AD's English Literature

W hat Principles are to be applied in the  Teaching of English  is much debated and ever since educational Psychology are introduced Linguistics argue in the mechanism of them. These questions are at the heart of a pragmatic and strategic policies in the general field of Teaching of English in the early 21 st  century , and they urgently demand answers if these theories are not to be seen by teachers as yet another example of arid scholasticism . Teachers need to be able to make informed and engaged  choices  about the theories they encounter, to take a critical stance towards them, and to deploy the resulting insights in their own critical practice. Perhaps, since ‘teaching literature is always already teaching theory’, and since students ‘are always already inside theory’,  ‘Theory can be taught best as  theorising ’ . Without in any sense denying the importance of ingesting the theoretical work itself or appearing to promote once more a simplistic e...

D affodils is one of the most beautiful lyrics of William Wordsworth. Wordsworth,  the Nature priest, looked upon Nature as possessing life and consciousness. He believed that nature could feel joy like human beings. So in Daffodils he describes how the daffodils danced with joy—   “Ten thousand saw I at a glance Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.”

"I had not seen Pride and Prejudice till I read that sentence of yours, and then I got the book. And what did I find? An accurate daguerreotyped portrait of a commonplace face; a carefully fenced, highly cultivated garden, with neat borders and delicate flowers; but no glance of a bright, vivid physiognomy, no open country, no fresh air, no blue hill, no bonny beck. I should hardly like to live with her ladies and gentlemen, in their elegant but confined houses." Charlotte Brontë (1816 - 1855) British novelist. Referring to Jane Austen. Letter to S. H. Lewes The attainment of self-knowledge on the part of the central figures is always Jane Austen’s theme, and self-knowledge results in goodness. Thus, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice , Elizabeth gradually discovers the truth and sheds her prejudices en route a love journey both humorous and deeply serious moods. She has been proud of her discernment but she finds that she has been wrong...

“The Measure is English Heroic Verse without Rhyme, as that of Homer in Greek, and of Virgil in Latin; Rhyme being no necessary Adjunct to true Ornament of Poem or good Verse, in larger Works especially...” --  English poet John Milton in the preface to his epic Paradise Lost What is a Blank Verse?:   Blank verse is unrhymed poetry, typically in iambic pentameter, and, as such, the dominant verse form of English dramatic and narrative poetry since the mid-16th century. Blank verse was adapted by Italian Renaissance writers from classical sources; it became the standard form of such dramatists as Ludovico Ariosto, Torquato Tasso, and Battista Guarini. From Italy, blank verse was brought into English literature by the poet Henry Howard, earl of Surrey, who first used it in his translation of books II and IV of the Aeneid, by the Roman poet Virgil and dramatic application first in Gorboduc . The so-called University Wits developed it further till their master; Marlo...

I n William Blake ’s Holy Thursday an atmosphere of innocence, purity and sacredness pervades it. The children of the charity schools are innocent in nature. Their clean faces sustain the idea. Further, the radiance that comes out of them intensifies it once, again. The church, comparison of children to flowers and lambs, rising of hands towards heaven and singing of hymns, snow-white wands, and wise guardians also contributes to the maintenance of this atmosphere: “Twas on a Holy Thursday their innocent faces clean  The children walking two and; two in red and; blue and green  Grey-headed beadles walkd before with wands as white as snow, Till into the high dome of Pauls they like Thames waters flow”

"There, in the heart of the nimbus, twittered the heart of Hardy Radiating around the twittering heart of Hardy." John Betjeman  (1906 - 1984)..British poet and broadcaster. Referring to Thomas Hardy ..John Betjeman's Collected Poems ,  "The Heart of Thomas Hardy" Introduction: Critics have attacked Hardy for his novel's plotting and style arguing that all of his novels could not possibly be considered pure. In fact, Thomas Hardy’s view of life was cosmic. This means that tragic novels exist on two planes, the plane of design and the plane of plot. As a plotter Hardy, largely self-educated, was often defective. Sometimes he stumbles because the course of the Ilion suddenly becomes implausible, as when Tess kills Alec with the hand-knife, an implausibility underlined by the failure in tact which allows him describing the blood seeping through the floor to the ceiling below in the likeness of “a gigantic ace of hearts.” His incursions into m...

Poetry Questions Difficulty Level:  Graduation      Time: 2hr Each Question: Word Limit: as per 1. Give short answer to any eight of the following questions. 2x8=16 a. What is the full title of Wordsworth’s Tintern Abbey ? b. Who is Maenad? What natural sight resembles a Maenad in Ode to the West Wind ? c. What is ‘embalmed darkness’ in Ode to a Nightingale ? d. What story does Geraldine tell Christabel regarding her abduction? e. Why does Tom Dacre cry? What consolation does the speaker give him? f. What does the sculpture of Neptune taming a seahorse suggest in My Last Duchess ? g. What boon does Tithonus ask for? How does ‘strong Hours’ work upon him? h. What allusion does ‘ignorant armies clash by night’ make in Dover Beach ?

