GENERAL QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

Note.—In answering some of the following questions the General Tables (Appendix I) will be of use.

1. With the aid of the following and other quotations, give an account of the origin and development of English blank verse. Compare and contrast the styles of the given extracts.

(1) Now came still evening on, and twilight grayHad in her sober livery all things clad;Silence accompanied, for beast and bird,They to their grassy couch, these to their nests,Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale—She all night long her amorous descant sung;Silence was pleased. Now glowed the firmamentWith living sapphires; Hesperus, that ledThe starry host, rode brightest till the moon,Rising in clouded majesty, at lengthApparent queen, unveiled her peerless lightAnd o’er the dark her silver mantle threw.Milton,Paradise Lost

(1) Now came still evening on, and twilight gray

Had in her sober livery all things clad;

Silence accompanied, for beast and bird,

They to their grassy couch, these to their nests,

Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale—

She all night long her amorous descant sung;

Silence was pleased. Now glowed the firmament

With living sapphires; Hesperus, that led

The starry host, rode brightest till the moon,

Rising in clouded majesty, at length

Apparent queen, unveiled her peerless light

And o’er the dark her silver mantle threw.

Milton,Paradise Lost

(2) At length a pleasant instantaneous gleamStartles the pensive traveller while he treadsHis lonesome path, with unobserving eyeBent earthwards; he looks up—the clouds are splitAsunder,—and above his head he seesThe clear Moon, and the glory of the heavens.There, in a black-blue vault she sails along,Followed by multitudes of stars, that, smallAnd sharp and bright, along the dark abyssDrive as she drives: how fast they wheel away,Yet vanish not!—the wind is in the tree,But they are silent;—still they roll alongImmeasurably distant; and the vault,Built round by those white clouds, enormous clouds,Still deepens its unfathomable depth.At length the Vision closes; and the mind,Not undisturbed by the delight it feels,Which slowly settles into peaceful calm,Is left to muse upon the solemn scene.Wordsworth,The Prelude

(2) At length a pleasant instantaneous gleam

Startles the pensive traveller while he treads

His lonesome path, with unobserving eye

Bent earthwards; he looks up—the clouds are split

Asunder,—and above his head he sees

The clear Moon, and the glory of the heavens.

There, in a black-blue vault she sails along,

Followed by multitudes of stars, that, small

And sharp and bright, along the dark abyss

Drive as she drives: how fast they wheel away,

Yet vanish not!—the wind is in the tree,

But they are silent;—still they roll along

Immeasurably distant; and the vault,

Built round by those white clouds, enormous clouds,

Still deepens its unfathomable depth.

At length the Vision closes; and the mind,

Not undisturbed by the delight it feels,

Which slowly settles into peaceful calm,

Is left to muse upon the solemn scene.

Wordsworth,The Prelude

(3) And from the reading, and that slab I leantMy elbow on, the while I read and readI turned, to free myself and find the world,And stepped out on the narrow terrace, builtOver the street and opposite the church,And paced its lozenge brickwork sprinkled cool;Because Felice-church-side stretched, a-glowThrough each square window fringed for festival,Whence came the clear voice of the cloistered onesChanting a chant made for midsummer nights—I know not what particular praise of God,It always came and went with June. BeneathI’ the street, quick shown by openings of the skyWhen flame fell silently from cloud to cloud,Richer than that gold snow Jove rained on Rhodes,The townsmen walked by twos and threes, and talked,Drinking the blackness in default of air—A busy human sense beneath my feet:While in and out the terrace-plants, and roundOne branch of tall datura, waxed and wanedThe lamp-fly lured there, wanting the white flower.Over the roof o’ the lighted church I lookedA bowshot to the street’s end, north awayOut of the Roman gate to the Roman roadBy the river, till I felt the Apennine.Browning,The Ring and the Book

(3) And from the reading, and that slab I leant

My elbow on, the while I read and read

I turned, to free myself and find the world,

And stepped out on the narrow terrace, built

Over the street and opposite the church,

And paced its lozenge brickwork sprinkled cool;

Because Felice-church-side stretched, a-glow

Through each square window fringed for festival,

Whence came the clear voice of the cloistered ones

Chanting a chant made for midsummer nights—

I know not what particular praise of God,

It always came and went with June. Beneath

I’ the street, quick shown by openings of the sky

When flame fell silently from cloud to cloud,

Richer than that gold snow Jove rained on Rhodes,

The townsmen walked by twos and threes, and talked,

Drinking the blackness in default of air—

A busy human sense beneath my feet:

While in and out the terrace-plants, and round

One branch of tall datura, waxed and waned

The lamp-fly lured there, wanting the white flower.

Over the roof o’ the lighted church I looked

A bowshot to the street’s end, north away

Out of the Roman gate to the Roman road

By the river, till I felt the Apennine.

Browning,The Ring and the Book

2. Point out the features of each of the following extracts that are typical of the author or his period. Write a brief critique of the style of each.

(1) Although there be none so ignorant that doth not know, neither any so impudent that will not confess, friendship to be the jewel of human joy: yet whosoever shall see this amity grounded upon a little affection, will soon conjecture that it shall be dissolved upon a light occasion: as in the sequel of Euphues and Philautus you shall soon see, whose hot love waxed soon cold: for as the best wine doth make the sharpest vinegar, so the deepest love turneth to the deadliest hate. Who deservedthe most blame, in mine opinion, it is doubtful and so difficult, that I dare not presume to give verdict. For love being the cause for which so many mischiefs have been attempted, I am not yet persuaded whether of them was most to be blamed, but certainly neither of them was blameless.Lyly,Euphues and his England

