Introducción a la Literatura en Lengua Inglesa

Ordinary exams June 2021- June 2023

PART I:
Specify for each extract a) the author, b) title of his/her work and c) literary period
within which the work was written [ 1,5 points / 0,3 points per question]

“It was a miracle of rare device,

A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice”
ANSWER: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Khan, Romantic period.

“[...] at the voice

Of Good, as with a Mantle didst invest
The first world of waters dark and deep,
Won from the void and formless infinite”
ANSWER: John Milton, Paradise Lost, Restoration Period

“Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--”
ANSWER: John Keats, To Autumn, Romantic period.

“Fact, fact, fact, everywhere in the material aspect of the town; fact, fact, fact, everywhere in
the inmaterial. The M’Choakumchild school was all fact, and the school of design was all
fact, and the relations between master and man were all fact [...]”
ANSWER: Charles Dickens, Hard Times, Victorian period.

PART I:
1. Analysing Joseph Conrad’s “An Outpost of Progress”. Read the extracts below
and briefly answer in the space given the corresponding questions [ 2,5 points].

1.1. In the extract below, Conrad presents an opposition between two concepts
which is central to the short story. What is this opposition? To which topic
of the short story can it be associated? [ 0,5 points].
Few men realize that their life, the very essence of their character, their capabilities and their
audacities, are only the expression of their belief in the safety of their surroundings. The
courage, the composure, the confidence, the emotion and principle, every great and every
insignificant thought, belongs not to the individual, but to the crowd: to the crowd that
believes blindly in the irresistible force of its institutions and of its morals, in the power of its
police and of its opinion.
 ANSWER: The opposition between the perceived security of civilisation and
the reality of human vulnerability in a wilderness environment. This
opposition can be linked to the theme of the fragility of civilisation and how
the environment can influence human psychology.

1.2. In each of the three extracts below you will find a literary figure typical of
the mind style of Conrad’s story. Identify it and write its name. You don’t
need to explain why it is used [ 2 points / 0,5 points per question].

a) “For days, the two pioneers of trade and progress would look on the
empty courtyard in the vibrating brilliance of vertical sunshine”
ANSWER: Irony

b) “A man may destroy everything within himself, love and hate and
belief, and even doubt; but as long as he clings to life he cannot
destroy fear”
ANSWER: Philosophical statement

c) “What was it all about? He thought it must be a horrible illusion; he

thought he was dreaming; he thought he was going mad! After a while
he collected his senses. What did they quarrel about? That sugar! How
absurd! He would give it to him--didn't want it himself”
ANSWER: Defamiliarization

d) “The day had come, and a heavy mist had descended upon the and: the
mist penetrating, enveloping and silent; the morning mist of tropical
lands; the mist that clings and kills”
ANSWER: Symbol → mist = hopelessness

PART III:
Briefly answer the following questions. Try to make them fit into the space you have
been given. Your ability to synthesize thoughts will be positively taken into account:

1. In this extract from Milton’s Paradise Lost there is something significant from
the point of view of literary figures. Briefly explain what it is [ 0,5 points].

[...] Thus with the Year

Seasons returns, but not to me returns
Day, [...]
 ANSWER: We can find an enjambment here to give importance to the word “Day”,
which refers to light and sight.

2. Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko can be considered a sentimental novel. Briefly answer

the following questions: a) Which characteristics of sentimental literature does it
reflect? Mention at least one; b) Why is Behn’s description of the slaves in
Suriname as “nice of being touched” significant? [ 0,5 points].

ANSWER: a) It reflects deep emotions and moral sensitivity.

b) The description of the slaves as ‘nice of being touched’ is significant because it

humanises the slaves, highlighting their sensitivity and humanity.

3. The Romantic Period. Choose JUST ONE of the following options [ 0,5 points].

Option A: “Ozymandias”, by P. B. Shelley, throws a philosophical message by using

a powerful image. Describe the message and the image by means of which it is
communicated.

ANSWER: The philosophical message in ‘Ozymandias’ is the impermanence of

power and glory. The image used is that of a broken statue in a desert, symbolising
how even the greatest empires eventually fall into oblivion.

Option B: William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” denounces a social issue:

a) What is this issue? b) Which literary figure can you identify in the extract below?

