Shehryar Riaz
Literary Criticism
Solved Past Papers (Short Questions)
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Papers included
2015 – 2016 – 2018 – 2019 – 2019 b – 2020 – 2021
18
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Literary Criticism 2021 Solved Short Questions
1. How is tragedy different from other arts, according to Aristotle?
Ans. In the Poetics, Aristotle compares tragedy to other metrical forms such as
comedy and epic. He determines that tragedy, like all poetry, is a kind of imitation
(mimesis), but adds that it has a serious purpose and uses direct action rather than
narrative to achieve its ends. The aim of tragedy, Aristotle writes, is to bring about
a “catharsis” of the spectators — to arouse in them sensations of pity and fear.
2. Give three differences between epic poetry and tragedy as propounded
by Aristotle.
Ans. Three major differences between epic and tragedy are given below ;
1. The main difference between Epic and Tragedy is that Epic uses narrative
while tragedy uses dramatization.
2. Epic is much longer than Tragedy because its actions is not confined by
time or place.
3. Epic is made up of several major events and has different plots, while a
tragedy can only have one major event or plot.
3. Define Catharsis. (2021, 2019, 2018)
Ans. Catharsis is defined as purification or purgation of the emotions (such as
pity and fear) that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension primarily
through art.
4. How does Aristotle define ‘Spectacle’? (2021, 2015)
Ans. Spectacle is one of the six components of tragedy, occupying the category
of the mode of imitation. Spectacle includes all aspects of the tragedy that
contribute to its sensory effects: costumes, scenery, the gestures of the actors, the
sound of the music and the resonance of the actors’ voices.
5. What are six formative elements of Aristotelian tragedy? (2021, 2016)
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Ans. In Poetics, Aristotle wrote that tragedy has to include 6 elements: plot,
character, thought, diction, music, and spectacle.
6. What, according to Aristotle, is the function of tragedy?
Ans. Aristotle states in Poetics that the purpose of tragedy is to arouse “terror and
pity” and thereby effect the catharsis of these emotions.
7. What does philosophy teach, according to Sidney.
Ans. According to Sidney, philosophy teaches virtue by showing what virtue is
and what vice is, by setting down, in abstract argument, and without clarity or
beauty of style, the bare principles of morality. The philosopher can only
articulate an abstract description of an ethical principle.
8. What is the purpose of poetry according to Wordsworth? (2021, 2019 b)
Ans. Wordsworth believed that, “The first principle of poetry should be pleasure
and so the chief duty of poetry is to provide pleasure through a rhythmic and
beautiful expression of feeling.”
9. What is Pastoral Poetry?
Ans. “Pastoral” (from pastor, Latin for “shepherd”) refers to a literary work
dealing with shepherds and rustic life. Pastoral poetry is highly conventionalized;
it presents an idealized rather than realistic view of rustic life.
10. Why does Wordsworth prefer the language of rustic people? (2021, 2019
b)
Ans. For his choice of rustic language, Wordsworth says that he has used it after
having purified it of its coarseness and other defects. The rustic people can hourly
communicate with the best object of nature from which the best part of language
is derived.
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11. What does Wordsworth think of the distinction between the language of
prose and metrical composition. (2021, 2020)
Ans. Wordsworth says that the language of prose can be used in poetry. There is
no essential difference between the language of prose and that of metrical
composition. Rather he asserts that there is a perfect affinity between metrical
composition and prose composition.
12. What are some of the characteristics of the poet? What is his relationship
to his “own passion and violations”? (2021, 2016)
Ans. A poet differs from an ordinary man not in kind but in degree. Because he
has a comprehensive soul which rustic people do not have. He is endowed with
more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness. He has a greater
knowledge of human nature. The poet is a man speaking to men.
He is a man pleased with his own passions and violations and who
rejoices more than other men in the spirit of life that is in him.
13. What does Wordsworth mean by “Poetic Truth”?
Ans. Wordsworth agrees with Aristotle in that poetic truth is much higher than
the truth of history or philosophy. He declares that the aim of poetry is the
universal truth. The poet, like the philosopher, deals with ultimate truth, while the
historian deals with ephemeral particular, facts. Poets can invest universality to
particular facts.
14. What are Coleridge views about Wordsworth's poetic theory?
Ans. Coleridge criticises Wordsworth because Wordsworth has totally rejected
the importance of figurative expression in the case of poetry. Even he says that
Wordsworth has failed to maintain his simple language in most of his poems.