Lyly,Euphues and his England

(2) A doubtful truce restored the appearances of concord, till the death of Abu Taleb abandoned Mahomet to the power of his enemies, at the moment when he was deprived of his domestic comforts by the loss of his faithful and generous Cadijah. Abu Sophian, the chief of the branch of Ommiyah, succeeded to the principality of the republic of Mecca. A zealous votary of the idols, a mortal foe of the line of Hashem, he convened an assembly of the Koreishites and their allies, to decide the fate of the apostle. His imprisonment might provoke the despair of his enthusiasm; and the exile of an eloquent and popular fanatic would diffuse the mischief through the provinces of Arabia. His death was resolved; and they agreed that a sword from each tribe should be buried in his heart, to divide the guilt of the blood, and baffle the vengeance of the Hashemites. An angel or a spy revealed their conspiracy; and flight was the only resource of Mahomet. At the dead of night, accompanied by his friend Abubeker, he silently escaped from his house: the assassins watched at the door; but they were deceived by the figure of Ali, who reposed on the bed, and was covered with the green vestment of the apostle.Gibbon,The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Gibbon,The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

(3) There was no sleeping in the daytime on the planter’s clearing: the wages were too high to risk. Deesa sat on Moti Guj’s neck and gave him orders, while Moti Guj rooted up the stumps—for he owned a magnificent pair of tusks; or pulled at the end of a rope—for he had a magnificent pair of shoulders; while Deesa kicked behind the ears and said he was the king of elephants. At evening time Moti Guj would wash down his three hundred pounds’ weight of green food with a quart of arrack, and Deesa would take a share and sing songs between Moti Guj’s legs till it was time to go to bed. Once a week Deesa led Moti Guj down to the river, and Moti Guj lay on his side luxuriously in the shallows, while Deesa went over him with a coir-swab and a brick.... Then Deesa would look at his feet, and examine his eyes, and turn up the fringes of his mighty ears in case of sores or budding ophthalmia. After inspection, the two would “come up with a song from the sea,”Moti Guj all black and shining, waving a torn tree branch twelve feet long in his trunk, and Deesa knotting up his own long wet hair.Kipling,Moti Guj—Mutineer

Moti Guj all black and shining, waving a torn tree branch twelve feet long in his trunk, and Deesa knotting up his own long wet hair.

Kipling,Moti Guj—Mutineer

(4) As the dawn was just breaking he found himself close to Covent Garden. The darkness lifted, and, flushed with faint fires, the sky hollowed itself into a perfect pearl. Huge carts filled with nodding lilies rumbled slowly down the polished empty street. The air was heavy with the perfume of the flowers, and their beauty seemed to bring him an anodyne for his pain. He followed into the market, and watched the men unloading their waggons. A white-smocked carter offered him some cherries. He thanked him, and wondered why he refused to accept any money for them, and began to eat them listlessly. They had been plucked at midnight, and the coldness of the moon had entered into them. A long line of boys carrying crates of striped tulips, and of yellow and red roses, defiled in front of him, threading their way through the huge jade-green piles of vegetables. Under the portico, with its grey sun-bleached pillars, loitered a group of draggled, bareheaded girls, waiting for the auction to be over. Others crowded round the swinging doors of the coffee-house in the Piazza. The heavy cart-horses slipped and stamped upon the rough stones, shaking their bells and trappings. Some of the drivers were lying asleep on a pile of sacks. Iris-necked and pink-footed, the pigeons ran about picking up seeds.Wilde,The Picture of Dorian Gray

Wilde,The Picture of Dorian Gray

3. With the aid of the following extracts, and of others known to you, say what subjects are best suited to the simple style in poetry. State the merits of the style, and its limitations. Write a critical note upon each of the given extracts.

(1) Dreamers, mark the honey bee;Mark the treeWhere the blue cap “tootle tee”Sings a glee,Sung to Adam and to Eve—Here they be.When floods covered every bough,Noah’s arkHeard that ballad singing now;Hark, hark,“Tootle, tootle, tootle tee”—Can it bePride and fame must shadows be?Come and see—Every season owns her own;Bird and beeSing creation’s music on;Nature’s gleeIs in every mood and toneEternityClare,The Blue Tit

(1) Dreamers, mark the honey bee;

Mark the tree

Where the blue cap “tootle tee”

Sings a glee,

Sung to Adam and to Eve—

Here they be.

When floods covered every bough,

Noah’s ark

Heard that ballad singing now;

Hark, hark,

“Tootle, tootle, tootle tee”—Can it bePride and fame must shadows be?Come and see—Every season owns her own;Bird and beeSing creation’s music on;Nature’s gleeIs in every mood and toneEternityClare,The Blue Tit

“Tootle, tootle, tootle tee”—

Can it be

Pride and fame must shadows be?

Come and see—

Every season owns her own;

Bird and bee

Sing creation’s music on;

Nature’s glee

Is in every mood and tone

Eternity

Clare,The Blue Tit

(2) Few months of life has he in storeAs he to you will tell,For still, the more he works, the moreDo his weak ankles swell.My gentle Reader, I perceiveHow patiently you’ve waited,And now I fear that you expectSome tale will be related.O Reader! had you in your mindSuch stores as silent thought can bring,O gentle Reader! you would findA tale in every thing.What more I have to say is short,And you must kindly take it:It is no tale; but, should you think,Perhaps a tale you’ll make it.Wordsworth,Simon Lee

(2) Few months of life has he in store

As he to you will tell,

For still, the more he works, the more

Do his weak ankles swell.

My gentle Reader, I perceive

How patiently you’ve waited,

And now I fear that you expect

Some tale will be related.

O Reader! had you in your mindSuch stores as silent thought can bring,O gentle Reader! you would findA tale in every thing.What more I have to say is short,And you must kindly take it:It is no tale; but, should you think,Perhaps a tale you’ll make it.Wordsworth,Simon Lee

O Reader! had you in your mind

Such stores as silent thought can bring,

O gentle Reader! you would find

A tale in every thing.