And so he was quiet; and that very night,

As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight, -
That thousands of sweepers, Dick Joe, Ned, and Jack,
Were all of them looked up in coffins of black.

ANSWER: a) Social issue:

William Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" denounces the exploitation and harsh
conditions faced by child laborers in the chimney sweeping industry during the
Industrial Revolution. The poem highlights the suffering, neglect, and premature
death of these children.
 b) Literary figure:

In the extract provided, the literary figure used is metaphor. The phrase "coffins of
black" metaphorically represents the soot-filled chimneys in which the child sweepers
work, symbolizing both the deadly nature of their occupation and the entrapment and
hopelessness they experience. The imagery of "coffins of black" suggests that these
children are essentially buried alive in their grim, hazardous work environments.

4. Read the following extract from Katherine Mansfield’s “Bliss” and briefly
answer the four questions listed below [ 2 points].

¡¡¡¡ABAJO EL EXTRACTO!!!!!
 1 The windows of the drawing-room opened on to a balcony overlooking the
garden. At the far end, against the wall, there was a tall, slender pear tree in
fullest, richest bloom; it stood perfect, as though becalmed against the
jade-green sky. Bertha couldn't help feeling, even from this distance, that it
had not a single bud or a faded petal. Down below, in the garden beds, the red
5 and yellow tulips, heavy with flowers, seemed to lean upon the dusk. A grey
cat, dragging its belly, crept across the lawn, and a black one, its shadow,
trailed after. The sight of them, so intent and so quick, gave Bertha a curious
shiver.

"What creepy things cats are!" she stammered, and she turned away from the
window and began walking up and down. . . .

10 How strong the jonquils smelled in the warm room. Too strong? Oh, no. And
yet, as though overcome, she flung down on a couch and pressed her hands to
her eyes.

"I'm too happy–too happy!" she murmured.

And she seemed to see on her eyelids the lovely pear tree with its wide open
blossoms as a symbol of her own life.
15 Really–really–she had everything. She was young. Harry and she were as
much in love as ever, and they got on together splendidly and were really good
pals. She had an adorable baby. They didn't have to worry about money. They
had this absolutely satisfactory house and garden. And friends–modern,
thrilling friends, writers and painters and poets or people keen on social
20 questions–just the kind of friends they wanted. And then there were books,
and there was music, and she had found a wonderful little dressmaker, and
they were going abroad in the summer, and their new cook made the most
superb omelettes…

4.1. Which of the two Berthas speaks in lines 15-21? Briefly justify why [0,5
points].
ANSWER: This is the Bertha who is aware of her perfect life, feeling overwhelmed
by the happiness and perfection she perceives in her life.

4.2. In lines 10-11 we find a literary technique typical of Mansfield’s style? What
Is it? [0,25 points].
ANSWER: The literary technique used is stream of consciousness. This technique
captures the continuous flow of a character's thoughts, feelings, and reactions in a
way that mimics their natural thought process.
 4.3. What do the two cats symbolise? [0,25 points].
ANSWER: They represent the mystery and duality of life, reflecting Bertha's inner
tensions.

4.4. Can you appreciate any significant contrast in the extract? Briefly describe it
[0,5 points].
ANSWER: There is a contrast between Bertha's apparent perfection and happiness
and her sense of unease and vulnerability.

5. Edwidge Danticat’s Claire of the Sea Light. Briefly answer the following
questions [1,5 points].

5.1. What does the lighthouse symbolise for Gaëlle? [0,5 points].
ANSWER: The lighthouse symbolises hope and guidance in the midst of darkness
and adversity.

5.2. Answer JUST ONE of the following questions [1 point].

Option A: While pregnant, Gaëlle carries out a symbolic action. What is it? Why does
she do it?

ANSWER: Gaëlle buries her wedding ring. This act represents her attempt to let go
of the past and move forward with her life, even as she carries the memory of her
husband and the struggles she faces as a widow and a mother.

Option B: In Claire of the Sea Light there is a wonderful example of sorority. What is
it? Briefly explain its significance.

ANSWER: An example of sorority in the novel is the mutual support among the
women of the village, which is significant because it highlights the importance of
female solidarity in overcoming difficulties.