MA 2nd Semester (New) Exam 2020 paper — “Literary Criticism: Classical to Modern”.
(Answers are concise, clear, and in simple English.)
SECTION – 1 (a)
Answer the following questions in one/two sentences. (1×8=8)
Q1. On what ground did Plato reject poets from his ideal society?
Ans. Plato rejected poets because he believed poetry was an imitation of an imitation that misled people and stirred harmful emotions, weakening reason and morality.
Q2. What, according to Aristotle, is Catharsis?
Ans. According to Aristotle, Catharsis means the emotional cleansing or purgation of pity and fear through watching tragedy.
Q3. State any two faults of style pointed out by Longinus in On the Sublime.
Ans. Longinus pointed out frigidity (excessive affectation) and false emotion or bombast as faults of style.
Q4. What is meant by the phrase “art for art’s sake”?
Ans. It means art should exist for beauty and aesthetic pleasure alone, not for moral, political, or social purposes.
Q5. State any one feature of Neoclassical criticism.
Ans. Neoclassical criticism emphasizes reason, order, and the imitation of classical models.
Q6. Mention the names of any two exponents of Romantic criticism.
Ans. William Wordsworth and S. T. Coleridge.
Q7. Who was the main figure behind the Touchstone Method?
Ans. Matthew Arnold.
Q8. Mention the name of the book by F. R. Leavis in which the essay “Line of Wit” appears.
Ans. The book is The Common Pursuit.
SECTION – 1 (b)
Choose the correct option. (1×4=4)
Q1. Principles of Literary Criticism is a book by —
Ans. (3) I. A. Richards.
Q2. Which one cannot be considered a theme of Samuel Johnson’s Preface to Shakespeare?
Ans. (2) Importance of Nature.
Q3. Who defined poetry as the “spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions”?
Ans. (4) William Wordsworth.
Q4. In which year was Coleridge’s Biographia Literaria published?
Ans. (4) 1819.
SECTION – 1 (c)
Fill in the blanks. (1×4=4)
Q1. The root of ___ literary criticism can be traced to France.
Ans. modern.
Q2. Plato mentions an “ancient quarrel” between poetry and philosophy in his book titled ___.
Ans. The Republic.
Q3. ___ is a quality whose effect is to ‘transport’ the reader out of themselves.
Ans. Sublimity.
Q4. ___ first used the term New Criticism.
Ans. John Crowe Ransom.
SECTION – 2
Answer any five questions (each within 50 words). (2×5=10)
Q1. What does Affective Fallacy mean according to Wimsatt and Beardsley?
Ans. Affective Fallacy means judging a poem by its emotional effect on the reader rather than by its structure or meaning.
Q2. Who was the founder of the journal Scrutiny and what was its aim?
Ans. F. R. Leavis founded Scrutiny. Its aim was to promote serious literary criticism and moral seriousness in literature.
Q3. Explain the concept of the Touchstone Method.
Ans. The Touchstone Method by Matthew Arnold suggests judging poems by comparing them with the finest passages from great poets.
Q4. State two characteristics of English criticism during the Renaissance.
Ans. Renaissance criticism revived classical ideas and emphasized humanism and moral purpose in art.
Q5. Mention one theme from Coleridge’s Biographia Literaria.
Ans. One theme is the distinction between imagination and fancy in the creative process of poetry.
Q6. Mention two faults of Shakespeare as pointed out by Samuel Johnson.
Ans. Johnson criticized Shakespeare for neglecting poetic justice and for mixing tragedy with comedy.
SECTION – 3
Answer any four (each around 150 words). (3×4=12)
Q1. Write briefly on Pope’s idea of Nature.
Ans. For Alexander Pope, “Nature” means the universal order, truth, and reason that guide all creation. He believed good poetry should follow nature, which is also reflected in classical rules and harmony. To Pope, to write naturally means to write reasonably and elegantly, imitating the balance and proportion of classical models. His concept of nature combines moral, artistic, and rational order—poetry must reflect human nature and universal truth.
Q2. What, according to Wordsworth, is the function of poetry?
Ans. Wordsworth believed poetry’s function is to give pleasure and convey powerful emotions recollected in tranquility. Poetry originates in deep feeling and imagination but is expressed with thought and reflection. It purifies human emotions and strengthens sympathy and love for nature and mankind. Poetry, he said, is “the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge.”
Q3. What are the three ways to maintain disinterestedness according to Matthew Arnold?
Ans. In The Function of Criticism at the Present Time, Arnold advises critics to remain (1) free from personal prejudice, (2) detached from political or emotional bias, and (3) guided by reason and truth. Disinterestedness allows critics to appreciate ideas objectively and promote the best thought and culture of humanity.
Q4. Explain Longinus’ concept of the Sublime.
Ans. Longinus defines the Sublime as greatness in writing that uplifts the soul and gives a sense of grandeur. It creates awe and admiration in the reader. The five sources of sublimity include greatness of thought, strong emotion, noble diction, proper word arrangement, and inspired imagination. The sublime is born of genius and passion rather than mere skill.
Q5. Describe Aristotle’s use of Catharsis in tragedy.
Ans. In Poetics, Aristotle explains that tragedy arouses pity and fear to bring about Catharsis—the emotional cleansing or purification of the audience. This process provides both pleasure and moral balance. By watching the suffering of tragic heroes, audiences learn compassion and achieve emotional harmony.
