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Diploma and BA in English 033E040 Victorians Examiner s report General remarks This report provides a critique of candidates answers to Sections A, B and C of the Victorians examination paper (2008). It considers the strengths and weaknesses of the answers and suggests some approaches that candidates might take in responding to the questions. Candidates produced varying work that demonstrated differences in their abilities and focus. While a range of questions were answered, candidates showed a tendency to focus on certain issues and texts. For example, some of the most popular issues that candidates discussed were women s role in society, childhood, social problems and industrialisation. Some candidates also focused on the same issues when answering questions from more than one section, for example by referring to the portrayal of women and issues of gender in more than one section. Candidates are encouraged to widen their reading in order to be able to provide answers on the many different issues that are present in Victorian literature. Please refer to the subject guide for a list of topics that this unit covers and that can be discussed in the examination. Candidates are also encouraged to organise their reading around a set of topics as well as authors in order to be equipped to present varied answers. While most candidates demonstrated good knowledge of the Victorian period, many seemed to have difficulties in linking the contextual knowledge to the critical analysis of the texts. Whereas some knowledge of the social and political issues of the time is helpful and important when answering your questions, candidates should attempt to achieve a balance between contextual information and literary and critical theory. Candidates are also discouraged from focusing mainly on the life of the author whose work they are discussing. While some background information linking the issues discussed in the answer to the author s personal life can be relevant, candidates should attempt to discuss critically the portrayal of these issues in the author s works and not how these problems were present in the author s life. For example, candidates should explore and critically evaluate how the style and language used by the author influence reader s response to the text and its subject. Candidates are encouraged to follow the unit aims described in the subject guide in presenting material that demonstrates knowledge of both the primary readings (set texts), secondary readings as well as other applicable information (appropriate biographical information, literary history, specific historical knowledge, theoretical engagements with and interpretations of the texts). While candidates stand a better chance of succeeding if they illustrate their answers with secondary readings, historical and cultural context or biographical information, it is important that they do not focus mainly on historical, cultural or biographical information but only use it to support their answer and to demonstrate wider knowledge. As always, we encourage candidates to ensure that they read the question carefully before they answer. Section A All questions in this section were answered this year, but it was noticeable that the majority of answers focused on Extracts C and E. Candidates are reminded that although it might be helpful to know the text the passage is from, it is not essential. Candidates are expected to engage in a literary critique of the passage in terms of 92
Examination papers and Examiners reports 2008 language and style as well as to discuss how the passage demonstrates Victorian attitudes. While it is important that the critical analysis of the passage is informed and supported by knowledge of the social and political situation in the Victorian period, candidates are expected to relate this contextual knowledge to the passage discussed and explore how the style of the passage and its language relate to its theme and issues. Question 1a The majority of candidates who discussed this passage focused on the issue of war and the heroics of British soldiers as well as identifying the techniques used by Tennyson in this poem. While it is appropriate to discuss both Victorian attitudes to war and the poetic techniques used by the poet, candidates should also consider why Tennyson chose to use certain poetic techniques for this poem, e.g. what effect does the use of repetition have on the reader s sense of the poem? How does the poem convey a sense of movement and sound? While it is expected of the candidates to relate the issues in the passage to the attitudes and opinions present in Victorian society, candidates are reminded that they must distinguish between the opinions the author is expressing and their own opinion, and that presenting their opinion on the issues will not be considered as a valid answer. Question 1b This passage was not very popular and only a small number of candidates chose to tackle it. Most attempts were not very successful as candidates found it difficult to relate the form of the passage to its content. Candidates started successfully by discussing issues of individuality, changing attitudes to society and social responsibility during the Victorian period; however, some candidates only engaged in the critique of individualism. As stated above, candidates should refrain from giving their own opinion on an issue and explore how or whether the opinion presented by the author is characteristic of the Victorian period. Some questions candidates might consider include: How does John Stuart Mill achieve a sense of objectivity and rationality? Is the language and style used consistent with the subject of the passage? By what issues prevalent in the Victorian society is this passage informed? Question 1c This passage proved very popular and many candidates chose it for their answer to Section A. Candidates engaged in the discussion of issues of love, marriage and social status. Some candidates successfully explored Rossetti s portrayal of Lucy s inner struggle by considering Rossetti s use of capitalisation and how it affects the reader s response to the passage. Other questions candidates might consider include: How does Rossetti s style inform our sense of the social status of the characters? What do we learn about the characters from the way they speak? Question 1d When discussing Matthew Arnold s poem Dover Beach, candidates engaged with the issues of a changing world, nostalgia for the past and the decline of faith. Candidates also attempted to discuss the techniques employed by Arnold in this poem. Some candidates discussed the relationship between the form of the poem and its content, while other candidates found it difficult to relate the form of the poem to the contextual information. Candidates should also consider the mood of the poem. How does the mood at the beginning at the poem differ from the mood towards the end? What techniques does the poet use to describe the scenery and to evoke the mood of the moment? Question 1e The passage from Emily Brontë s Wuthering Heights was also very popular with candidates this year. Candidates approached this question by exploring the gothic and supernatural elements present in the passage, the setting of the passage, the presence of Catherine s ghost, the nightmarish dream and Heathcliff s ghost-like appearance. Other 93