According to Coleridge, Wordsworth does not practice what he says.
15. How does Coleridge differentiate between language of prose and poetry?
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Ans. According to Coleridge, the poem is distinguished form prose compositions
by its immediate object. The immediate object of prose is to give truth and that
of poem is to please. Another difference between two is that metre or rhyme or
both is employed in a poem but they are not used in a prose composition.
16. What are five steps in poetic process given by Wordsworth? (2021, 2020,
2019 b, 2015)
Ans. According to Wordsworth, there are four stages in the process of poetic
creation. These are observation, recollection, contemplation and imaginative
excitement.
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Literary Criticism 2020 Solved Short Questions
1. Define the term Hamartia. (2020, 2019b)
Ans. Hamartia, also called tragic flaw, (hamartia from Greek hamartanein, “to
err”) is the inherent defect or shortcoming in the hero of a tragedy that results in
bringing his or her downfall.
2. What is probable impossibility as discussed by Aristotle. (2020, 2019)
Ans. Aristotle, in his ‘Poetics’, had asserted: ‘With respect to the requirements of
art, a probable impossibility is to be preferred to a thing improbable and yet
possible.’
Probable Impossibility refers to a situation that is impossible to happen
in the real world, but is probable in the universe of imaginary events that is
assumed to exist.
3. In what three ways does Aristotle differentiate various art forms from
one another? (2020, 2019)
Ans. Aristotle identifies three aspects in which poetic genres can be distinguished
from each other: the medium through which they present their imitation, the
objects of imitation, and the mode or manner of the imitation.
4. What was Sydney’s approach on Plato’s banishment of poets from his
ideal republic? (2020, 2019)
Ans. Sidney views that Plato in his Republic wanted to banish the abuse of poetry
not the poets. He himself was not free from poeticality, which we can find in his
dialogues. Plato never says that all poets should be banished. He called for
banishing only those poets who are inferior and unable to instruct the children.
5. What are the two tragic emotions by means of which catharsis is
achieved?
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Ans. Aristotle states in Poetics that the purpose of tragedy is to arouse “terror
and pity” and thereby effect the catharsis of these emotions.
6. What is the main difference between poetry and history.
Ans. The true difference between poetry and history is that history relates what
has happened in a particular place at a particular time to particular people or
person. Poetry relates what may happen anywhere in the world. Poetry, therefore
is more philosophical, more permanent and universal than history.
7. What are “recognition” (anagnorisis) and “reversal” (peripeteia)?
Ans. Aristotle introduces the concepts of peripeteia (reversal of fortune) and
anagnorisis (discovery or recognition) in his The Poetics. Peripeteia is a reversal
of circumstances, or a turning point. Anagnorisis, on the other hand, is
recognition of a real situation and therefore the realization of things as they stood.
8. What is the chief aim of poetry according to Sidney? (2020, 2016, 2015)
Ans. According to Sidney, poetry teaches and delights; but that is not all. Sidney
also points out the power of poetry to move the mind and to stir the heart. It is by
its power to move the minds it influences the behaviour and conduct. So, the
ultimate aim of this kind of poetry is moral.
9. How poetry is superior to philosophy as discussed by Sidney? (2020,
2016, 2015)
Ans. In Sidney’s view, poetry is superior to philosophy and history because of its
ability to present vivid, compelling examples to the reader not simply of what has
been or will be, but what should be. The philosopher can only articulate an
abstract description of an ethical principle.
10. How does lyric poetry appeal its readers according to Sidney? (2020,
2016)
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Ans. Sidney defines the Lyric poem as a poem of praise which is mostly sung to
musical accompaniment. This type of poetry appeals its readers as it praises
virtues and is used to praise God.
11. How is the unity of place and time violated in English dramas according
to Sidney? (2020, 2016)
Ans. Sir Philip Sidney is a strong advocate of three dramatic unities, of time,
place and action. He criticizes English Drama for violating unity of place and
time. He finds it absurd that English dramatists use the same stage as a garden, as
a shipwreck, or as a cave. And in English dramas, a youth may grow from
boyhood to old age in a hour. This is highly illogical, according to Sidney. So it
must be avoided.
