Novel Concepts

OVERVIEW: For this final, we are going to do something a little bit different. Rather than answering the traditional test questions in a typical test format, I would like us to reflect on what we have read and answer a series of questions that draw on our personal experiences in the class and with the novels we have read ( the bluest eye and the virgin suicide). You may answer the questions in a separate Word or Adobe document and then submit your answers. The grading system for this exam is very simple: Write a thoughtful answer, and you will earn full credit. Less thoughtful answers will earn slightly fewer points and responses with no thought or obvious effort will earn a failing grade. All answers are based on interpretation and personal experience. Be honest and have fun with this.

Further Description

I am looking forward to reading your answers. Each question has a possible value of 20 points.1. How did the novels we discussed this semester help to inform or change your interpretation of the genre?2. Describe an instance in this course where you struggled with a problem or concept, and initially believed you had the wrong idea, but then later realized you were on the right path. In this instance, in what ways was a struggle or mistake valuable to your eventual understanding?3. Which of the critical perspectives did you most enjoy from the course, and why? Choose one passage from either of the novels and explain how this passage is best exemplified through your critical perspective.

(You may find it easier to focus on a specific scene and begin by describing that scene.)4. Formulate a research question related to one of the novels we discussed that you would like to answer. (You do not have to answer the question. Just ask a good question whose answer is unknown to you, and doesn’t have an obvious answer based on what you know from the course.)5. Reflect on your overall experience in this class by describing an interesting concept or idea that you learned, why it was interesting, and what it tells you about reading and analyzing literature.

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