Diploma and BA in English issues the candidates could consider include the techniques the author used to create suspense; what the narrator reveals about himself in this passage; and the description of the setting. Candidates could also discuss whether this style of writing is typical of the Victorian period. Section B Question 2 Only a small number of candidates chose to answer this question. The majority of candidates approached this question by discussing the use of dramatic monologue in the poetry of Robert Browning, while other candidates discussed poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson or Matthew Arnold. In answering this question, candidates could begin their answer by giving an overview of the form of dramatic monologue. Following from that, candidates could consider, for example, how the narrator s personality is revealed through the monologue or which techniques are used to offer alternative points of view or how the psychological self is revealed. The form of the dramatic monologue is impersonal and a valid answer could explore how or whether the absence of a narrator with whom the reader can identify, manipulates the reader s response. Question 3 It was noticeable that this question was not very popular. This is possibly because candidates found it difficult to understand or to present suitable examples. One possible approach to this question would be to discuss the symbolism of food, for example in the poem Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, where food or hunger can be treated as symbolising hunger for knowledge. As food and hunger are connected to the satisfaction of needs, they can also be used as metaphors for sexuality and lust. Candidates could also consider how food and hunger in Victorian literature are linked to economic and class issues and the struggle between the classes. Question 4 Again the Examiners noticed a lack of answers to this question. One possible way to answer this question would be to refer to the issues raised by the work of Charles Darwin, which blurred the previously firm boundaries between humans and other species. Connected to this was also the increased fluidity of boundaries between classes and the possibility of transgression. Candidates could then explore the increasing anxieties in Victorian society about issues of class, nationalism and sexuality. Question 5 Candidates used the form of the dramatic monologue as an example in answering this question, which was suggested by the use of the quotation from Tennyson. While this is a valid approach, other works and approaches could also be considered. For example, candidates could discuss Victorian novels and explore how a character s perception of reality influences the life of that character, the different perceptions of reality and same events by different characters, and which techniques and language are used to portray different realities. For example, candidates could explore the use of multiple narrators that give space to the creation of a sense of different perceptions of reality. A valid attempt would be to consider the ways in which a narrator s personality is used in literature, or the notion of unreliable narrator. Question 6 One possible approach to this question would be to compare and contrast the portrayal of landscape and rural areas to that of cities, for example in the work of Thomas Hardy or Elizabeth Gaskell (but works of other authors could be used). Candidates could then consider what effect the setting has on the development of the plot. What is the effect of the landscape or architecture on the characters? What does the placing of an individual character into gloomy and oppressive buildings signify? Do the vast and empty landscapes convey a sense of loneliness and insignificance? Other possible approach would be to discuss how the division between public and private space is established or whether the rooms of some female characters could be seen as cell-like. 94
Examination papers and Examiners reports 2008 Question 7 As suggested by the quotation, one possible way to approach this question would be to consider the works of Charles Dickens. Candidates could explore the ways in which Dickens drew a line between vice and virtue. Is this boundary always clear and fixed? How is law portrayed in Dickens works? Candidates could also engage in a discussion of the meaning and interpretation of words and actions. Question 8 The Examiners noted that this question was avoided by all candidates. This is in line with candidates preference towards questions that relate to prose work rather to poetry. Candidates could consider the use of language evoking religious symbols: does the language used create a visual image or does it appeal to the other senses? Candidates could also compare the language and techniques used to the content, and consider the function of this form of imagery. Question 9 One way to approach this question would be to discuss the treatment of industrialisation in Victorian literature. Candidates could also refer to the portrayal of railways and the changing sense of distance in Victorian society. Candidates could explore how authors express nostalgia for a pre-industrial past, and how industry and technology are portrayed. Are machines described as having positive effect on a character s life or are they portrayed as a source of unfortunate events? While it is valid to discuss the problems of industrialisation in Victorian society, candidates are expected to engage in the critique of the treatment of these problems in literature. Question 10 The Examiners again noted a lack of answers to this question. This is possibly because candidates had difficulty in understanding the quotation by Walter Pater. One approach to this question would be to explore the issue of whether the purpose of poetry or all literary works is the enjoyment and pleasures it affords or whether it should also have a moral purpose. Candidates could discuss the art for art s sake movement from the end of the Victorian period. Question 11 This question proved very popular. Many candidates chose to answer this question by using the works of Oscar Wilde as an example. While this can constitute a valid answer, the Examiners want to remind the candidates that, as we stated above, they should not engage in a discussion of the problems with Victorian morality that the author had during his or her life. While some background information about an author s life can be helpful as a way of connecting the issue of morality in Victorian society to his or her literary works, a discussion of an author s life on its own will not be considered a valid answer. In relation to this question candidates could consider the literary techniques used by Wilde to portray the hypocrisy of the upper classes, the use of language and irony. Question 12 This question can be approached by exploring how the chosen topic was viewed in Victorian society, what it signified and what the attitudes of the period were towards this subject. Candidates can then explore how this was reflected in literary works. For example, how is violence, isolation or any of the other issues experienced by the characters? What influence does it have on them? What role does it play in the plot development or the setting of the story? What techniques were used to convey the sense of isolation, friendship or time? 95
