2020 MA English (MEG S2 06: 18th and 19th Century Novels)
MA 2nd Semester (Old) Exam, 2020
ENGLISH [MEG (S2) 06]
(18th and 19th Century Novels)
Full Marks: 80 Time: 3 Hours
1. Answer any five from the following questions (each in around 50 words):
2×5 = 10
(a) Show the parallelism between Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews.
Answer:
Both Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding are picaresque and satirical novels. Each presents a virtuous hero tested through adventures and moral challenges. Joseph Andrews shows innocence under trial, while Tom Jones shows moral growth through error and experience. Both expose social hypocrisy and human folly with humour and realism.
(b) Briefly mention the four stages of development of Fanny Price in Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park.
Answer:
- Childhood: Fanny is timid and dependent when she arrives from Portsmouth.
- Adolescence: She develops moral strength and quiet intelligence.
- Adulthood: Shows firmness by rejecting Henry Crawford’s proposal.
- Fulfilment: Her moral constancy is rewarded with Edmund’s love and marriage.
These stages show her growth from insecurity to self-assured virtue.
(c) State the reasons for the Brontë sisters to seek a male pseudonym.
Answer:
Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë adopted male pseudonyms—Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell—to overcome the gender bias of Victorian publishing. Women writers were often dismissed as sentimental or inferior. Using masculine names allowed their works to be judged seriously on literary merit rather than gender.
(d) Explain in brief the significance of ‘Wessex’ in Thomas Hardy’s novel.
Answer:
‘Wessex’ is Hardy’s fictionalized version of rural southwest England. It provides a consistent setting for his novels and symbolizes the struggle between man, nature, and fate. Wessex represents timeless rural life and serves as a stage for Hardy’s tragic vision of human helplessness against destiny.
(e) Briefly state the role played by Nelly Dean in the novel Wuthering Heights.
Answer:
Nelly Dean acts as the main narrator and moral observer. As housekeeper and confidante to both families, she bridges generations and provides continuity in the story. Her subjective narration influences readers’ perception of events, revealing both sympathy and bias in her retelling of the tragic saga.
(f) Write briefly on Dickens’ portrayal of Madame Defarge in A Tale of Two Cities.
Answer:
Madame Defarge personifies vengeance and revolutionary fury. Her knitting encodes the names of those condemned by the Revolution. Though a victim of aristocratic cruelty, she becomes a symbol of destructive hatred. Dickens portrays her as both powerful and tragic, contrasting her vengeance with the novel’s message of forgiveness.
2. Answer any three from the following questions (each in around 150 words):
4×3 = 12
(a) Discuss the significance of the two cities—London and Paris—in A Tale of Two Cities.
Answer:
London and Paris serve as symbolic opposites in Dickens’s novel. London represents safety, law, and moral order; Paris embodies chaos, revenge, and revolution. Yet both cities reveal human suffering and injustice. Dickens uses this contrast to show that good and evil exist on both sides of the Channel. The two cities mirror the duality in human nature—order and rebellion, cruelty and compassion. Characters like Charles Darnay (France) and Sydney Carton (England) bridge these worlds, reflecting redemption and sacrifice. Thus, the two cities together form a moral and historical contrast, emphasizing the universal need for love and renewal.
(b) Bring out the mock-heroic elements used by Fielding in his novel Tom Jones.
Answer:
Fielding parodies the grand style of classical epics through mock-heroic techniques. He treats trivial events—like tavern brawls and flirtations—with the seriousness of heroic deeds. The narrator compares Tom’s adventures to epic quests, using elevated language to expose moral pretension. This contrast creates humour and irony, criticizing the hypocrisy of society while highlighting human weakness. Fielding’s mock-heroic tone enables him to moralize through laughter, showing that real virtue lies in good nature rather than artificial decorum.
(c) Give a brief account of Thomas Bertram’s attitude to Fanny Price in Mansfield Park.
Answer:
Thomas Bertram, the elder son, initially treats Fanny with indifference, seeing her as a poor relation. His arrogance reflects the pride of the landed gentry. After his illness and fall into debt, he becomes more considerate. Though not central to the plot, his changing attitude underscores Austen’s critique of social snobbery and the contrast between inherited privilege and genuine virtue. His character highlights Fanny’s quiet moral superiority.