12. How does Wordsworth define poetry? (2020, 2019, 2019 b, 2018, 2016)
Ans. Wordsworth gives his famous definition of poetry as “the spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origins from emotion recollected in
tranquility.”
13. What are the steps in poetic process as defined by Wordsworth? (2021,
2020, 2019 b, 2015)
Ans. According to Wordsworth, there are four stages in the process of poetic
creation. These are observation, recollection, contemplation and imaginative
excitement.
14. Why is the claim of Wordsworth employing the real language of men not
acceptable according to Coleridge?
Ans. Wordsworth talks of a selected and purified language. Coleridge argues that
such type of language would differ in no way from the language of any other men
of commonsense. After such selection, there would be no difference between the
rustic language and the language used by common men in their ways of life.
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15. Write down the salient features of Romanticism. (2020, 2016, 2015)
Ans. Glorification of nature, awareness and acceptance of emotions, celebration
of artistic creativity and imagination, emphasis on aesthetic beauty and use of
spiritual and supernatural elements are some of the important features of
Romanticism.
16. What, according to Wordsworth, is the difference between language of
prose and poetry? (2021, 2020)
Ans. Wordsworth says that the language of prose can be used in poetry. There is
no essential difference between the language of prose and that of metrical
composition. Rather he asserts that there is a perfect affinity between metrical
composition and prose composition.
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Literary Criticism 2019 Solved Short Questions
1. What is probable impossibility as discussed by Aristotle? (2020, 2019)
Ans. Aristotle, in his ‘Poetics’, had asserted: ‘With respect to the requirements of
art, a probable impossibility is to be preferred to a thing improbable and yet
possible.’
Probable Impossibility refers to a situation that is impossible to happen
in the real world, but is probable in the universe of imaginary events that is
assumed to exist.
2. What does Biographia Literaria mean? (2019, 2018)
Ans. Biographia Literaria, which literally means “Literary Biography,” was
written by the Romantic Period poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and the full title
is Biographia Literaria; or, Biographical Sketches of My Literary Life and
Opinions (1817).
3. What is meant by willing suspension of disbelief? (2019, 2019 b, 2018,
2015)
Ans. The poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge introduced the
term “suspension of disbelief” in 1817 and suggested that if a writer could infuse
a “human interest and a semblance of truth” into a fantastic tale, the reader would
suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative.
4. How does Wordsworth define poetry? (2020, 2019, 2019 b, 2018, 2016)
Ans. Wordsworth gives his famous definition of poetry as “the spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origins from emotion recollected in
tranquility.”
5. What are Wordsworth’s views on metre? (2019, 2018)
Ans. Wordsworth justifies the use of metre and condemns the use of Poetic
Diction. He argues that metre itself can give pleasure to a great extent. Metre is
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something regular and uniform, while poetic diction is arbitrary and capricious.
The use of metre is traditional.
6. What is catharsis? (2021, 2019, 2018)
Ans. Catharsis is defined as purification or purgation of the emotions (such as
pity and fear) that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension primarily
through art.
7. In what three ways does Aristotle differentiate various forms of arts from
one another? (2020, 2019)
Ans. Aristotle identifies three aspects in which poetic genres can be distinguished
from each other: the medium through which they present their imitation, the
objects of imitation, and the mode or manner of the imitation.
8. What are fatal plots? (2019, 2018)
Ans. Plots may be fatal or fortunate. Aristotle prefer fatal plot on fortunate plot
because he prefers that the better than average character falls from happiness to
adversity not due to depravity due to error of judgment and arouse the emotions
of pity and fear.
9. What do you understand by the term organic unity? (2019, 2016, 2015)
Ans. Organic Unity is the idea that a thing is made up of interdependent parts. In
Aristotle’s Poetics, organic unity is described by how writing relies internally on
narration and drama to remain cohesive to one another, not separate entities.
Without balance on both sides, the whole concept suffers.
10. How has Sidney established that poetry is antique and universal in
nature?
Ans. Poetry has been held in high esteem since the earliest times. It has been ‘the
first light-giver to ignorance.’ Poetry in all nations has preceded other branches
of learning. It presents universal truths like philosophy, but it does them through
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concrete examples, like History. Thus Sidney’s views show that poetry has a
vivid and crystal antiquity and universality.
