is to demonstrate your knowledge of English and American literature in the genres of poetry, dramatic literature and prose fiction from periods both pre-1800 (Medieval, Renaissance, Restoration and Eighteenth Century) and post-1800 (Nineteenth and Twentieth Century). While you do not need to cover the three genres and two broad literary periods in each essay, you should pay close attention to the requirements of each question, choosing three that allow you to discuss at least one work from each genre and works both pre- and post-1800 over the course of the three essays.

Do not use material from your senior thesis and do not consult books or notes.

PART TWO

You have 3 1/2 hours to complete this part of the examination: a half hour to read through the passages and select the three you wish to write on, and three hours to write your essays. Please record the time you start and finish on your bluebook or typescript.

For this part of the exam, you will write essays on three of the passages below, choosing one from each of the major genres.

In each of your three essays, closely analyze the passage, paying attention to both meaning and form. Discuss the way the passage uses and/or defies conventions in that genre and, based on formal and thematic elements in the passage itself, consider the period the work might be from (if you know the work, of course, you may say so, but be sure to discuss how the passage itself indicates a period). Explain how the form of the piece contributes to its meaning.