Diploma and BA in English Section C Question 13 Possible approaches to this question would be to compare the use of a third person narrator with the use of a first person narrator. Candidates could also discuss the use of dramatic monologue or the use of multiple narrators. Candidates could compare the limitations and advantages of both first person and third person narrator. In what ways can the credibility of the first person narrator be compromised? Are third person narrators always reliable? What literary devices are used to make the reader identify with the characters? What is the relationship between the narrator and the reader? Question 14 Only one candidate answered this question. Perhaps candidates found it difficult to understand the question or to find suitable examples. Possible approaches would be to consider the division between the upper and the lower classes, and how cleanliness and dirt are used in the portrayal of each class. Other things candidates could consider would be the connection between cleanliness and sexuality, especially in relation to the treatment of women. Question 15 The Examiners noted that this question was avoided by all candidates. This is possibly due to a lack of understanding of the question. Possible approaches to this question would be to discuss the notion of Orientalism and the perceived conflict between the rational European and British culture and the sensuous and irrational cultures of overseas societies. By extension, this can be linked to the treatment of men as rational beings and women as more irrational and emotional beings. Candidates could compare the treatment of foreign cultures in Victorian literature with the treatment of women. Question 16 The Examiners noted that one candidate misunderstood this question. Candidates are reminded to read all questions carefully before attempting to answer. As suggested by the quotation, the majority of candidates chose to use the works of Oscar Wilde. Some candidates also chose to use examples from Gothic literature. Some questions candidates could consider in relation to this question would be: How is the sense of illusion achieved in literature? How does a certain character s sense of illusion inform his or her opinion of others and their decisions? What is the connection between illusion and pleasure? Question 17 One possible approach to this question would be to consider Foucault s ideas about visibility and gaze, and how these can be applied to Victorian literature and Victorian society as a whole. From this approach, candidates could move on to consider the notion of the culture of visibility and the disciplinary power of the gaze. Candidates could consider how such notions are used in the portrayal of the Victorian society in general or how the power of the gaze is used in relation to women and female sexuality. Is women s sexuality and desire disciplined by the invisible gaze of others? Other issues candidates could consider would be: the hypocrisy of Victorian society, the importance of maintaining social decorum and social status, and the division between the public and private spheres. Question 18 Possible approaches to this question would be to consider Victorian drama or Gothic literature. Candidates could discuss, for example, how the sense of suspense and melodrama is achieved and to what purpose it is used. What are the typical characters and plot in Victorian drama or Gothic novels? Should theatre or drama be a faithful representation of reality? 96
Examination papers and Examiners reports 2008 Question 19 Again, the Examiners noted a lack of answers to this question. This is possibly because candidates had difficulties understanding this question. Possible ways of looking at this question would to take a portrayal of different classes and explore whether they are depicted as having inherently different qualities, and how social mobility is portrayed. The concept of class can be also seen as being connected to the concept of nation and, therefore, the difference between classes can be compared to the idea of foreignness and the purity of a nation or a race. Following on from this, issues that candidates could consider include: Are certain social classes portrayed as diseased or impure? How is speech used to differentiate between different classes? How is social mobility viewed by characters from different classes? Question 20 This question was very popular and many candidates chose to answer it. This follows a trend that the Examiners noted from previous years, when questions relating to the issue of childhood were also popular. Candidates could begin by discussing contemporary attitudes towards childhood and questioning the notion of the innocence of childhood. Candidates could consider why and in what ways the concept of childhood was sentimentalised and why childhood was perceived as a purer and more innocent state than adulthood. Candidates can further compare Victorian society and working conditions with, for example, Dickens portrayal of childhood characters. Candidates could also explore how the characters are portrayed and how or whether they are given a voice in the story. Question 21 This question was also very popular. Possible approaches to this question would be to explore the concept of family values and the family ideal, and how these notions changed in the Victorian period. Following on from this, candidates could discuss the portrayal of gender issues and of the separation of private and public life. What role does the family unit play in the Victorian novel? Is family life idealised in Victorian literature? Are traditional family values questioned by some authors? Question 22 Candidates answering this question could consider the works of Victorian women writers or compare the portrayal of women s bodies in the writings of women writers to the works of male writers. Female sexual desire was connected to impurity and from this follows the notion of contamination of the female body. Victorian novels also often contain portrayals of mysterious and unspecified illness to which middle-class female characters are often prone. Candidates could also consider the extent to which the female body can be perceived as symbolising wider social struggles. Question 23 The Examiners noted that this question was also avoided by all candidates. Possible ways to approach this question would be to consider the significance of the use of regional dialects or slang in speech. Candidates could consider what the use of slang or regional dialects tell us about the character and his or her social class, background or education. What reasons did the author have for using slang or dialect? 97
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