English and Literature

1.    Moliere’s play Tartuffe is populated with the dramatic convention of the stock character: the hypocrite, the clever maid, the blustering young man, the foolish but tyrannical father, the naive young girl, and so on. Explain in what ways these character types contribute to the comic (and moral) points the author makes.
(20 points)

2.    What is the nature of the tragedy in Racine’ Phaedra? Discuss the ways Theseus, Phaedra, Hippolytus, and the other main characters in the play relate to this tragedy. ( 20 points)

3.    Analyze the nature of the satire in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. Part IV. How do the characteristics of Lemuel Gulliver, the Yahoos, and the Houyhnhnms enrich this satire? (20 points)

4.    It has been said that Candide is a “cruel and destructive book as well as a funny one.” Using this statement as a starting point, discuss the ways Candide’s and Dr. Pangloss’s optimism is tested throughout the novel.  (20 points)

5.    Comment on the role of hierarchy and authority within the family in the Story of Stone. How does Bao-yu fit in?  Doses the hierarchy among sevents reflect that in the family?  Discuss. (20 points)

6.    Basho’s Poetry in “The Narrow Road of the Interior” may seem modern, but in what ways is his a conservative (or traditional) sensibility?  Discuss.  (20 points).