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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Peter Barry say is the topic of the book Beginning Theory?
(a) English studies.
(b) Literary theory.
(c) Modern theory.
(d) Historical theory.

2. The chapter "Feminist Criticism" informs the reader that "for her notion of the basic opposition between semiotic and the symbolic Kristeva was indebted to Jacques Lacan and his distinction between two realms, the ________ and the ________.
(a) Imaginary / symbolic.
(b) Story / discourse.
(c) Reference / referent.
(d) Syntagm / syntagmatic.

3. ________ was probably the most influential figure in twentieth-century British criticism according to author Peter Barry.
(a) Patrick Tilley.
(b) F.R. Leavis.
(c) Douglas Adams.
(d) Edward Jablonski.

4. From which of Babara Johnson's literary pieces can the following definition of deconstructive reading be found according to author Peter Barry: "Deconstruction is not synonymous with 'destruction.' It is in fact much closer to the original meaning of the word 'analysis,' which etymologically means 'to undo'"?
(a) Trustee from the Toolroom.
(b) Of Grammatology.
(c) The Critical Difference.
(d) The Age of Innocence.

5. The Introduction states that another name for traditional literary criticism is ________.
(a) Liberal humanism.
(b) Conservative humanism.
(c) Modern humanism.
(d) Independant humanism.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the chapter titled Post-Structuralism and Deconstruction, structuralism derives ultimately from ________.

2. In the chapter titled Structuralism, Saussure used the terms ________ and ________ to signify language as a system or structure on the one hand, and any given utterance in that language on the other.

3. The chapter titled Theory Before Theory--Liberal Humanism states that the conventional reading of the origins of the subject of English is that this kind of thinking begins with who?

4. Who does the narrator say was the founder of a method of studying English which is still the norm today?

5. The narrator explains that the first prestigious name in English writing about literature was that of ________, who wrote his "Apology for Poetry" in about 1580.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was the representation of women in literature felt to be one of the most important forms of socialization?

2. What are the three stages of the deconstructive process? Explain.

3. Do liberal humanists use the term "human nature"? Explain.

4. What did Ferdinand de Saussure say about linguistic structures which the structuralists found so interesting?

5. Compare post-colonialism to postmodernism as discussed in the chapter "Theory Before Theory--Liberal Humanism."

6. According to the "Introduction," what does the saying that "after the moment of theory comes the 'hour' of theory" mean?

7. In which way is post-structuralism more fundamental than structuralism?

8. Explain what author Peter Barry means when he says the frame of mind he would recommend his readers is threefold.

9. Explain the Oedipus complex of Sigmund Freud.

10. What are some of the important characteristics of the literary modernism practice?

(see the answer keys)

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