What more I have to say is short,

And you must kindly take it:

It is no tale; but, should you think,

Perhaps a tale you’ll make it.

Wordsworth,Simon Lee

(3) Piping down the valleys wild,Piping songs of pleasant glee,On a cloud I saw a child,And he laughing said to me:“Pipe a song about a lamb!”So I piped with merry cheer.“Piper, pipe that song again!”So I piped; he went to hear.*****“Piper, sit thee down, and writeIn a book that all may read.”So he vanished from my sight;And I plucked a hollow reed,And I made a rural pen,And I stained the water clear,And I wrote my happy songsEvery child may joy to hear.Blake,Songs of Innocence

(3) Piping down the valleys wild,Piping songs of pleasant glee,On a cloud I saw a child,And he laughing said to me:

(3) Piping down the valleys wild,

Piping songs of pleasant glee,

On a cloud I saw a child,

And he laughing said to me:

“Pipe a song about a lamb!”So I piped with merry cheer.“Piper, pipe that song again!”So I piped; he went to hear.

“Pipe a song about a lamb!”

So I piped with merry cheer.

“Piper, pipe that song again!”

So I piped; he went to hear.

*****

“Piper, sit thee down, and writeIn a book that all may read.”So he vanished from my sight;And I plucked a hollow reed,

“Piper, sit thee down, and write

In a book that all may read.”

So he vanished from my sight;

And I plucked a hollow reed,

And I made a rural pen,And I stained the water clear,And I wrote my happy songsEvery child may joy to hear.Blake,Songs of Innocence

And I made a rural pen,

And I stained the water clear,

And I wrote my happy songs

Every child may joy to hear.

Blake,Songs of Innocence

4. Sketch the history of the prose drama from the Restoration to modern times. The following extracts are fairly typical of the style and formal features of the drama:

(1)(To them)LadyWishfortandFainallLady Wishfort.Nephew, you are welcome.Sir Wilfull Witwoud.Aunt, your servant.Fainall.Sir Wilfull, your most faithful servant.Sir Wilfull.Cousin Fainall, give me your hand.Lady Wishfort.Cousin Witwoud, your servant; Mr. Petulant, your servant—nephew, you are welcome again. Will you drink anything after your journey, nephew, before you eat? Dinner’s almost ready.Sir Wilfull.I’m very well I thank you, aunt—however, I thank you for your courteous offer. ’Sheart, I was afraid you would have been in the fashion too, and have remembered to have forgot your relations. Here’s your cousin Tony, belike, I mayn’t call him brother for fear of offence.Lady Wishfort.O he’s a rallier, nephew—my cousin’s a wit; and your great wits always choose to rally their best friends. When you have been abroad, nephew, you’ll understand raillery better. [FainallandMrs.Marwoodtalk apart.Sir Wilfull.Why then let him hold his tongue in the meantime; and rail when that day comes.Congreve,The Way of the World

(1)(To them)LadyWishfortandFainall

Lady Wishfort.Nephew, you are welcome.

Sir Wilfull Witwoud.Aunt, your servant.

Fainall.Sir Wilfull, your most faithful servant.

Sir Wilfull.Cousin Fainall, give me your hand.

Lady Wishfort.Cousin Witwoud, your servant; Mr. Petulant, your servant—nephew, you are welcome again. Will you drink anything after your journey, nephew, before you eat? Dinner’s almost ready.

Sir Wilfull.I’m very well I thank you, aunt—however, I thank you for your courteous offer. ’Sheart, I was afraid you would have been in the fashion too, and have remembered to have forgot your relations. Here’s your cousin Tony, belike, I mayn’t call him brother for fear of offence.

Lady Wishfort.O he’s a rallier, nephew—my cousin’s a wit; and your great wits always choose to rally their best friends. When you have been abroad, nephew, you’ll understand raillery better. [FainallandMrs.Marwoodtalk apart.

Sir Wilfull.Why then let him hold his tongue in the meantime; and rail when that day comes.

Congreve,The Way of the World

(2)Mrs. Candour.What do you think of Miss Simper?Sir Benjamin Backbite.Why, she has very pretty teeth.Lady Teazle.Yes, and on that account, when she is neither speaking nor laughing (which very seldom happens), she never absolutely shuts her mouth, but leaves it always on a jar, as it were—thus—[Shows her teeth.Mrs. Candour.How can you be so ill-natured?Lady Teazle.Nay, I allow even that’s better than the pains Mrs. Prim takes to conceal her losses in front. She draws her mouth till it positively resembles the aperture of a poor’s-box, and all her words appear to slide out edgewise as it were thus:How do you do, madam? Yes, madam.[Mimics.Lady Sneerwell.Very well, Lady Teazle; I see you can be a little severe.Lady Teazle.In defence of a friend, it is but justice. But here comes Sir Peter to spoil our pleasantry.EnterSirPeter TeazleSir Peter.Ladies, your most obedient. [Aside] Mercy on me, here is the whole set! a character dead at every word, I suppose.Sheridan,The School for Scandal

(2)Mrs. Candour.What do you think of Miss Simper?

Sir Benjamin Backbite.Why, she has very pretty teeth.

Lady Teazle.Yes, and on that account, when she is neither speaking nor laughing (which very seldom happens), she never absolutely shuts her mouth, but leaves it always on a jar, as it were—thus—[Shows her teeth.

Mrs. Candour.How can you be so ill-natured?

Lady Teazle.Nay, I allow even that’s better than the pains Mrs. Prim takes to conceal her losses in front. She draws her mouth till it positively resembles the aperture of a poor’s-box, and all her words appear to slide out edgewise as it were thus:How do you do, madam? Yes, madam.[Mimics.

Lady Sneerwell.Very well, Lady Teazle; I see you can be a little severe.

Lady Teazle.In defence of a friend, it is but justice. But here comes Sir Peter to spoil our pleasantry.

