In the final exam, in addition to a section in which you are asked about key concepts, you will also be given three of the questions below, from which you will choose one as the topic of a written essay.
There is no specific required length for this essay, but you should use the time available to you. Note also that this section of the exam is worth a higher percentage of the grade than the other one, so you should spend more time on it and I expect the extent of what you write to reflect that fact.
- Take two or more of the texts we have covered in this course, and analyze and compare the ways in which they experiment with time or temporality. In your answer, you should discuss concrete examples, passages, or scenes to illustrate your argument.
- Take two or more of the texts we have covered in this course, and analyze and compare the ways in which they treat the topic of violence (whether war, revolution, social protest, or other forms of violence). In your answer, you should discuss concrete examples, passages, or scenes to illustrate your argument.
- Take two or more of the texts we have covered in this course, and analyze and compare the ways in which they either uphold or disrupt linear narrative. In your answer, you should discuss concrete examples, passages, or scenes to illustrate your argument.
- Take two or more of the texts we have covered in this course, and analyze and compare the ways in which they treat the relationship between truth and fiction (reality and imagination, history and invention). In your answer, you should discuss concrete examples, passages, or scenes to illustrate your argument.
- What is the relationship between literature and play? In what ways is literature playful? In what ways do (or could) we play games with literature? In your answer, you should discuss concrete examples, passages, or scenes from the texts we have covered in this course to illustrate your argument.