11. What was Sidney’s approach on Plato’s banishment of poets from his
ideal republic? (2020, 2019)
Ans. Sidney views that Plato in his Republic wanted to banish the abuse of poetry
not the poets. He himself was not free from poeticality, which we can find in his
dialogues. Plato never says that all poets should be banished. He called for
banishing only those poets who are inferior and unable to instruct the children.
12. What does Sidney say about the role of poets? (2019, 2018)
Ans. Sidney calls the poet a moderator in the school of learning. According to
Sidney, poetry teaches and delights but that is not all. He also points out the power
of poetry to move the mind and to stir the heart. It can influence the reader’s
behavior and conduct.
13. How does Sidney refute the allegation against poetry being the mother of
lies?
Ans. Sidney refutes the allegation against poetry being the mother of lies by
stating that the poet does not lie because he never affirms that his fiction is true
and can never lie. The poetic truths are ideal and universal. Therefore, poetry
cannot be a mother of lies.
14. Define organic unity. (2019, 2016, 2015)
Ans. Organic Unity is the idea that a thing is made up of interdependent parts. In
Aristotle’s Poetics, organic unity is described by how writing relies internally on
narration and drama to remain cohesive to one another, not separate entities.
Without balance on both sides, the whole concept suffers.
15. What was the term Coleridge proposed to substitute the Wordsworth’s
term Real with? (2019, 2015)
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Ans. Every man’s language, says Coleridge, has its individualities, as well as
properties common to his social class and certain words or phrases that are
universally used. Moreover, language varies in every country and every village;
given such variety, what would “real” language mean? Hence, for “real,” thinks
Coleridge, we should substitute the term “ordinary” or “lingua communis.”
16. Describe the difference between primary and secondary imagination as
discussed by Coleridge. (2019, 2018, 2015)
Ans. In chapter XIII of “Biographia Literaria“, Coleridge distinguishes between
primary and secondary Imagination. The primary imagination is a spontaneous
act of the human mind, the image so formed of the outside world unconsciously
and involuntarily. The secondary imagination is an echo of the primary. It is the
poetic vision “to idealize and unify”.
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Literary Criticism 2019 (b) Solved Short Questions
1. How does Wordsworth define poetry? (2020, 2019, 2019 b, 2018, 2016)
Ans. Wordsworth gives his famous definition of poetry as “the spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origins from emotion recollected in
tranquility.”
2. What is primary imagination?
Ans. According to Coleridge, the primary imagination is “the living power and
prime agent of all human perception”. It is a spontaneous act of the human mind,
the image so formed of the outside world unconsciously and involuntarily.
3. What is Fancy? (2019 b, 2015)
Ans. According to Coleridge, fancy is the process of “bringing together images
dissimilar in the main, by source”. Coleridge regards fancy to be the inferior to
imagination. It is according to him a creative power. It only combines different
things into different shapes, not like imagination to fuse them into one.
4. What is secondary imagination?
Ans. According to Coleridge, the secondary imagination is an echo of the
primary. It is the poetic vision “to idealize and unify”. Coleridge call secondary
imagination a magical power; it fuses various faculties of human soul – will,
emotion, intellect, perception. It fuses internal and external, the subjective and
objective.
5. What is Esemplastic?
Ans. Coleridge refers to the “esemplastic power of the imagination”,
“esemplastic” meaning “shaping into One”. Coleridge‟s “esemplastic” power is
intuitive, unitive, faculty that sees the Whole behind the parts, the One behind the
many
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6. Mention the steps involved in the creation of poetry (according to
Wordsworth). (2021, 2020, 2019 b, 2015)
Ans. According to Wordsworth, there are four stages in the process of poetic
creation. These are observation, recollection, contemplation and imaginative
excitement.
7. Define the willing suspension of disbelief. (2019, 2019 b, 2018, 2015)
Ans. The poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge introduced the
term “suspension of disbelief” in 1817 and suggested that if a writer could infuse
a “human interest and a semblance of truth” into a fantastic tale, the reader would
suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative.
8. What is Hamartia? (2020, 2019 b)
Ans. Hamartia, also called tragic flaw, (hamartia from Greek hamartanein, “to
err”) is the inherent defect or shortcoming in the hero of a tragedy that results in
bringing his or her downfall.
