English 301: Literature for Children
and Adolescents
Guidelines for Final Exam
Fall 2012
Dr. Tina L. Hanlon
Ferrum
College
thanlon@ferrum.edu
Children's Literature Course Home Page
Format of Exam:
Don't forget that in ANGEL, you can set the calendar to display as a list, in order to view a list of the assignments for each month or week.
Material You Should Study:
Know what the items below mean or refer to. Examples are given in
parentheses to remind you how some of the selections that we studied fit
some of the categories, but you should be able to name and
discuss other examples we have discussed
since midterm. although maybe we discussed some shortly before midterm, too. Boldface items below are ones that involve works we studied since midterm. You may have the opportunity to discuss the oral
reports in section II or III.
Know titles and authors of the three novels you studied for this course.
Cautionary tale (satirized in Silverstein poem "Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout...")
Nursery rhyme
Lyric poems (poems that don't tell a story)
Narrative poems, including ballads ("John Henry"is an example in the anthology, and "Kemp Owyne")
Picture book
Fable
Folktale or fairy tale
Story theatre folktale adaptation ("Mutsmag," Jack tales)
Satire of traditional tales and lit. (Lewis Carroll poems, Roald Dahl's poem "Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf" & other Part 7 selections)
Myth (“Daedalus and Icarus”)
Pourquoi tale
Romantic influences on children’s novels (such as The
Secret Garden)
New Realism in children’s fiction (1960s on)
Animal fantasy or folktale
Domestic fantasy (some domestic fantasies, such as Pippi Longstocking, are also called light fantasy)
Looking glass fantasy (Harry Potter books, Wonderful Wizard of Oz excerpts--and we had excerpts from The Looking Glass earlier)
Intertextuality (The Secret Garden refers to "Mistress Mary" rhyme, Bridge to Terabithia refers to Narnia series and other stories)
Metafiction (good example in Roald Dahl's poem "Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf")
Culturally specific content in a book (rural urban cultural and class differences in Bridge to Terabithia)
Sexism in folktales and children’s literature and modern treatment of gender roles (e.g., Bridge to Terabithia)
Use the Introductions and index in the anthology to brush up on
definitions/characteristics of literary types and background that
might be useful in writing answers (but you aren’t
responsible for specific material in those chapters that we have
not touched on in class discussion).
II. For the essays, be well prepared to write about the assigned novels and ones you chose, and know at
least one example for each of the categories of oral literature we have studied
since midterm. You should be able to discuss realism and types of fantasy in fiction or poetry,
the influence of Romanticism on fiction or poetry (particularly through the early twentieth
century), different methods of retelling/adapting/revising or satirizing stories from oral traditions, treatment of historical
and social problems in children’s and young adult fiction, portrayals of
friendship and adult-child relations, and the child’s or adolescent’s
point of view.
In your essays, if you mention examples of works not assigned for the class,
restrict your examples to those found in the anthology and those mentioned in class (including
oral reports), or books you know the professor is familiar with.
You shouldn’t have to go beyond your course texts and class notes to prepare
for this exam, but if you think your notes are weak or you want to strengthen
your definitions and understanding of literary terms and types, you might consult
a reference book such as The Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature,
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature, or Rebecca Lukens’ Critical Handbook of Children’s Literature
or Critical Handbook of Literature for Young Adults (available in library resources
and Hanlon’s office).
III. Take-Home Essay:
Discuss one of the generalizations about features of children’s literature
presented by Perry Nodelman in The Pleasures of Children’s Literature or one theme from Jerry Griswold's Feeling Like a Kid.
These are listed on the page Characteristics
of Children’s Literature as a Genre. Select one item from those
lists and explain how it applies to at least three works of literature that were
assigned in this course. Two of your examples must be novels you studied for this class, and one of those two could be a novel excerpt or short story from the anthology.
One of your examples must come from the oral tradition (directly or through
adaptation). If you choose to use additional examples, they can
be of any type, including poems and picture books.
Nodelman’s and Griswold's generalizations are quite broad so there are many ways you could
focus and organize your answer. You don’t have to discuss every point
mentioned in the list summarizing Nodelman’s ideas. For example, if you
choose to write about repetition, you can focus on one type of repetition. Besides
the types of repetition mentioned on the list, you could discuss the idea
that there is much repetition from one book and author to another in children’s
literature (e.g., that there are more sequels and more echoes of previous books
and reworkings of the same themes and motifs in children’s literature than
in adult literature—i.e., there is lots of intertextuality). You can structure
your whole essay as a comparison/contrast of your examples, or use some other
method to illustrate different dimensions of the topic.
If you think the author is overgeneralizing, discuss works that provide exceptions
(but note that item 11 qualifies the generalization in item 9, so don’t
accuse Nodelman of saying all children’s literature is didactic). You may include
a sample work from the course readings that you believe should not be considered
a work of children’s literature, to contrast with your examples that do
fit the definition of children’s literature.
Don’t choose Nodelman's number one unless you feel quite confident about discussing
style and vocabulary in children’s literature.
Do not spend hours and hours writing this essay, but obviously you can consult
your books as you develop your ideas. Although you don’t want to
turn this into a research paper, you should give informal acknowledgement if
you use ideas you know came from particular secondary sources (e.g., you recall
reading that Maurice Sendak said X about the importance of fantasy). You don’t
have to use direct quotations, but if you do, use quotation
marks and give page numbers from the Crosscurrents anthology or novel you are quoting.
This essay is expected to be more polished in organization, completeness of
ideas, clarity of wording, use of standard English, and mechanics than essays
might be when they are written during the exam period. Typing is preferred.
Turn in this essay at the beginning of the exam period (or earlier if you prefer).
If for some reason you choose not to write this essay before Dec. 13 at 10:30
a.m., you can use part of the exam period to write it, rather than getting a
0 on 30% of the exam grade, but you will be taking the risk that having more
to write within two hours will weaken your performance on the whole exam. You
will not be allowed to refer to this study guide during the exam period.
Read the instructions carefully and answer the number of questions required. Don't leave any blank or it will cost you too many points.
Budget your time so that you won't be forced to leave anything blank or run out of time for checking your answers at the end.
Follow any instructions you might find about not duplicating the same examples or writing about a certain number of different authors.
Select examples that you know well and that fit the question especially well.
Don't just summarize plot or rephrase the idea in the question. Be sure you stress the significance of the examples you discuss.
Include specific details as much as possible, without just summarizing plot or using up too much time on any one question.
Write clearly, legibly, and in complete sentences (for your sake as you check your answers as well as the reader of the test).
See also Pointers for Taking Essay Tests .
December 12, 2012