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M.A. Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination for the M.A. in English consists of three questions. The first is on a full-length text, usually a novel; the second is on a theme and requires cross-cultural comparison of texts; the third requires explication of a poem. All three questions test knowledge and skills stressed in the department's mission statement: contemporary literary theories and sound practices in research and writing.
The first question emphasizes research skills, literary theory, and the ability to integrate secondary sources into an original essay. The full-length text for the question is announced one semester in advance of the exam. One month in advance of the exam, selected literary criticism on the text is placed on reserve at The College library. You will receive the question one week before it is due. In your essay, you are expected to offer an original response to the question while also integrating existing criticism on the text. In addition, the essay should demonstrate how contemporary literary theory can be applied to the text. The essay must document all references to other writers using MLA style and should include a list of works cited.
The second question deals with a general theme such as love, alienation, or gender and tests students' breadth of knowledge and ability to make cross-cultural comparisons. You will receive the question one week before it is due. Answers to the question must use three literary examples from three different cultures, with culture referring to period, nation or region, race or ethnicity, class, gender, and/or sexual orientation. For example, an essay could use Beowulf, Paradise Lost, and Derek Walcott's Omeros ; or Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, Djuna Barnes' Nightwood, and Toni Morrison's Beloved. The essay should demonstrate knowledge of contemporary literary theory.
The third question requires a formalist explication of a poem and is designed to test students' knowledge of prosody and poetic form and their skill in close reading. Students will receive the question at the time of the examination and will have ninety minutes to prepare a response. The examiners will provide any footnotes deemed necessary to understand particular words, phrases, or allusions. The best preparation is to review key prosodic terms (e.g., blank verse, Petrarchan sonnet, enjambment) and particular styles or movements (e.g., metaphysical poetry, romanticism, postmodernism). You may wish to consult a handbook such as M.H. Abrams' A Glossary of Literary Terms: This handbook is an example of a text approved for use during the exam.