9. Write the names of types of poetry which are given by Philip Sidney?
(2019 b, 2015)
Ans. The three kinds of poetry, according to Sidney, are :
a. Religious poetry
b. Philosophical poetry
c. Imaginative poetry
10. What is the purpose of poetry according to Wordsworth? (2021, 2019 b)
Ans. Wordsworth believed that, “The first principle of poetry should be pleasure
and so the chief duty of poetry is to provide pleasure through a rhythmic and
beautiful expression of feeling.”
11. Write the definition of “Anagnorisis”.
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Ans. Anagnorisis is the Greek word for 'recognition' or 'discovery', used by
Aristotle in his Poetics to denote the turning point in a drama at which a
character (usually the protagonist) recognizes the true state of affairs, having
previously been in error or ignorance.
12. Who wrote the School of Abuse.
Ans. Stephen Gosson wrote The School of Abuse in 1579. It contained a pleasant
invective against Poets, Pipers, Plaiers, Jesters and Caterpillars of the
Commonwealth.
13. Why does Sidney employee forensic rhetoric? (2019 b, 2018)
Ans. Sidney’s structural framework in composing his argument is influenced
largely by Aristotle’s Poetics, using the imitation of rhetoric as a legal defense
(law speech). Sidney uses forensic rhetoric—beginning with an “exordium”
(introduction), moving to slightly adjacent matter before arriving at the main
argument that relies heavily upon narration. He uses forensic rhetoric because the
entire book is defense of poetry against charges laid by Stephen Gosson.
14. Why was Sidney not satisfied with contemporary drama?
Ans. Sidney asserts that English tragedies and comedies need to be criticized
because these plays are neither right tragedies, nor right comedies because they
mix up kings and clowns. The mixture of these events is not demanded by the
subject matter but the playwrights stuff them at their own will. Due to such
mingling, these plays lose their tragic as well as comic appeal.
15. Give one reason for Wordsworth’s choice of rustic language. (2021, 2019
b)
Ans. For his choice of rustic language, Wordsworth says that he has used it after
having purified it of its coarseness and other defects. The reason being that the
rustic people can hourly communicate with the best object of nature from which
the best part of language is derived.
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16. What is the definition of “metre” which is used in poetry.
Ans. Metre, also spelled Metre, in poetry, is the rhythmic pattern of a poetic line.
Various principles, based on the natural rhythms of language, have been devised
to organize poetic lines into rhythmic units.
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Literary Criticism 2018 Solved Short Questions
1. How does Wordsworth define poetry? (2020, 2019, 2019 b, 2018, 2016)
Ans. Wordsworth gives his famous definition of poetry as “the spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origins from emotion recollected in
tranquility.”
2. What are Wordsworth’s views on metre? (2019, 2018)
Ans. Wordsworth justifies the use of metre and condemns the use of Poetic
Diction. He argues that metre itself can give pleasure to a great extent. Metre is
something regular and uniform, while poetic diction is arbitrary and capricious.
The use of metre is traditional.
3. What does Coleridge mean by the term willing suspension of disbelief?
(2019, 2019 b, 2018, 2015)
Ans. The poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge introduced the
term “suspension of disbelief” in 1817 and suggested that if a writer could infuse
a “human interest and a semblance of truth” into a fantastic tale, the reader would
suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative.
4. Define primary and secondary imagination. (2019, 2018, 2015)
Ans. In chapter XIII of “Biographia Literaria“, Coleridge distinguishes between
primary and secondary Imagination. The primary imagination is a spontaneous
act of the human mind, the image so formed of the outside world unconsciously
and involuntarily. The secondary imagination is an echo of the primary. It is the
poetic vision “to idealize and unify”.
5. What does Biographia Literaria mean? (2019, 2018)
Ans. Biographia Literaria, which literally means “Literary Biography,” was
written by the Romantic Period poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and the full title
is Biographia Literaria; or, Biographical Sketches of My Literary Life and
Opinions (1817).
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6. What is the difference between imagination and fancy?
Ans. Coleridge regards fancy to be the inferior to imagination.. It only combines
different things into different shapes, not like imagination to fuse them into one.
The distinction made by Coleridge between Fancy and Imagination are rested on
the fact that fancy was concerned with the mechanical operations of the mind
while imagination on the other hand is described the mysterious power.
