📚 ENGLISH LITERATURE – Relevant Topics & Tips
1. Themes in Set Texts
Common themes:
- Power
- Identity
- Conflict
- Love
- Responsibility
- Change vs. Tradition
- Fate vs. Free Will
Tips:
- Always track theme development across the text.
- Link characters, events, and symbols to the theme.
- Tie theme to context (AO3) and author’s message.
2. Character Analysis
Tips:
- Use short, precise quotes to show change or traits.
- Consider relationships between characters.
- Discuss what the character symbolizes in a wider sense.
3. Structure & Form
Tips:
- In drama: Comment on stage directions, entrances/exits, tension-building.
- In novels: Look for foreshadowing, narrative voice, perspective shifts.
- In poetry: Consider sonnet form, stanza patterns, enjambment, rhyme scheme.
4. Poetry Comparison
Tips:
- Always compare theme, language, structure, and tone.
- Use linking phrases (“likewise,” “in contrast,” “similarly”).
- Know context for each poem in the anthology.
5. Context (AO3)
Tips:
- Learn key facts about each author’s life and time period.
- Avoid “bolt-on” context. Instead, weave it into your analysis:“This reflects the post-war emphasis on community responsibility…”
6. Critical Interpretations (A-Level)
Tips:
- Mention critics like: Sandra Gilbert (feminism), Marxist readings, New Historicism.
- Use phrases like “Some readers may interpret…” or “A feminist critic might argue…”