British Literature

Section Overview: Detailed explanations for questions from the June 2025 Exam regarding British Literature.

Q1. Identify the poem in which the following lines occur:
"My babe so beautiful! It thrills my heart/ With tender gladness, thus to look at thee".
  • 1. "A Prayer for My Daughter"
  • 2. "Frost at Midnight"
  • 3. "Lucy Gray"
  • 4. "Ode on Melancholy"
Correct Answer: 2. "Frost at Midnight"

Detailed Explanation:

These lines appear in Stanza 3 of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's famous conversation poem, Frost at Midnight (1798).

Contextual Lines:
"Dear babe, that sleepest cradled by my side,
Whose gentle breathings, heard in this deep calm,
...
My babe so beautiful! it thrills my heart
With tender gladness, thus to look at thee,
And think that thou shalt learn far other lore
And in far other scenes!"

Key Analysis:

  • The Addressee: The "babe" refers to Coleridge's son, Hartley Coleridge.
  • The Theme: The poet contrasts his own upbringing ("reared in the great city, pent 'mid cloisters dim") with the upbringing he desires for his son—one immersed in Nature ("wandering like a breeze").
  • Pantheism: The poem concludes with the idea of God as the "Great universal Teacher" who speaks through the "eternal language" of nature.
Q2. Identify the set of poems written by W. B. Yeats.
  • 1. "The Second Coming", "Death of Sohrab", "Lapis Lazuli", "Easter 1916"
  • 2. "The Home-Coming", "Among School Children", "Byzantium", "When You Are Old"
  • 3. "Sailing to Byzantium", "Leda and the Swan", "The Second Coming", "The House of Life"
  • 4. "No Second Troy", "Lapis Lazuli", "Easter 1916", "When You Are Old"
Correct Answer: 4. "No Second Troy", "Lapis Lazuli", "Easter 1916", "When You Are Old"

Detailed Explanation:

All four poems in Option 4 are canonical works by the Irish Modernist poet W.B. Yeats:

  • "No Second Troy" (1910): Addresses Maud Gonne, comparing her revolutionary destructive beauty to Helen of Troy.
  • "Lapis Lazuli" (1938): A meditation on the role of art and gaiety in the face of impending tragedy (World War II), inspired by a carved lapis lazuli stone.
  • "Easter 1916" (1916): Commemorates the Irish Easter Rising, famously concluding with "A terrible beauty is born."
  • "When You Are Old" (1893): An early lyric addressed to Maud Gonne, urging her to imagine her future regret at rejecting his "pilgrim soul."

Why the other options are incorrect:

  • Option 1: Includes "Death of Sohrab" (referring to Sohrab and Rustum), which is a poem by Matthew Arnold.
  • Option 2: Includes "The Home-Coming". While Harold Pinter wrote a play by this name and Rabindranath Tagore wrote a famous story/poem titled this, it is not a major poem by Yeats.
  • Option 3: Includes "The House of Life", which is a famous sonnet sequence by the Pre-Raphaelite poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Q3. Identify the subtitle of Oliver Goldsmith's semi-autobiographical poem, "The Traveller":
  • 1. A Prospect of Society
  • 2. The Citizen of the World
  • 3. The Fashionable Lover
  • 4. An Ancient Epic Poem
Correct Answer: 1. A Prospect of Society

Detailed Explanation:

Oliver Goldsmith’s poem The Traveller (1764) is fully titled The Traveller; or, A Prospect of Society. It is a philosophical poem in heroic couplets that reflects on the author's own travels through Europe.

Key Themes:

  • Cosmopolitanism: The subtitle "A Prospect of Society" refers to Goldsmith's panoramic survey of different nations (Italy, Switzerland, France, Holland, Britain) and their social conditions.
  • Political Philosophy: It argues that every political system has its specific flaw and that true happiness depends more on "internal virtues" than external government.
  • Autobiographical: It draws directly from Goldsmith's years wandering Europe as a young man.

Why other options are incorrect:

  • The Citizen of the World: This is a separate collection of satirical letters by Goldsmith (1762), purportedly written by a Chinese visitor to London.
  • The Fashionable Lover: A comedy play by Richard Cumberland (1772).
Q4. Which group of poets among the following is known as the Georgian Poets?
  • 1. Alfred Noyes, W. B. Yeats, W. H. Davies, W. W. Gibson
  • 2. Rupert Brooke, Walter de la Mare, John Drinkwater, James Elroy Flecker
  • 3. John Masefield, Roy Campbell, Robert Graves, Dylan Thomas
  • 4. W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Thomas Hardy, D. H. Lawrence
Correct Answer: 2. Rupert Brooke, Walter de la Mare, John Drinkwater, James Elroy Flecker

Detailed Explanation:

The "Georgian Poets" were a group active during the early reign of King George V. Their work was anthologized in the series Georgian Poetry (1912–1922), edited by Edward Marsh.

Characteristics of the Group:

  • Style: They reacted against Victorian heavy-handedness, favoring simplicity, rural subjects, and traditional forms. They are often seen as a "transitional" phase before Modernism.
  • Key Members:
    • Rupert Brooke: The most iconic figure, known for idealistic war sonnets like "The Soldier".
    • Walter de la Mare: Known for mystical, dream-like verse.
    • John Drinkwater & James Elroy Flecker: Regular contributors to the anthologies.

Note on other options: W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot (Modernists) or Dylan Thomas (New Apocalypse/Neo-Romantic) belong to different movements and eras.