7. Give the definition of discovery with reference to Aristotle’s poetics.
Ans. Anagnorisis is the Greek word for 'recognition' or 'discovery', used by
Aristotle in his Poetics to denote the turning point in a drama at which a
character (usually the protagonist) recognizes the true state of affairs, having
previously been in error or ignorance.
8. Define tragedy.
Ans. Aristotle defines tragedy in Poetics as “an imitation of an action that is
serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each
kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the
play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the
proper purgation of these emotions.”
9. What is catharsis? (2021, 2019, 2018)
Ans. Catharsis is defined as purification or purgation of the emotions (such as
pity and fear) that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension primarily
through art.
10. What do you understand by the term unity of action?
Ans. The Unity of Action limits the supposed action to a single set of incidents
which are related as cause and effect, "having a beginning, middle, and an end."
No scene is to be included that does not advance the plot directly. No subplots,
no characters who do not advance the action.
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11. What are fatal plots, as discussed in poetics. (2019, 2018)
Ans. Plots may be fatal or fortunate. Aristotle prefer fatal plot on fortunate plot
because he prefers that the better than average character falls from happiness to
adversity not due to depravity due to error of judgment and arouse the emotions
of pity and fear.
12. What does an apology for poetry mean?
Ans. Sir Philip Sidney’s An Apology for Poetry, is an ‘apology’ for, or defence
of, the art of poetry, in part, a response to Stephen Gosson’s School of Abuse.
13. What are Sidney’s views on imitation? (2018, 2015)
Ans. Sidney, following Aristotle’s concept of Mimesis, defines poetry as an art
of imitation. He explains imitation as representation, the aim of which is to teach,
and to delight. The poet, like other men learning, imitates the objects of Nature.
14. What does Sidney’s concept of ‘Fore-conceit’ mean?
Ans. Sidney discusses the fore-conceit in his well-known An Apology for Poetry.
The central point is that poetic greatness is determined by the possession of
conceits; not by elegant expression. Proof that the conceit exists is the work itself.
Sidney’s fore-conceit is a pre-existent entity. The poet can approach and imitate
the conceit, but the conceit is not altered nor in any way impacted by the poet’s
efforts.
15. Why does Sidney employ ‘Forensic rhetoric’? (2019 b, 2018)
Ans. Sidney’s structural framework in composing his argument is influenced
largely by Aristotle’s Poetics, using the imitation of rhetoric as a legal defense
(law speech). Sidney uses forensic rhetoric—beginning with an “exordium”
(introduction), moving to slightly adjacent matter before arriving at the main
argument that relies heavily upon narration. He uses forensic rhetoric because the
entire book is defense of poetry against charges laid by Stephen Gosson.
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16. What does Sidney say about the role of poets? (2019, 2018)
Ans. Sidney calls the poet a moderator in the school of learning. According to
Sidney, poetry teaches and delights but that is not all. He also points out the power
of poetry to move the mind and to stir the heart. It can influence the reader’s
behavior and conduct.
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Literary Criticism 2016 Solved Short Questions
1. Give the definition of peripety with reference to Aristotle’s poetics. (2016,
2015)
Ans. In his Poetics, Aristotle describes peripeteia as the shift of the tragic
protagonist’s fortune from good to bad—a shift that is essential to the plot of a
tragedy.
2. Which plots should be avoided in a tragedy according to Aristotle.
Ans. Aristotle suggests that the best kinds of plot are complex plots that arouse
fear and pity. He thus concludes that three kinds of plot should be avoided.
1. The plots that show a good man going from happiness to misery, since such
events seem more odious than fearful or pitiable.
2. The plots that show a bad man going from misery to happiness, since this
arouses neither pity nor fear and appeals to none of our emotions.
3. The plots that show a bad man going from happiness to misery, since it
will also not arouse the feelings of pity or fear as we feel these emotions
for undeserved misfortune.
3. What do you understand by the term organic unity. (2019, 2016, 2015)
Ans. Organic Unity is the idea that a thing is made up of interdependent parts. In
Aristotle’s Poetics, organic unity is described by how writing relies internally on
narration and drama to remain cohesive to one another, not separate entities.
Without balance on both sides, the whole concept suffers.
4. How does Catharsis lead to learning?
Ans. The purpose of catharsis is to bring about some form of positive change in
the individual’s life. Catharsis involves both a powerful emotional component in
which strong feelings are felt and expressed, as well as a cognitive component
in which the individual gains new insights.