EnterSirPeter Teazle

Sir Peter.Ladies, your most obedient. [Aside] Mercy on me, here is the whole set! a character dead at every word, I suppose.

Sheridan,The School for Scandal

(3)Sarah[tidying herself, in great excitement]. Let you be sitting here and keeping a great blaze, the way he can look on my face; and let you seem to be working, for it’s a great love the like of him have to talk of work.Michael[moodily, sitting down and beginning to work at a tin can]. Great love, surely.Sarah[eagerly]. Make a great blaze now, Michael Byrne.[ThePriestcomes in on right; she comes forward in front of him.Sarah[in a very plausible voice]. Good evening, your reverence. It’s a grand fine night, by the grace of God.Priest.The Lord have mercy on us! What kind of living woman is it that you are at all?Sarah.It’s Sarah Casey I am, your reverence, the Beauty of Ballinacree, and it’s Michael Byrne is below in the ditch.Priest.A holy pair, surely! Let you get out of my way.[He tries to pass by.Sarah[keeping in front of him]. We are wanting a little word with your reverence.Synge,The Tinker’s Wedding

Michael[moodily, sitting down and beginning to work at a tin can]. Great love, surely.

Sarah[eagerly]. Make a great blaze now, Michael Byrne.

[ThePriestcomes in on right; she comes forward in front of him.

Sarah[in a very plausible voice]. Good evening, your reverence. It’s a grand fine night, by the grace of God.

Priest.The Lord have mercy on us! What kind of living woman is it that you are at all?

Sarah.It’s Sarah Casey I am, your reverence, the Beauty of Ballinacree, and it’s Michael Byrne is below in the ditch.

Priest.A holy pair, surely! Let you get out of my way.

[He tries to pass by.

Sarah[keeping in front of him]. We are wanting a little word with your reverence.

Synge,The Tinker’s Wedding

(4)Hornblowerenters—a man of medium height, thoroughly broadened, blown out, as it were, with success. He has thick, coarse hair, just grizzled, very bushy eyebrows, a wide mouth. He wears quite ordinary clothes, as if that department were in charge of someone who knew about such things. He has a small rose in his buttonhole, and carries a Homburg hat, which one suspects will look too small on his head.Hornblower.Good morning! good morning! How are ye, Dawker? Fine morning! Lovely weather![His voice has a curious blend in its tone of brass and oil, and an accent not quite Scotch nor quite North country.Haven’t seen ye for a long time Hillcrist.Hillcrist[who has risen]. Not since I sold you Longmeadow and those cottages, I believe.Hornblower.Dear me, now! that’s what I came about.Hillcrist[subsiding again into his chair]. Forgive me! Won’t you sit down?Hornblower[not sitting]. Have ye got gout? That’s unfortunate. I never get it. I’ve no disposition that way. Had no ancestors, you see. Just me own drinking to answer for.Hillcrist.You’re lucky.Galsworthy,The Skin Game

Hornblower.Good morning! good morning! How are ye, Dawker? Fine morning! Lovely weather!

[His voice has a curious blend in its tone of brass and oil, and an accent not quite Scotch nor quite North country.

Haven’t seen ye for a long time Hillcrist.

Hillcrist[who has risen]. Not since I sold you Longmeadow and those cottages, I believe.

Hornblower.Dear me, now! that’s what I came about.

Hillcrist[subsiding again into his chair]. Forgive me! Won’t you sit down?

Hornblower[not sitting]. Have ye got gout? That’s unfortunate. I never get it. I’ve no disposition that way. Had no ancestors, you see. Just me own drinking to answer for.

Hillcrist.You’re lucky.

Galsworthy,The Skin Game

5. What do you understand by “Romanticism” in poetry? Point out any Romantic features in the following extracts. Does Romanticism take any other forms than those apparent in the given passages? Give an account of what is commonly known as the Romantic Revival. Are there any other periods in our literature in which Romanticism flourished?

(1) Full fathom five thy father lies;Of his bones are coral made:Those are pearls that were his eyes:Nothing of him that doth fade,But doth suffer a sea-changeInto something rich and strange.Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:Hark! now I hear them—ding-dong, bell.Shakespeare,The Tempest

(1) Full fathom five thy father lies;

Of his bones are coral made:

Those are pearls that were his eyes:

Nothing of him that doth fade,

But doth suffer a sea-change

Into something rich and strange.

Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:

Hark! now I hear them—ding-dong, bell.

Shakespeare,The Tempest

(2) And they are gone: aye, ages long agoThese lovers fled away into the storm.That night the Baron dreamt of many a woe,And all his warrior-guests, with shade and formOf witch, and demon, and large coffin-worm,Were long be-nightmared. Angela the oldDied palsy-twitched, with meagre face deform;The Beadsman, after thousand aves told,For aye unsought for slept among his ashes cold.Keats,The Eve of St. Agnes

(2) And they are gone: aye, ages long ago

These lovers fled away into the storm.

That night the Baron dreamt of many a woe,

And all his warrior-guests, with shade and form

Of witch, and demon, and large coffin-worm,

Were long be-nightmared. Angela the old

Died palsy-twitched, with meagre face deform;

The Beadsman, after thousand aves told,

For aye unsought for slept among his ashes cold.

Keats,The Eve of St. Agnes

(3)At the Gate of the Sun, Bagdad, in olden time.The Merchants(together)Away, for we are ready to a man!Our camels sniff the evening and are glad.Lead on, O Master of the Caravan:Lead on the Merchant-Princes of Bagdad.The Chief DraperHave we not Indian carpets dark as wine,Turbans and sashes, gowns and bows and veils,And broideries of intricate design,And printed hangings in enormous bales?The Chief GrocerWe have rose-candy, we have spikenard,Mastic and terebinth and oil and spice,And such sweet jams meticulously jarredAs God’s own Prophet eats in Paradise.The Principal JewsAnd we have manuscripts in peacock stylesBy Ali of Damascus; we have swordsEngraved with storks and apes and crocodiles,And heavy beaten necklaces, for Lords.J. E. Flecker(1885–1915),The Golden Journey to Samarkand

(3)At the Gate of the Sun, Bagdad, in olden time.

