Comparative Seminar: Kehinde and Is Just a Movie
MN = marking notes
These are given to examiners before they begin marking scripts
(examinations). They are used as a guide for scoring.
SAR = subject area
report
This is released after all examinations for an exam session have been
scored. It discusses how well the time zone has performed against
the tasks.
1. (2002) A story has to be told to somebody. Compare in detail your impressions of the “story-tellers”
in two or three novels or short stories that you have studied. Was the “story-teller” the same as the
writer (implicitly or explicitly) or not? How does this question influence your reading?
a. MN - A barely satisfactory answer will discuss the ‘story teller’ in the novels and short
stories selected for the answer. The discussion will deal (perhaps only by implication) with
the question of whether the ‘story teller’ may be different from the writer, and may not
clearly grasp the difference between ‘implicit’ and ‘explicit.’ A better answer will address
the question of the impression of the ‘story teller’ formed by the reader, with good
reference and detail, and will directly grapple with how awareness of possible differences
between the ‘story teller’ and the writer influences the reading of a text. The best answers
will see that this question is a fundamental aspect of fiction, and awareness of it puts
readers on their mettle. The discussion will show excellent grasp of the texts selected and
consciousness of readerly activity.
a. SAR - Dealing with a problematic question, examiners tried to reward answers that grappled
with, for many candidates, an unfamiliar problem, given the influence of Formalist or New
Critical approaches to voice and writer, an approach both validated by the descriptors and
often taken by teachers. Weaker candidates ignored the issue of the writer entirely; others
saw the writer’s presence in themes and issues. Most candidates decided it was a question
that simply wanted them to write about narrative voice and they did. In cases where the
candidates decided that it was a matter of “why this writer chose that narrator for a
particular effect,” answers were often quite satisfactory.
2. (2004) [Fiction focuses on verisimilitude, a likeness to the recognizable world but not a mirror
image.] Compare the ways in which writers of two or three novels or short stories in your study
have sought to make their portrayal of characters and/or situations credible.
a. MN - Satisfactory to good papers, three to four, on a spectrum of increasing precision and
detail, may:
i. discuss the ways in which characters and/or situations are portrayed in two or three
novels or short stories, relating the portrayal to their credibility
ii. compare the ways in which characters and/or situations are portrayed in these
works.
Very good and excellent papers, four to five, on a spectrum of increasing sophistication and
literary sensibility, may also:
i. compare the credibility of characters and/or situations in two or three novels or
short stories
ii. analyse in some detail the techniques used to portray characters and/or situations
in two or three novels or short stories
a. SAR - “Credible” was often read as “realistic” which afforded at least some direction for
answers. Some candidates spoke of absurd situations made credible by the behaviours of
characters, and others treated diction or dialogue as sources of credibility. Again, some lists
were offered as arguments, and some scrambled to put names on techniques that they
perceived as enhancing credibility.
3. (2010b) Almost all novels and short stories have a cultural context. How is such a context presented,
and to what extent is it important for understanding works by at least two writers?
a. MN - Adequate to good answers will define or show an awareness of what is meant by
cultural context and identify it in at least two works. They will also discuss how important
the cultural context is in relation to the themes of the works. Good to excellent answers will
show a more nuanced understanding of cultural context and analyse in greater detail its
effects on the meaning of the works as a whole.
b. SAR - The two questions in this section were equally popular. Question 5 compels
candidates to look at a specific feature in a work of fiction and consider its function. The
main difficulty with question 5 was in terms of the presentation of cultural context. Many
candidates were able to identify a context and discuss its significance, but were not able to
show the ways an author might reveal or incorporate context. There was also a wide
understanding of the term cultural context, including any kind of context such as the
physical and social environment or the setting. The best responses adopted a clear
definition of cultural context and used this to explore the texts.
4. (2013a) Though plot may be said, at its simplest level, to be a sequence of events, what truly
distinguishes prose fiction is the use of narrative disruption: impediment, detour, diversion or
digression. In at least two works in your study, how have writers created narrative disruption and to
what effect?
a. MN - An adequate to good answer will convincingly identify some examples of narrative
disruptions in at least two works. The writers’ use of these conventions and their effects will
be explored and compared in some detail. A very good to excellent answer may show a
more sophisticated sense of the ways in which narrative disruptions are achieved,
demonstrating a clear awareness and evaluation of how such authorial decisions add to the
effectiveness of the individual works.
b. SAR - Overall this was a popular question, though it was not the most popular in the "Prose:
Novel and Short Story" section. Many candidates had studied works such as Slaughterhouse
Five where disruption is clearly part of the narrative structure, and thus were able to write
interesting responses. Many other candidates had success writing about elements such as
digression or flashback in works ranging from Heart of Darkness to The Handmaid's Tale.
While the G-2 mentioned, in a couple of places, that these are not "terms" used in the
discussion of literature in the U.S., the intention wasn't to suggest that these are specific
literary terms. In a discussion of the structure of prose fiction it seems reasonable to assume
that a candidate could also write about how a specific narrative movement is thwarted. The
candidates, in fact, proved quite able with this question.