5. How is tragedy superior to epic according to Aristotle?
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Ans. Tragedy, Aristotle now argues, is superior to epic. Tragedy contains all the
elements of the epic, but manages to present its story in a much shorter span of
time and with a greater degree of unity. The concentration of the tragic plot
heightens its impact on the audience.
6. What are the formative elements of a tragedy? (2021, 2016)
Ans. In Poetics, Aristotle wrote that tragedy has to include 6 elements: plot,
character, thought, diction, music, and spectacle.
7. What kind of discovery is most artistic in tragedy?
Ans. Aristotle wrote in Poetics that “The finest form of Discovery is one attended
by Peripeteia, like that which goes with the Discovery in Oedipus.”
8. What is the chief aim of poetry according to Sidney? (2020, 2016, 2015)
Ans. According to Sidney, poetry teaches and delights; but that is not all. Sidney
also points out the power of poetry to move the mind and to stir the heart. It is by
its power to move the minds it influences the behaviour and conduct. So, the
ultimate aim of this kind of poetry is moral.
9. How poetry is superior to philosophy as discussed by Sidney? (2020, 2016,
2015)
Ans. In Sidney’s view, poetry is superior to philosophy and history because of its
ability to present vivid, compelling examples to the reader not simply of what has
been or will be, but what should be. The philosopher can only articulate an
abstract description of an ethical principle.
10. How does lyric poetry appeal its readers according to Sidney? (2020,
2016)
Ans. Sidney defines the Lyric poem as a poem of praise which is mostly sung to
musical accompaniment. This type of poetry appeals its readers as it praises
virtues and is used to praise God.
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11. How is unity of place and time violated in English dramas according to
Sidney? (2020, 2016)
Ans. Sir Philip Sidney is a strong advocate of three dramatic unities, of time,
place and action. He criticizes English Drama for violating unity of place and
time. He finds it absurd that English dramatists use the same stage as a garden, as
a shipwreck, as a cave, or as a ‘pitched field’. And in English dramas, a youth
may grow from boyhood to old age in a hour. This is highly illogical, according
to Sidney. So it must be avoided.
12. How does Wordsworth define poetry? (2020, 2019, 2019 b, 2018, 2016)
Ans. Wordsworth gives his famous definition of poetry as “the spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origins from emotion recollected in
tranquility.”
13. What is Wordsworth’s concept of a poet? (2021, 2016)
Ans. Wordsworth defines a poet as a man of more comprehensive soul. He is
endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness. He has a
greater knowledge of human nature. The poet is a man speaking to men. He is a
man pleased with his own passions and violations and who rejoices more than
other men in the spirit of life that is in him.
14. What is ultimate end of criticism?
Ans. The ultimate end of literary criticism is to reform literature. Criticism, in
general, aims to reform the society.
15. Why is the language of rustic folks not appropriate for poetry according
to Coleridge?
Ans. According to Coleridge, the language of rustic folks is not appropriate for
poetry because the rustic people and their hourly communications can never
formulate the best part of language as Wordsworth believes. The vocabulary of
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an uneducated rustic is very poor and undoubtedly too insufficient for any grand
idea.
16. Write down the silent features of Romanticism. (2020, 2016, 2015)
Ans. Glorification of nature, awareness and acceptance of emotions, celebration
of artistic creativity and imagination, emphasis on aesthetic beauty and use of
spiritual and supernatural elements are some of the important features of
Romanticism.
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Literary Criticism 2015 Solved Short Questions
1. Give the definition of peripety with reference to Aristotle’s poetics. (2016,
2015)
Ans. In his Poetics, Aristotle describes peripeteia as the shift of the tragic
protagonist’s fortune from good to bad—a shift that is essential to the plot of a
tragedy.
2. Define the term Spectacle. (2021, 2015)
Ans. Spectacle is one of the six components of tragedy, occupying the category
of the mode of imitation. Spectacle includes all aspects of the tragedy that
contribute to its sensory effects: costumes, scenery, the gestures of the actors, the
sound of the music and the resonance of the actors’ voices.
3. What do you understand by the term organic unity. (2019, 2016, 2015)
Ans. Organic Unity is the idea that a thing is made up of interdependent parts. In
Aristotle’s Poetics, organic unity is described by how writing relies internally on
narration and drama to remain cohesive to one another, not separate entities.