The Merchants(together)

Away, for we are ready to a man!Our camels sniff the evening and are glad.Lead on, O Master of the Caravan:Lead on the Merchant-Princes of Bagdad.

Away, for we are ready to a man!

Our camels sniff the evening and are glad.

Lead on, O Master of the Caravan:

Lead on the Merchant-Princes of Bagdad.

The Chief Draper

Have we not Indian carpets dark as wine,Turbans and sashes, gowns and bows and veils,And broideries of intricate design,And printed hangings in enormous bales?

Have we not Indian carpets dark as wine,

Turbans and sashes, gowns and bows and veils,

And broideries of intricate design,

And printed hangings in enormous bales?

The Chief Grocer

We have rose-candy, we have spikenard,Mastic and terebinth and oil and spice,And such sweet jams meticulously jarredAs God’s own Prophet eats in Paradise.

We have rose-candy, we have spikenard,

Mastic and terebinth and oil and spice,

And such sweet jams meticulously jarred

As God’s own Prophet eats in Paradise.

The Principal Jews

And we have manuscripts in peacock stylesBy Ali of Damascus; we have swordsEngraved with storks and apes and crocodiles,And heavy beaten necklaces, for Lords.J. E. Flecker(1885–1915),The Golden Journey to Samarkand

And we have manuscripts in peacock styles

By Ali of Damascus; we have swords

Engraved with storks and apes and crocodiles,

And heavy beaten necklaces, for Lords.

J. E. Flecker(1885–1915),

The Golden Journey to Samarkand

6. In what respects are the following passages realistic? What are the chief aspects of realism in poetry? Are there any periods in our literature when realism was a prominent feature?

(1)Tam was ableTo note upon the haly tableA murderer’s banes in gibbet airns;[238]Twa span-lang, wee unchristened bairns;A thief new-cutted frae a rape,[239]Wi’ his last gasp his gab[240]did gape;Five tomahawks, wi’ blude red-rusted;Five scimitars wi’ murder crusted;A garter, which a babe had strangled,A knife, a father’s throat had mangled,Whom his ain son o’ life bereft,The grey hairs yet stack to the heft.Burns,Tam o’ Shanter

(1)Tam was able

To note upon the haly table

A murderer’s banes in gibbet airns;[238]

Twa span-lang, wee unchristened bairns;

A thief new-cutted frae a rape,[239]

Wi’ his last gasp his gab[240]did gape;

Five tomahawks, wi’ blude red-rusted;

Five scimitars wi’ murder crusted;

A garter, which a babe had strangled,

A knife, a father’s throat had mangled,

Whom his ain son o’ life bereft,

The grey hairs yet stack to the heft.

Burns,Tam o’ Shanter

(2) Here is a thing that happened. Like wild beasts whelped, for den,In a wild part of North England, there lived once two wild menInhabiting one homestead, neither a hovel nor hut,Time out of mind their birthright: father and son, these—but—Such a son, such a father! Most wildness by degreesSoftens away: yet, last of their line, the wildest and worst were these.*****Thus were they found by the few sparse folk of the countryside;But how fared each with other? E’en beasts couch, hide by hide,In a growling, grudged agreement: so, father and son aye curledThe closelier up in their den because the last of their kind in the world.Browning,Halbert and Hob

(2) Here is a thing that happened. Like wild beasts whelped, for den,

In a wild part of North England, there lived once two wild men

Inhabiting one homestead, neither a hovel nor hut,

Time out of mind their birthright: father and son, these—but—

Such a son, such a father! Most wildness by degrees

Softens away: yet, last of their line, the wildest and worst were these.

*****

Thus were they found by the few sparse folk of the countryside;But how fared each with other? E’en beasts couch, hide by hide,In a growling, grudged agreement: so, father and son aye curledThe closelier up in their den because the last of their kind in the world.Browning,Halbert and Hob

Thus were they found by the few sparse folk of the countryside;

But how fared each with other? E’en beasts couch, hide by hide,

In a growling, grudged agreement: so, father and son aye curled

The closelier up in their den because the last of their kind in the world.

Browning,Halbert and Hob

(3) (A newcomer overhears some men discussing his wife.)

“And he knows nothing of her past;I am glad the girl’s in luck at last;Such ones, though stale to native eyes,Newcomers snatch at as a prize.”“Yes, being a stranger he sees her blentOf all that’s fresh and innocent,Nor dreams how many a love-campaignShe had enjoyed before his reign!”That night there was the splash of a fallOver the slimy harbour-wall:They searched, and at the deepest placeFound him with crabs upon his face.Hardy,Satires of Circumstance

“And he knows nothing of her past;I am glad the girl’s in luck at last;Such ones, though stale to native eyes,Newcomers snatch at as a prize.”

“And he knows nothing of her past;

I am glad the girl’s in luck at last;

Such ones, though stale to native eyes,

Newcomers snatch at as a prize.”

“Yes, being a stranger he sees her blentOf all that’s fresh and innocent,Nor dreams how many a love-campaignShe had enjoyed before his reign!”

“Yes, being a stranger he sees her blent

Of all that’s fresh and innocent,

Nor dreams how many a love-campaign

She had enjoyed before his reign!”

That night there was the splash of a fallOver the slimy harbour-wall:They searched, and at the deepest placeFound him with crabs upon his face.Hardy,Satires of Circumstance

That night there was the splash of a fall

Over the slimy harbour-wall:

They searched, and at the deepest place

Found him with crabs upon his face.