Q5. Who among the following is considered as "the father of South African English poetry"?
  • 1. Rider Haggard
  • 2. Thomas Pringle
  • 3. John Buchan
  • 4. Percy Fitzpatrick
Correct Answer: 2. Thomas Pringle

Detailed Explanation:

Thomas Pringle (1789–1834) is widely regarded as the "Father of South African English Poetry". Born in Scotland, he migrated to the Cape Colony in 1820 as part of the British settler movement. He was the first successful English-language poet to vividly describe South Africa's scenery, indigenous peoples, and living conditions.

Key Contributions:

  • Literary Pioneer: His poetry volume African Sketches (1834) featured vivid descriptions of the African landscape and empathetic reflections on colonial encounters.
  • Journalism & Activism: He co-founded The South African Journal and was a staunch abolitionist, working for the Anti-Slavery Society upon his return to England.
  • Human Rights: Pringle is noted for his defense of the indigenous Khoikhoi people and his support for missionary John Philip against settler oppression.
Q6. In how many volumes was George Eliot's Middlemarch first published?
  • 1. Five separate volumes
  • 2. Eight separate volumes
  • 3. Seven separate volumes
  • 4. Ten separate volumes
Correct Answer: 2. Eight separate volumes

Detailed Explanation:

George Eliot’s masterpiece, Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life, was originally published in eight separate bimonthly installments (parts) between 1871 and 1872 by Blackwood and Sons. This format was chosen to maximize reader engagement and commercial viability.

Publication Schedule (1871–1872):

  • Book I: Miss Brooke (Dec 1871)
  • Book II: Old and Young (Feb 1872)
  • Book III: Waiting for Death (Apr 1872)
  • Book IV: Three Love Problems (Jun 1872)
  • Book V: The Dead Hand (Jul 1872)
  • Book VI: The Widow and the Wife (Aug 1872)
  • Book VII: Two Temptations (Oct 1872)
  • Book VIII: Sunset and Sunrise (Dec 1872)

The novel was later published as a four-volume set in 1873 and a single-volume edition in 1874, but the "eight books" structure remains central to its critical analysis.

Q7. Kipling's story "Mrs Bathurst" is set in:
  • 1. India
  • 2. South Africa
  • 3. Canada
  • 4. Australia
Correct Answer: 2. South Africa

Detailed Explanation:

Rudyard Kipling’s short story "Mrs. Bathurst" is set in South Africa, specifically in and around Simon’s Town, a naval base near Cape Town.

Key Story Details:

  • Publication: First published in Windsor Magazine (1904) and collected in Traffics and Discoveries.
  • Plot: The narrative unfolds through a conversation between British naval officers discussing the disappearance of a sailor named Vickery. Vickery becomes obsessed with Mrs. Bathurst after seeing her image in a cinematograph (an early film projection).
  • Style: It is one of Kipling's most modernist and ambiguous stories, featuring fragmented dialogue and themes of imperial dislocation.

Commentary: Kipling often moved his narratives across the British Empire. While he is famous for his Indian stories, this work captures the atmosphere of transience and emotional repression during the British colonial presence in South Africa.

Q8. Erziehungsroman is a term which signifies:
  • 1. French Term signifies 'Novel of Manners'
  • 2. Greek Term signifies 'Novel of Love'
  • 3. Roman Term signifies 'Novel of Sentiments'
  • 4. German Term signifies 'Novel of Education'
Correct Answer: 4. German Term signifies 'Novel of Education'

Detailed Explanation:

The term Erziehungsroman is a German literary term that translates directly to "novel of education" or "novel of upbringing." While closely related to the Bildungsroman, it has a sharper focus on the formal pedagogical or moral training of the protagonist.

Key Characteristics:

  • Difference from Bildungsroman: While a Bildungsroman covers general psychological growth, the Erziehungsroman focuses specifically on the influence of teachers, mentors, and educational institutions.
  • Classic Examples: Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Émile (often discussed in this context despite being French).

Exam Tip: Understanding German literary terms (like Weltanschauung, Zeitgeist) is crucial for comparative literature questions in UGC NET.

Q9. Which of the following works is not written by William Cooper?
  • 1. Scenes from Provincial Life
  • 2. Scenes from Married Life
  • 3. The Field Marshal's Memoirs
  • 4. Memoirs of a New Man
Correct Answer: 3. The Field Marshal's Memoirs

Detailed Explanation:

The Field Marshal's Memoirs is NOT written by William Cooper. It is a novel by John Masters, a British author known for his historical fiction centered on British India.

Works by William Cooper (H.S. Hoff):

  • Scenes from Provincial Life (1950): His most celebrated work, a seminal example of mid-century realism and a precursor to the "Angry Young Men" movement.
  • Scenes from Married Life: The sequel to the above, exploring middle-class marriage and struggle.
  • Memoirs of a New Man: Part of his loosely autobiographical series on life in post-war England.

Analysis: Cooper is known for plain prose and autobiographical realism, whereas John Masters deals with military and colonial themes.

Q10. Which of the following works is written by Joseph Conrad?
  • 1. Tales of Unrest
  • 2. The Madonna of the Future and other Tales
  • 3. The Two Magics
  • 4. The Spoils of Poynton
Correct Answer: 1. Tales of Unrest

Detailed Explanation:

Tales of Unrest (1898) is Joseph Conrad's first collection of short stories. It explores themes of colonialism, moral ambiguity, and the clash between Western and non-Western cultures.

Contents of "Tales of Unrest":

  • Karain: A Memory
  • The Idiots
  • An Outpost of Progress (Considered a precursor to Heart of Darkness)
  • The Return
  • The Lagoon

Why the other options are incorrect:

  • The Madonna of the Future: A collection by Henry James dealing with artistic obsession.
  • The Two Magics: A book by Henry James containing The Turn of the Screw.
  • The Spoils of Poynton: A novel by Henry James regarding inheritance and aesthetics.
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