Without balance on both sides, the whole concept suffers.
4. What are the kinds of plots as discussed in poetics.
Ans. In his Poetics, Aristotle classifies plot into two types: simple and complex.
The simple plot is defined as a unified construct of necessary and probable
actions accompanied by a change of fortune. The complex plot, says Aristotle, is
accompanied by two other features, namely; peripeteia or reversal, and
anagnorisis, or recognition.
Aristotle feels complex plot is the best kind of tragic plot, in that it provides
the best possibility of delivering tragic pleasure.
5. What is the chief aim of poetry according to Sidney? (2020, 2016, 2015)
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Ans. According to Sidney, poetry teaches and delights; but that is not all. Sidney
also points out the power of poetry to move the mind and to stir the heart. It is by
its power to move the minds it influences the behaviour and conduct. So, the
ultimate aim of this kind of poetry is moral.
6. How poetry is superior to philosophy as discussed by Sidney? (2020,
2016, 2015)
Ans. In Sidney’s view, poetry is superior to philosophy and history because of its
ability to present vivid, compelling examples to the reader not simply of what has
been or will be, but what should be. The philosopher can only articulate an
abstract description of an ethical principle.
7. Describe Sidney’s views on poetry being an imitative art. (2018, 2015)
Ans. Sidney, following Aristotle’s concept of Mimesis, defines poetry as an
imitative art. He explains imitation as representation, the aim of which is to teach,
and to delight. The poet, like other men learning, imitates the objects of Nature.
8. What are the kinds of poetry as discussed by Sidney? (2019 b, 2015)
Ans. The three kinds of poetry, according to Sidney, are :
a. Religious poetry
b. Philosophical poetry
c. Imaginative poetry
9. What is the reason given by Wordsworth in defense of use of real
language of men?
Ans. The reason given by Wordsworth in the defense of real language of men is
that the common people hourly communicate with the best objects from which
the best part of language is originally derived. Wordsworth thinks that people in
rural life convey their feelings and notions through simple and unelaborated
expressions.
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10. Name the stages of creative process as expressed by Wordsworth in his
Preface to Lyrical Ballads. (2021, 2020, 2019 b, 2015)
Ans. According to Wordsworth, there are four stages in the process of poetic
creation. These are observation, recollection, contemplation and imaginative
excitement.
11. Write down the salient features of Romanticism. (2020, 2016, 2015)
Ans. Glorification of nature, awareness and acceptance of emotions, celebration
of artistic creativity and imagination, emphasis on aesthetic beauty and use of
spiritual and supernatural elements are some of the important features of
Romanticism.
12. What was poetic diction Wordsworth chose to use in his poetry?
Ans. Wordsworth defines poetic diction as a language of common men. It is not
the language of the poet as a class but the language of mankind. It is the simple
expression of pure passions by men living close to nature. The poetic language is
the natural language; therefore, it must be spontaneous and instinctive.
13. What was the term Coleridge proposed to substitute the Wordsworth’s
term Real with? (2019, 2015)
Ans. Every man’s language, says Coleridge, has its individualities, as well as
properties common to his social class and certain words or phrases that are
universally used. Moreover, language varies in every country and every village;
given such variety, what would “real” language mean? Hence, for “real,” thinks
Coleridge, we should substitute the term “ordinary” or “lingua communis.”
14. Differentiate between primary and secondary imagination as discussed
by Coleridge. (2019, 2018, 2015)
Ans. In chapter XIII of “Biographia Literaria“, Coleridge distinguishes between
primary and secondary Imagination. The primary imagination is a spontaneous
act of the human mind, the image so formed of the outside world unconsciously
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and involuntarily. The secondary imagination is an echo of the primary. It is the
poetic vision “to idealize and unify”.
15. What do you understand by the term “willing suspension of disbelief”.
(2019, 2019 b, 2018, 2015)
Ans. The poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge introduced the
term “suspension of disbelief” in 1817 and suggested that if a writer could infuse
a “human interest and a semblance of truth” into a fantastic tale, the reader would
suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative.
16. How did Coleridge define fancy?
Ans. According to Coleridge, fancy is the process of “bringing together images
dissimilar in the main, by source”. Coleridge regards fancy to be the inferior to
imagination. It is according to him a creative power. It only combines different
things into different shapes, not like imagination to fuse them into one.
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