Hardy,Satires of Circumstance

(4) Some ancient man with silver locksWill lift his weary face to say:“War was a fiend who stopped our clocksAlthough we met him grim and gay.”And then he’ll speak of Haig’s last drive,Marvelling that any came aliveOut of the shambles that men builtAnd smashed, to cleanse the world of guilt.But the boys, with grin and sidelong glance,Will think, “Poor grandad’s day is done.”And dream of those who fought in FranceAnd lived in time to share the fun.Sassoon,Songbooks of the War

(4) Some ancient man with silver locks

Will lift his weary face to say:

“War was a fiend who stopped our clocks

Although we met him grim and gay.”

And then he’ll speak of Haig’s last drive,

Marvelling that any came alive

Out of the shambles that men built

And smashed, to cleanse the world of guilt.

But the boys, with grin and sidelong glance,

Will think, “Poor grandad’s day is done.”

And dream of those who fought in France

And lived in time to share the fun.

Sassoon,Songbooks of the War

7. Trace the presence of realistic elements in the English novel from Fielding to Thomas Hardy.

8. The following extracts illustrate the history of the ballad. What features have they in common, and in what respects do they differ? Trace the history of the ballad in English literature.

(1) The lady she walked in yon wild wood,Aneath the hollin tree,And she was aware of two bonny bairnsWere running at her knee.“Now why pull ye the red rose, fair bairns,And why the white lilie?”“O we sue wi’ them at the seat of graceFor the soul of thee, ladie.”She heard a voice, a sweet, low voice,Say, “Weans, ye tarry lang”—She stretched her hand to the youngest bairn,“Kiss me before ye gang.”She sought to take a lily hand,And kiss a rosy chin—“Oh nought sae pure can abide the touchOf a hand red-wet wi’ sin!”“O! where dwell ye, my ain sweet bairns,I’m woe and weary grown!”“O! lady, we live where woe never is,In a land to flesh unknown.”There came a shape that seemed to herAs a rainbow ’mang the rain;And sair these sweet babes pled for her,And they pled and pled in vain.“And O! and O!” said the youngest babe,“My mother maun come in.”“And O! and O!” said the eldest babe,“Wash her twa hands frae sin.”“And O! and O!” said the youngest babe,“She nursed me on her knee.”“And O! and O!” said the eldest babe,“She’s a mither yet to me.”Anonymous

(1) The lady she walked in yon wild wood,Aneath the hollin tree,And she was aware of two bonny bairnsWere running at her knee.

(1) The lady she walked in yon wild wood,

Aneath the hollin tree,

And she was aware of two bonny bairns

Were running at her knee.

“Now why pull ye the red rose, fair bairns,And why the white lilie?”“O we sue wi’ them at the seat of graceFor the soul of thee, ladie.”

“Now why pull ye the red rose, fair bairns,

And why the white lilie?”

“O we sue wi’ them at the seat of grace

For the soul of thee, ladie.”

She heard a voice, a sweet, low voice,Say, “Weans, ye tarry lang”—She stretched her hand to the youngest bairn,“Kiss me before ye gang.”

She heard a voice, a sweet, low voice,

Say, “Weans, ye tarry lang”—

She stretched her hand to the youngest bairn,

“Kiss me before ye gang.”

She sought to take a lily hand,And kiss a rosy chin—“Oh nought sae pure can abide the touchOf a hand red-wet wi’ sin!”

She sought to take a lily hand,

And kiss a rosy chin—

“Oh nought sae pure can abide the touch

Of a hand red-wet wi’ sin!”

“O! where dwell ye, my ain sweet bairns,I’m woe and weary grown!”“O! lady, we live where woe never is,In a land to flesh unknown.”

“O! where dwell ye, my ain sweet bairns,

I’m woe and weary grown!”

“O! lady, we live where woe never is,

In a land to flesh unknown.”

There came a shape that seemed to herAs a rainbow ’mang the rain;And sair these sweet babes pled for her,And they pled and pled in vain.

There came a shape that seemed to her

As a rainbow ’mang the rain;

And sair these sweet babes pled for her,

And they pled and pled in vain.

“And O! and O!” said the youngest babe,“My mother maun come in.”“And O! and O!” said the eldest babe,“Wash her twa hands frae sin.”

“And O! and O!” said the youngest babe,

“My mother maun come in.”

“And O! and O!” said the eldest babe,

“Wash her twa hands frae sin.”

“And O! and O!” said the youngest babe,“She nursed me on her knee.”“And O! and O!” said the eldest babe,“She’s a mither yet to me.”Anonymous

“And O! and O!” said the youngest babe,

“She nursed me on her knee.”

“And O! and O!” said the eldest babe,

“She’s a mither yet to me.”

Anonymous

(2) Good people all, of every sort,Give ear unto my song;And if you find it wondrous short,It cannot hold you long.In Islington there was a manOf whom the world might say,That still a goodly race he ranWhen’er he went to pray.A kind and gentle heart he had,To comfort friends and foes;The naked every day he cladWhen he put on his clothes.And in that town a dog was found,As many dogs there be,Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound,And curs of low degree.This dog and man at first were friends;But when a pique began,The dog, to gain some private ends,Went mad and bit the man.Around from all the neighbouring streetsThe wondering neighbours ran,And swore the dog had lost his wits,To bite so good a man.The wound it seem’d both sore and sadTo every Christian eye;And while they swore the dog was mad,They swore the man would die.But soon a wonder came to light,That showed the rogues they lied:The man recover’d of the bite,The dog it was that died.Goldsmith,Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog

(2) Good people all, of every sort,Give ear unto my song;And if you find it wondrous short,It cannot hold you long.

(2) Good people all, of every sort,

Give ear unto my song;

And if you find it wondrous short,

It cannot hold you long.

