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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the early nineteenth-century American writer who received considerable attention from both structuralists and post-structuralists?

2. Which of the following terms best fit the following definition: "a form of literary criticism which uses some of the techniques of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature"?

3. Who wrote the following statement on the mythologized misrepresentation of the United States and Disneyland: "All its [the USA's] values are exalted here, in miniature and comic-strip form. Embalmed and pacified"?

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'"?

5. Which of the following best fits the definition of a discipline which has always been inherently confident about the possibility of establishing objective knowledge?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is French feminism different from American feminism?

2. What does the formula SQ3R mean? Explain.

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

4. What is "ecriture feminine"?

5. Briefly explain what post-structuralist critics do.

6. Explain what Peter Barry means when he informs the reader "that it is much better to read intensely in theory than to read widely".

7. Who was I.A. Richards?

8. What is the most basic difference between liberal humanist and structuralist reading?

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

10. What are the three particular areas that are debated and disagreed upon when it comes to feminist criticism?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the "landmarks" in postmodernism as discussed by Peter Barry.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and describe Jacques Lacan's impact and purpose in psychoanalytic criticism.

Essay Topic 3

Identify, list, and describe the specific functions ecocritics perform in their analysis of literary text.

(see the answer keys)

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