A Set of 26 Objective Questions & Answers UGC NET ENGLISH QUESTION BANK a.       Lake poets: William Wordsworth , S.T. Coleridge , Robert Southey are called the Lake poets because they lived in the Lake District. b.      Two prose works of Coleridge: The Watchman (a periodical), Biographia Literaria. c.       Two sonnets by John Keats:   a) On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer, b) Bright Star , c) Would I Were Stedfast as Thou Art. d.      The expression of a certain idea by saying or showing just the opposite: irony e.       The use of indirect or polite language to express a concept generally considered unpleasant: satire

"Discussion in class, which means letting twenty young blockheads and two cocky neurotics discuss something that neither their teacher nor they know." Vladimir Nabokov  (1899 - 1977) Russian-born U.S. novelist, poet, and critic. Maximizing Success in Distance Learning: Key Strategies and Tips Distance learning  offers a flexible approach to education, allowing students to engage with materials at their own pace and convenience. Unlike traditional classrooms where a lecturer delivers content, distance learning relies on structured study materials known as Selected Topic Texts. Here, the focus shifts from passive listening to active engagement, as students read, process, and apply information independently. To make the most out of distance learning, here are some practical strategies to follow: Thoroughly Review the Distance Learning Guide : Begin by carefully reading your Distance Learning Guide. This is often your first assignment and serves as a roadmap ...

A Set of 26 Objective Questions & Answers UGC NET ENGLISH QUESTION BANK A. ‘Amor Vincit Omnia’ in Chaucer’s The Prologue means Love conquers all: “It was almoost a spanne brood, I trowe; For, hardily, she was nat undergrowe. Ful fetis was hir cloke, as I was war; Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar A paire of bedes, gauded al with greene, And theron heeng a brooch of gold ful sheene, On which ther was first writen a crowned A, And after, Amor vincit omnia.” B. The renaissance started in Italy and later came into England via France. (European history from 1440- 1540)

" Digital India is an initiative by the Government of India to ensure that Government services are made available to citizens electronically by improving online infrastructure and by increasing Internet connectivity. ” –Wikipedia The Digital India Initiative opens up new opportunities in education but also highlights challenges, particularly in teaching English. For teachers, incorporating technology effectively depends on a strong understanding of both their students' backgrounds and the available tools. This integration requires not only improved access to technology but also teacher training and support to navigate these changes. Here’s how we can address this complex environment while fostering a digital culture in English language education: 1. Understand Students’ Backgrounds: Students come from diverse backgrounds with varying levels of access to technology, especially in rural and remote areas. Here are key questions to consider: Place of Birth & Home Situation : ...

A Set of 26 Objective Questions & Answers UGC NET ENGLISH QUESTION BANK                                                                  A.   Match the items in the List – I with items in List – II according to the code given below: List – I (years) List – II (incidents) i   1066 1. Henry’s son Edward defeated the rebel factions and restored his father to power. ii 1215 2. William Duke of Normandy invaded in 1066 and defeated Harold in the famous battle of Hastings. Iii 1264 3. The Magna Carta agreement signed. Iv. 1267 4. The outbreak of the second Barons war. Codes: i ii iii ...

"So let us love, dear Love, like as we ought, Love is the lesson which the Lord us taught." Edmund Spenser 1552? - 1599 English poet. Amoretti T he tradition of writing a sequence of many sonnets, based also on the Petrarchan model, was initiated in English by Sir Philip Sidney in Astrophel and Stella 1580, a prolonged argument by the speaker, Astrophel, aimed at overcoming his mistress's indifference and chastity. Other important sequence of the period, Amoretti 1595 by English writer Edmund Spenser, employs similar arguments, though it ends with the possibility that the lovers will unite and eventually marry. Spenser’s Sonnet 57 and Sonnet 67 is an argument by the speaker aimed at overcoming his mistress's indifference and chastity. But both the sonnets are differently modeled. While Sonnet No. 57 uses war metaphor, Sonnet No. 67 uses the hunting one. Spenser’s Sonnet 57 continues the ongoing struggle the speaker suffers in dealing with an unresponsive beloved. ...

‘T h o u art indeed Just, Lord’ is one of the most widely known sonnets of Gerard Manley Hopkins . It shows, on the one hand, the deep faith of the poet, and holds, on the other, some of his pleadings and complaints. It is also rich in autobiographical elements. It further shows the technical skill of Hopkins.

  C r i t i c s   (i.e. Prof. L Abercrombie) have divided the novels of  Thomas Hardy  into two forms: the dramatic and the epic. In a dramatic novel there are a number important characters and the action arises out of the conflict of these actions.    Epic   Novel  is the story of a single person. There is no sub-plot as in dramatic novel. The main interest centres round- the career of the hero or heroines. However, the entire action of the epic revolves round the life and fortune of the single heroic individual. It is the story of his rise and fall, of the vicissitudes that he faces in the course of his or her life. Conflict there is, but it does not arise out of the characters. It is rather an impersonal conflict between the dominant individual the one hand, Fate or environment, on the other. Thus the  Epic   Novels  in Hardy always create the impression of vast colossal forces ranged automated individual and pounding him to atom...