In Islington there was a manOf whom the world might say,That still a goodly race he ranWhen’er he went to pray.

In Islington there was a man

Of whom the world might say,

That still a goodly race he ran

When’er he went to pray.

A kind and gentle heart he had,To comfort friends and foes;The naked every day he cladWhen he put on his clothes.

A kind and gentle heart he had,

To comfort friends and foes;

The naked every day he clad

When he put on his clothes.

And in that town a dog was found,As many dogs there be,Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound,And curs of low degree.

And in that town a dog was found,

As many dogs there be,

Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound,

And curs of low degree.

This dog and man at first were friends;But when a pique began,The dog, to gain some private ends,Went mad and bit the man.

This dog and man at first were friends;

But when a pique began,

The dog, to gain some private ends,

Went mad and bit the man.

Around from all the neighbouring streetsThe wondering neighbours ran,And swore the dog had lost his wits,To bite so good a man.

Around from all the neighbouring streets

The wondering neighbours ran,

And swore the dog had lost his wits,

To bite so good a man.

The wound it seem’d both sore and sadTo every Christian eye;And while they swore the dog was mad,They swore the man would die.

The wound it seem’d both sore and sad

To every Christian eye;

And while they swore the dog was mad,

They swore the man would die.

But soon a wonder came to light,That showed the rogues they lied:The man recover’d of the bite,The dog it was that died.Goldsmith,Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog

But soon a wonder came to light,

That showed the rogues they lied:

The man recover’d of the bite,

The dog it was that died.

Goldsmith,Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog

(3) Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!Kamal is out with twenty men to raise the Border-side,And he has lifted the Colonel’s mare that is the Colonel’s pride:He has lifted her out of the stable-door between the dawn and the day,And turned the calkins upon her feet, and ridden her far away.Kipling,The Ballad of East and West

(3) Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,

Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;

But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,

When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!

Kamal is out with twenty men to raise the Border-side,And he has lifted the Colonel’s mare that is the Colonel’s pride:He has lifted her out of the stable-door between the dawn and the day,And turned the calkins upon her feet, and ridden her far away.Kipling,The Ballad of East and West

Kamal is out with twenty men to raise the Border-side,

And he has lifted the Colonel’s mare that is the Colonel’s pride:

He has lifted her out of the stable-door between the dawn and the day,

And turned the calkins upon her feet, and ridden her far away.

Kipling,The Ballad of East and West

9. What effects had Milton’s politics and public work upon his prose and verse? In this respect compare him with Dryden. Write a general essay upon “The Influence of Contemporary Events upon the Poet and the Man of Letters.”

10. Observe the style and subject of each of the following extracts, and name the author of each. Write a critical comparison of the extracts. In what respects is each typical of its period?

(1) Then said Christian, “You make me afraid, but whither shall I fly to be safe? If I go back to mine own country, that is prepared for fire and brimstone; and I shall certainly perish there. If I can get to the celestial city, I am sure to be in safety there. I must venture. To go back is nothing but death; to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it. I will yet go forward.” So Mistrust and Timorous ran down the hill; and Christian went on his way. But thinking again of what he heard from the men, he felt in his bosom for his roll, that he might read therein and be comforted; but he felt and found it not.(2) His prose is the model of the middle style: on grave subjects not formal, on light occasions not grovelling; pure without scrupulosity, and exact without apparent elaboration; always equable and always easy, without glowing words or pointed sentences. Addison never deviates from his track to snatch a grace; he seeks no ambitious ornaments and tries no hazardous innovations. His page is always luminous, but never blazes in unexpected splendour.

(2) His prose is the model of the middle style: on grave subjects not formal, on light occasions not grovelling; pure without scrupulosity, and exact without apparent elaboration; always equable and always easy, without glowing words or pointed sentences. Addison never deviates from his track to snatch a grace; he seeks no ambitious ornaments and tries no hazardous innovations. His page is always luminous, but never blazes in unexpected splendour.

(3) Two men I honour, and no third. First, the toilworn Craftsman that with earth-made Implement laboriously conquers the Earth, and makes her man’s. Venerable to me is the hard Hand; crooked, coarse; wherein notwithstanding lies a cunning virtue, indefeasibly royal, as of the Sceptre of this Planet. Venerable too is the rugged face, all weather-tanned, besoiled, with its rude intelligence; for it is the face of a Man living manlike. O, but the more venerable for thy rudeness, and even because we must pity as well as love thee! Hardly-entreated Brother! For us was thy back so bent, for us were thy straight limbs and fingers so deformed: thou wert our Conscript, on whom the lot fell, and fighting our battles wert so marred.

11. Compare Shakespeare’s methods of description and characterization with those of Chaucer. Wherein lies the difference, and wherein the resemblance?

12. Give a historical account of the sonnet in English, from its inception to the death of Tennyson. Who were the most successful writers in this type of poetry, and why were they so successful?

13. Distinguish between wit and humor. In which class would you place the works of Chaucer, Bernard Shaw, Swift, Thackeray, Charles Lamb, Wilde, Goldsmith, and Shakespeare? Give reasons for your classification.

14. In what respects is Burns a national poet? Try to explain why in this respect he is unique in British literature.

15. It has been said that Shakespeare’s women characters are more important in his comedies than they are in his tragedies. Quote the examples of some of his plays in support of this statement, and try to account for it.

16. Compare any one of Shakespeare’s comedies with one by Goldsmith or Sheridan.

17. Trace the Celtic (Irish and Scottish) influence in English literature. Can you account for the comparative poverty of the Welsh influence in English?

18. Mention some of the great English nature-poets. What is their outlook upon nature? What aspects of nature particularly appealed to them? State your preference among the poets you mention, quote from his works, and give reasons for your choice.

19. Discuss the statement that “Wycliff, Langland, and Chaucer are the three great figures of English literature in the Middle Ages.” Would you place any of their contemporaries along with them?