(d) Summarize Thomas Hardy’s philosophy of life with reference to Tess of the d’Urbervilles.
Answer:
Hardy presents a deterministic view of life, where fate and circumstance overpower human will. Tess is pure and innocent yet destroyed by social convention and moral hypocrisy. Hardy’s vision is deeply tragic—he portrays Nature as indifferent and society as cruel. His compassion for Tess reflects his belief that true morality lies in sincerity, not rigid codes. Hardy’s philosophy combines pessimism with human sympathy, showing that suffering is an inevitable part of existence.
3. Answer any three from the following questions (each in around 250 words):
6×3 = 18
(a) Comment on Emily Brontë’s attitude to patriarchy as revealed in Wuthering Heights.
Answer:
Emily Brontë challenges patriarchal norms through her portrayal of women who seek freedom and equality. Catherine Earnshaw resists the limitations placed on her gender—her passion for Heathcliff defies class and convention. However, her marriage to Edgar Linton reflects the pressure to conform to social expectations. Isabella’s suffering under Heathcliff exposes women’s vulnerability within marriage. Brontë’s complex narrative voice, through Nelly Dean and Lockwood, further highlights gendered biases in storytelling. By giving Catherine spiritual and emotional intensity equal to or greater than men, Brontë asserts female individuality. Her depiction of rebellion and emotional truth becomes a critique of patriarchal control and a demand for self-determination.
(b) Write a critical note on the character of Sydney Carton with special reference to the theme of resurrection.
Answer:
Sydney Carton begins as a wasted, cynical man with no sense of purpose. His unrequited love for Lucie Manette awakens his inner nobility. Through his sacrifice—dying in Charles Darnay’s place—Carton experiences moral resurrection. His final act transforms despair into spiritual triumph. Dickens parallels this with Dr. Manette’s release from the Bastille, reinforcing the theme of “recalled to life.” Carton’s death gives meaning to his existence and symbolizes Christian redemption. His vision of a peaceful future—“It is a far, far better thing that I do…”—illustrates Dickens’s faith in the power of love and sacrifice to overcome evil and chaos.
(c) Fielding’s purpose was “to laugh mankind out of their favourite follies and vices.” Does he achieve his purpose in Tom Jones?
Answer:
Yes. Fielding achieves his moral purpose through humour and irony rather than moral preaching. Tom Jones exposes hypocrisy, greed, and false virtue while celebrating honesty and good-heartedness. Characters like Blifil, Thwackum, and Square represent moral corruption, while Tom’s impulsive but generous nature reflects true virtue. Fielding’s witty narrative, direct authorial voice, and realistic dialogue make vice appear ridiculous. By blending comedy with moral insight, he encourages readers to reform through laughter. His portrayal of humanity’s follies is sympathetic, proving that goodness often lies beneath imperfection.
(d) Attempt an analysis of the theme of domination and dissidence in the novel Jane Eyre.
Answer:
Jane Eyre portrays the conflict between oppression and self-assertion. From her childhood, Jane resists domination—by Aunt Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and later, even by Rochester. Her insistence on equality and moral independence defines her dissidence against patriarchal authority. When Rochester proposes a bigamous relationship, Jane’s refusal affirms her moral and spiritual autonomy. St. John Rivers’s attempt to control her through religious duty also fails. Charlotte Brontë gives her heroine an independent voice through first-person narration, turning Jane into a symbol of female dignity and freedom. The novel thus blends love and rebellion, showing that true union is possible only through equality and self-respect.
4. Answer any four from the following questions (each in around 500 words):
10×4 = 40
(a) Can the sufferings and tragic end of Tess be attributed to the 'tragic flaw' in her character or to external circumstances?
Answer:
Tess’s downfall in Tess of the d’Urbervilles arises primarily from external forces rather than her own flaws. Hardy depicts her as a victim of fate, social injustice, and moral hypocrisy. Her seduction by Alec d’Urberville, Angel’s rigid idealism, and society’s double standards condemn her despite her purity.