SECTION – 4
Answer any three (each around 250 words). (6×3=18)
Q1. Give an idea of Platonic theory of Forms.
Ans. Plato’s Theory of Forms states that the physical world is imperfect and changing, but beyond it exists a world of perfect, eternal Forms or Ideas. Everything in this world imitates those ideal Forms. True knowledge comes not from senses but from reason which perceives the Forms. In art, Plato says poets imitate appearances, which are already imitations of the Forms, making art thrice removed from truth. Hence, he distrusted poets for leading people away from reality. His theory influenced Western thought and aesthetics by connecting truth, beauty, and perfection.
Q2. Examine the role of Philip Sidney as a critic in An Apology for Poetry.
Ans. Philip Sidney’s An Apology for Poetry is the first major defense of poetry in English. He argues that poetry teaches and delights better than philosophy or history. Poetry creates ideal worlds that improve human virtue. Sidney divides poetry into divine, philosophical, and historical kinds and emphasizes its moral power. He answers Plato’s charge that poets lie by saying poets never affirm falsehood—they invent noble examples. His essay combines Renaissance humanism with moral seriousness and established criticism as a respectable field in English literature.
Q3. Elaborate the idea of imagination as a major theme in Romantic criticism.
Ans. For Romantic critics like Wordsworth and Coleridge, imagination is the creative and divine power that transforms reality into art. Wordsworth saw it as the power that fuses emotion and thought, while Coleridge distinguished between primary (spontaneous perception) and secondary (artistic creation) imagination. It shapes the poet’s inner experience into meaningful beauty. Imagination connects man with nature, spirit, and truth. Romantic criticism thus celebrates imagination as the source of originality, emotion, and genius in poetry.
Q4. Outline the main concerns of the New Critical advocacy of ‘close reading.’
Ans. New Critics like I. A. Richards, Cleanth Brooks, and John Crowe Ransom emphasized close reading—analyzing the text itself without reference to the author’s life, history, or reader emotions. They treated a poem as an autonomous verbal object whose meaning lies in its structure, imagery, irony, and unity. Close reading identifies paradox, tension, and ambiguity to reveal the complexity and coherence of a text. New Criticism insists that form and meaning are inseparable, promoting objectivity and discipline in literary study.
SECTION – 5
Answer any three (each around 300 words). (8×3=24)
Q1. Assess the importance of Johnson’s Preface to Shakespeare in Neoclassical criticism.
Ans. Samuel Johnson’s Preface to Shakespeare (1765) is a milestone in Neoclassical criticism. He admired Shakespeare for portraying human nature truthfully and creating universal characters. Johnson’s method combined reason, morality, and realism. He criticized Shakespeare for neglecting poetic justice and mixing comedy with tragedy, yet praised his understanding of human emotions. Johnson’s emphasis on truth, reason, and moral instruction reflects Neoclassical ideals. His balanced, rational, and humane approach bridges classical restraint with modern psychological realism, making his Preface both timeless and critical in shaping literary standards.
Q2. Discuss the important premises of F. R. Leavis’s New Criticism.
Ans. F. R. Leavis was a leading figure in 20th-century English criticism and founder of the journal Scrutiny. His New Critical approach combined moral seriousness with close textual analysis. Leavis believed great literature refines moral awareness and preserves cultural values. He focused on the “great tradition” of writers who display moral sensitivity—like George Eliot, Conrad, and James. Leavis rejected historical and biographical criticism, insisting that a text must be studied for its organic unity. His essays in The Common Pursuit and The Great Tradition show his belief that literature and life are inseparable, and criticism must cultivate moral intelligence.
Q3. Trace the history of Classical Roman Criticism and highlight important texts.
Ans. Roman criticism followed Greek models, focusing on rhetoric, style, and moral purpose. Cicero emphasized oratory and harmony in De Oratore and Orator. Horace, in Ars Poetica, gave practical advice—poetry must both teach and delight (prodesse et delectare), stressing moderation, decorum, and unity. Quintilian, in Institutio Oratoria, described the ideal orator as “a good man skilled in speaking.” Roman critics valued imitation of classical models, discipline, and moral teaching. Their works shaped Renaissance and Neoclassical criticism by uniting art with ethics.
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Q3. What are the major characteristics of Victorian criticism?
Ans. Victorian criticism reflected moral seriousness and faith in culture. Critics like Matthew Arnold, John Ruskin, and Walter Pater debated the relation between art and morality. Arnold saw criticism as “a disinterested endeavor to learn and propagate the best that is known and thought.” Ruskin emphasized social duty and beauty in art, while Pater focused on aesthetic experience. Victorian critics sought balance between moral purpose and artistic freedom, preparing the way for modern humanist and aesthetic theories.
Q4. Discuss the significance of S. T. Coleridge as a Romantic critic with reference to Biographia Literaria.
Ans. S. T. Coleridge’s Biographia Literaria (1817) is one of the greatest works of English literary criticism. He distinguishes between imagination and fancy, calling imagination the living power that shapes art organically. He believed a poem’s form and content must grow naturally together—an idea called “organic unity.” Coleridge combined poetry with philosophy, explaining how emotion and thought unite in the creative process. He also evaluated Wordsworth’s theory of poetry, refining it philosophically. Coleridge’s ideas on imagination, symbolism, and the role of the poet deeply influenced Romantic and modern criticism, making him a true pioneer of literary theory.
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