GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE EXAM

Dear students,

before you write your exams, I would like to emphasize some important points:

the Teaching Team is aware of the fact that the exam has a definite time limit (2 hours).
Please, be conscious of the time you devote to each item, for the exam should be balanced
(for example, answering one of the items with just one paragraph will mean that that part
will receive a zero grade).

Remember that a literature exam is not exact, and may be open to a myriad of
interpretations. This does not mean that the student can say “anything” about literary
texts: all opinions, no matter how valuable and imaginative they may be, must be backed
up by evidence in the literary texts themselves. The student will have to choose between
different options, although, depending on the specific text, there will be some obvious
and unambiguous elements that should be compulsorily dealt with (for instance, in the
PEC you wrote, the fact that the text to be commented upon, belonging to Possession, is
a parody of academic, postmodern language, and, particularly, of feminist literary
criticism). The Teaching Team is aware that it is impracticable to respond to the different
items in an unequivocal manner. Try to be creative at the same time that you are rigourous,
showing your command of the readings and literary theory when applicable. Be warned
that literary theory is an instrument for the understanding of literature, and not literature
in itself.

CONCERNING THE TEXT COMMENTARY:

-Read the text carefully, trying to contextualize it in the fictional work (in case it is part
of a novel), in the dramatic work (if it is a fragment of a play), in the complete poem (if
it is a poetic excerpt), or in the poet’s production (if it is a poem). Examine the relationship
of what is happening in the text with the rest of the literary work. Of course, this
contextualization is approximate; you are not supposed to affirm that, say, an extract of a
novel appears in chapter 5, page 32 of your book edition (well, if you do, it can contribute
to your passing with flying colours!). The important thing is to determine the meaning of
the text in the literary piece of writing where it appears.

-Speak about the content of the text, referring to elements like the main theme(s), the
narrative/poetic voice, characters, dialogue, narration, structure, location… depending on
the specific text and its genre. Pay attention to the style, rhetorical devices and figures of
speech: allegories, metaphors, similes, hyperbatons, hyperboles, alliterations… taking
into account the text’s linguistic framework: syntax, morphology, semantics (lexical
fields are usually very relevant in this respect), phonology, pragmatics… It is essential
to see that both content and form are intrinsically and indissolubly linked: one
aspect explains the other, and vice versa. That is what is meant when you are asked to
relate the thematic and the formal characteristics of the text.

-Do not collect lists of rhetorical devices as such: it is not a matter of identifying them,
but, mainly, of determining how they work and what they mean in the text.
-Given that your time is limited, avoid all superfluous information, and don’t lose your
contact with the text itself, which must be the basic source of reference all the time.

CONCERNING THE ESSAYS:

-Read the questions carefully, and write coherent essays on the proposed topics. An essay
must have an introduction (you cannot begin in medias res); a main body with definite
paragraphs, sustaining your arguments; and clear, consistent conclusions. Don’t forget
that you are asked to write exactly about the topic in question. Avoid all redundant and
unnecessary information, however important it could be for any other topic.

I wish you good luck in your exams!