M.A. Sem IV Examination - April 2023 - Literary Theory and Criticism

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Miles

This document is the official examination paper for the M.A. (Semester IV) course in English, specifically focusing on Literary Theory and Literary Criticism, administered in April 2023. The paper is structured to assess students' comprehension of critical theories through five distinct sections. It includes essay-type questions exploring the works and concepts of prominent theorists such as Walter Benjamin, Michael Foucault, Edward Said, Fredric Jameson, Stephen Greenblatt, Wolfgang Iser, and Stanley Fish. Key topics covered include the decline of storytelling, the author function, orientalism, postmodernism, social energy in texts, and the mechanics of the reading process. Each question is weighted equally, and students are required to demonstrate analytical depth in their responses to these foundational texts and concepts in literary studies. The document serves as an essential resource for understanding the curriculum standards and assessment focus for postgraduate-level literary criticism examinations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Examination Sections

Section 1: Walter Benjamin and Michael Foucault

Section 2: Edward Said and Fredric Jameson

Section 3: Postmodernism and Stephen Greenblatt

Section 4: Wolfgang Iser and Stanley Fish

Section 5: Short Notes on Critical Concepts

FAQs

What are the primary topics covered in Section 5 of the examination?

Section 5 requires students to write short notes on any two of the following topics: the relationship between postmodernism and capitalism, the notion of interpretive communities by Stanley Fish, author positions according to Michel Foucault, or a comparison between Occidentalism and Orientalism.

How many marks is each question worth in this examination?

All questions in this examination carry 14 marks each, totaling 70 marks for the paper.

What specific concept of Michael Foucault is examined in the first section?

The exam asks students to define and discuss the 'Author Function' and describe four of its major features.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Miles