20. What is Chaucer’s attitude to chivalry and to the Church? Compare his Knight (inThe Prologue) with a similar character of Spenser and Tennyson.

21. Give a historical account of the English essay (a) from its origin to the death of Addison; (b) from the death of Addison to the death of Charles Lamb; (c) from the time of Lamb to modern times. Then give a brief summary of the history of the essay, indicating its periods of progress and decay.

22. What are the chief merits of the literary essay? Mention some English essayists who approach the ideal essay-manner.

23. Distinguish between the tale and the novel. Show how the one developed into the other. Give some account of one medieval and one modern prose tale-teller.

24. Mention five books of exploration and travel. Give a more detailed account of the one that appeals most strongly to you. What are the ideals to which in your opinion the travel-book ought to aspire?

25. Compare Milton’sSamson Agonisteswith any tragedy by Shakespeare.

26. Account for the late appearance of historical literature, and sketch its subsequent development.

27. In the light of your knowledge of the English lyric criticize Shelley’s statement that “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.”

28. Give an account of the verse-tale (a) from Chaucer to Dryden and (b) from Crabbe to William Morris. What style and meter are best adapted to the verse-tale? Illustrate by means of extracts.

29. Estimate the importance of journalism as an aid to literature; give a short account of its rise; and add a note upon the literary attainments of modern journalism.

30. What effect had the attitude of the Church upon the early drama? Has the Church exerted any influence, good or bad, on any other kind of literature?

31. Mention some of the earliest literary critics in English; and continue with a brief history of literary criticism up to modern times.

32. Mention three important biographies in English. In what respects do they conform to the ideal biography?

33. Consider the works of Dickens, Wordsworth (especially his sonnets), Samuel Butler (1835–1902), Milton (both prose and verse), Gibbon, Bunyan, and Shelley as political, religious, or social propaganda. Write a general essay on the use and abuse of propaganda in works of literature.

34. Estimate the value of the work of the female novelist and the poetess. In which of these two departments of literature is woman’s achievement the higher? Does the level of her accomplishment show any signs of rising?

35. Discuss Charles Lamb, Meredith, Walter Pater, John Ruskin, and R. L. Stevenson as prose stylists. Write an account of prose style during the nineteenth century.

36. What are the qualities of good poetical satire? Trace the course of the satire in English from Dryden to Byron.

37. Compare Scott and Byron as poetical tale-tellers, as lyrical writers, and as men. Comment upon the history of their respective reputations.

38. What is meant by an “ode”? What are the requirements of a good ode? Mention the chief odes in English, from those of Spenser to those of Tennyson.

39. CompareLycidas,Adonais, andThe Scholar-Gipsyas elegies. Add to this an account of other importantEnglish elegies, and sketch the growth of this type of poem.

40. Give a short account of six heroines in standard English novels; add an account of six heroines of poems; and conclude with a description of six of Shakespeare’s heroines.

41. What was Scott’s contribution to the historical novel? How far has the historical novel advanced since his death?

42. Mention some patriotic poems in English. What are the merits and chief weaknesses of this particular kind of poetry?

43. In Irish and Scottish literature are there any literary peculiarities that are essentially Irish and Scottish? Discuss the general question of nationality in literature.

44. Taking Lamb, Scott, George Eliot, Charlotte Brontë, and Junius as the chief examples, consider the use of thenom de plumeor of anonymity in literature. To what extent is anonymity a feature of modern journalism?

45. What novels dealing with life in India or British colonial life are known to you? Have they any features in common?

46. Has the spread of modern education affected the standard of literature? What species of literature has it encouraged, and which has it depressed?

47. Discuss the statement that “the English epic began and ended with Milton.” Trace the course of the epic in English.

48. Justify the statement that “English poetry is full of the color and odor of the sea.” Who are the chief sea-poets in English?

49. Is the cinematograph likely to affect the literature of the future? Is it likely to affect in any way the literature of the past?

50. (a) Write a paragraph of description and criticism upon each of the following works:

Gulliver’s Travels,Sesame and Lilies,The Fortunes of Nigel,Doctor Faustus,Ancren Riwle,Henry Esmond,The Nigger of the Narcissus,Absalom and Achitophel,Euphues and his England,The Faithful Shepherdess,Locksley Hall,Jude the Obscure,Il Penseroso,The Pickwick Papers,Abt Vogler,Urne Buriall,Northanger Abbey,The Blessed Damozel,To a Mouse,The Vanity of Human Wishes,The Egoist,Paradise Regained,Satires of Circumstance,The Woman in White,Lady Windermere’s Fan,The Dance of the Sevin Deidlie Sins,Old Mortality,Tono-Bungay,Plays for Puritans.

(b) Write a paragraph on each of the following characters. Mention the work in which each appears, and write a critical estimate:

Jeanie Deans, Prospero, Sir Charles Grandison, Michael Fane, Delilah, Sir Galahad, Mr. Collins, Jos Sedley, Mrs. Proudie, Falstaff, Roderick Random, Major Barbara, Enoch Arden, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Arthur Kipps, Maggie Tulliver, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Childe Harold, Hilda Lessways, Marmion, Angel Clare, Archimago, Sairey Gamp, Alan Breck, Peter Pan, Dr. Primrose, Amyas Leigh, the Wife of Bath, Mrs. Battle, Lord Jim.

(c) Mention works in which the following types or professions are depicted. Estimate the degree of success attained in each character.

Miser; hypocrite; jester; soldier of fortune; adventuress; undergraduate; surgeon; country parson; detective; Puritan; peasant-farmer; artist; cook; innkeeper; magician; statesman; religious fanatic; garrulous woman; dominie; shepherd; dunce; usurer; boaster; murderer; fisherman; tramp; carpenter; naval officer; conspirator; antiquary.

Back to Index Next