Final Exam Review

Your final exam is on Wednesday, May 7th, from 9-11:30. The first half of the exam resembles the midterm--matching, short answer, i.d.'s.

The best way to study for the matching section is to determine the major themes and concerns of each piece, the structure employed, and the literary movement the pieces reflect. This line of study will also help with the short answer and i.d.'s. In addition, I would think about the major characters in each work, and how their actions reflect the primary thematic concerns of the work. The quotes from the i.d.'s will be ones that we have discussed in class.

The second half, worth 35 points of the total, is an essay. You may use your text for the essay, but must turn in the first half of the exam before starting the essay.

While you must write the essay in its entirety during the exam, I have no problem letting you in on the prompt ahead of time so that you might consider your options and develop a plan of action.

The prompt, then, as it reads on the final:

Part V. Essay. Worth 35 points.

In the recent edition of The Writer’s Chronicle (vol. 40, num. 6), author Steve Elliott has the following to say about the use of magical realism:

“When talking about a work of magical realist fiction…it might be helpful to ask whether the magical elements in the story are warranted. What in the story necessitates the move to magic? Why does the story need the supernatural” (46)?

Further on in the essay, Elliott quotes Carrie Brown, who suggests that, “‘the magic of a magical realist story must never be without emotional or psychological foundation’” (46).

In a critical essay (4-5 paragraphs), please choose one of the magical realist stories we read this semester and “test” it against the ideas suggested above. Does the work have a reason for the use of magic? Or is it “indulging in its magical flight to no purpose” (Elliott 46)?

Use specific examples from the text to support your argument. Consider, too, the tenets of magical realism we discussed in class as they apply, or don’t apply, to the text under analysis.