Tess’s only “fault” is her honesty and passivity in a cruel world. Her silence about her past stems from fear, not deceit. Hardy’s subtitle, A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented, challenges Victorian morality by asserting Tess’s spiritual innocence.
Hardy’s deterministic philosophy views human life as controlled by fate, chance, and indifferent Nature. Tess’s tragedy is cosmic—an innocent woman destroyed by society’s artificial codes. Her execution at the end symbolizes society’s cruelty, while her peace in death suggests moral transcendence.
Thus, Tess’s tragedy springs not from personal weakness but from a universe indifferent to human goodness.
(b) Write a note on the narrative style employed by Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities.
Answer:
Dickens uses a third-person omniscient narrative, combining historical breadth with emotional depth. His prose is rhythmic, symbolic, and richly descriptive. The famous opening line—“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”—sets the tone of duality and contrasts that pervade the novel.
He shifts scenes between London and Paris, creating suspense through parallel plots. Dickens employs foreshadowing, repetition, and symbolic imagery—light and darkness, death and resurrection. His moral commentary guides readers to sympathy and reflection.
The serialized structure ensures dramatic cliffhangers and vivid characterization. Dickens’s language ranges from lyrical to ironic, often blending humor and pathos. Through narrative economy and symbolic patterns, he connects personal fates to historical revolutions.
Thus, Dickens’s style unites realism and moral idealism, turning a historical tale into a timeless story of sacrifice and renewal.
(c) Discuss the narrative style and structure of the novel Tom Jones by Henry Fielding.
Answer:
Tom Jones is a masterly example of comic epic structure in prose. It consists of eighteen books divided into three sections: life in the countryside, adventures on the road, and resolution in London. Each book begins with an introductory essay where Fielding, as narrator, directly addresses readers in a witty and reflective tone.
The omniscient narrator serves as moral guide, historian, and entertainer. Fielding combines irony, digression, and humor to portray the complexity of human nature. His structure is tightly planned: coincidences, subplots, and revelations are artfully interwoven.
He uses realistic dialogue and vivid characterization to depict all classes of society. His balanced style—half-serious, half-humorous—keeps moral lessons entertaining.
Fielding’s narrative art anticipates the modern novel: objective yet humane, moral yet comic. Through organized structure and playful narration, Tom Jones achieves unity of design and philosophical depth.
(d) Attempt a critical analysis of Jane Austen’s preoccupation with matrimony and love as revealed in Mansfield Park.
Answer:
In Mansfield Park, Jane Austen treats marriage as both a romantic and moral institution. For her, love must harmonize with virtue, intelligence, and social sense. The novel contrasts genuine affection (Fanny and Edmund) with selfish or materialistic unions (Maria and Mr. Rushworth, Henry’s flirtations).
Austen uses Fanny Price as the moral center—her constancy and humility reflect ideal womanhood. She rejects Henry Crawford despite his charm, emphasizing moral principle over passion.
Austen critiques the social expectation that women marry for wealth or status. Through irony and realistic dialogue, she exposes the moral decay of aristocratic life.
Marriage becomes a test of character, revealing the true nature of love—steady, rational, and virtuous.
Thus, Austen’s preoccupation with matrimony is not romantic fantasy but moral inquiry: she envisions marriage as the union of hearts guided by conscience.
(e) The novel Wuthering Heights is basically a story of Heathcliff and Catherine. Bring out the aptness of this comment.
Answer:
Heathcliff and Catherine’s love forms the emotional core of Wuthering Heights. Their bond transcends social rules, reason, and even death. Catherine declares, “I am Heathcliff,” expressing their shared soul. Yet her decision to marry Edgar for social respectability divides them, setting tragedy in motion.
Heathcliff’s vengeance on both families springs from his wounded love. His cruelty is inseparable from his passion. Emily Brontë portrays their relationship as elemental—beyond morality, almost spiritual.
Their union defies time and society, and only in death do they achieve peace. The haunting of the moors by their spirits symbolizes eternal love and rebellion.
Through this relationship, Brontë explores themes of passion, revenge, and identity. The novel’s Gothic style and narrative complexity intensify their story.
Thus, Wuthering Heights is indeed the story of Heathcliff and Catherine—a love so fierce that it shapes every other life in the novel.
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