Literary Research

Correct Answer: 2. Analytical bibliography

Detailed Explanation:

Analytical bibliography focuses on the detailed physical examination of individual copies of books, especially in relation to how books were manufactured, printed, and assembled. It uses knowledge of historical printing practices (such as type-setting, paper, binding, and presswork) to:

Detect printing errors

Reconstruct textual transmission

Identify variations between copies

Determine the sequence of impressions, editions, and states





Analytical bibliography helps literary scholars trace the history of a book as a physical object, which can offer valuable insights into a text's authenticity, editorial intervention, and production history.

Prominent figures associated with this field include W. W. Greg and Fredson Bowers.



❌ Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

1. Descriptive Bibliography – Deals with describing the physical features of a book (e.g., format, type, paper, illustrations), but does not deeply analyze how or why those features occurred—that’s the domain of analytical bibliography.

3. Enumerative Bibliography – Focuses on listing books or sources according to a system (e.g., by author, subject, time period). It’s more about cataloging than physical or textual analysis.

4. Historical Bibliography – Examines the history of book production and publishing, including social and economic factors, but it takes a broader historical perspective rather than the detailed physical analysis found in analytical bibliography.



📘 Commentary (UGC NET English)

This question targets your knowledge of bibliographic methods, which are crucial in textual scholarship, editing, and literary research—especially for research aptitude and literary historiography questions in UGC NET English. Understanding analytical bibliography enables scholars to explore how material forms of texts influence interpretation, a growing field in both book history and textual criticism. Mastery of these distinctions strengthens both research methodology and critical theory preparation for the exam.

Correct Answer: 3. Experimental Research

Detailed Explanation:

Experimental research is a method typically used in scientific disciplines (such as psychology, biology, or education) where hypotheses are tested through controlled experiments, variables are manipulated, and outcomes are measured. It involves empirical observation, control groups, and statistical analysis—methods not typically used in literary research.

In contrast, literary research primarily deals with the study of texts, contexts, and interpretive frameworks, using qualitative rather than quantitative methods. It focuses on analyzing themes, structures, language, culture, history, and critical perspectives.



✅ Types of Literary Research Include:

1. Bibliography and Textual Criticism – Focuses on the authenticity, accuracy, and physical form of texts, often involving manuscript studies, editions, and publishing history.

2. Biographical – Studies an author’s life and personal experiences to better understand or interpret their works (e.g., how Keats’s illness shaped his poetry).

4. Interpretive – Most common in literary studies, this involves critical analysis and close reading of texts to explore themes, symbolism, ideology, and meaning.



📘 Commentary (UGC NET English)

This question is a classic test of your understanding of research methodologies relevant to literary studies, an important part of Paper I (Research Aptitude) and Paper II (English Literature) in the UGC NET English syllabus. Knowing what constitutes legitimate literary research—as opposed to methods suited for social sciences or experimental sciences—is crucial. Recognizing the distinction helps in crafting appropriate research proposals, dissertations, and preparing for questions that assess your methodological awareness in the humanities.

Correct Answer: 1. Archival Method Jacques Derrida’s 1995 lecture and subsequent book titled Archive Fever: A Freudian Impression (Mal d’Archive) is a critical philosophical inquiry into the concept of the archive—not just as a physical repository of documents, but as a symbolic and psychological structure. In this work, Derrida explores the “archival method” in the context of memory, power, technology, and psychoanalysis. Key ideas from the book: Derrida connects Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory to the idea of archiving, especially the compulsion to repeat, memory repression, and the desire to preserve. He analyzes how archives are both preservative and destructive, influenced by technological media and institutional authority. The “fever” refers to both obsession with archiving and the anxiety it produces—particularly around origins, authority, and control over knowledge. Thus, Derrida’s Archive Fever is centrally concerned with archival method as a philosophical, psychoanalytic, and cultural problem. ❌ Why Other Options Are Incorrect: 2. Biographical Method – Derrida’s work is not a biography nor focused on the biographical study of Freud or others. 3. Visual Method – Though Derrida engages with media and representation, visual analysis is not the primary focus here. 4. Creative Method – While the book is written in Derrida’s signature deconstructive style, it is analytical, not creative writing or method in the traditional sense. 📘

Detailed Explanation:

(UGC NET English)

This question highlights the intersection of literary theory, psychoanalysis, and cultural critique, especially within archival and memory studies—an increasingly relevant field in UGC NET English. Derrida’s Archive Fever has influenced scholars working in literary criticism, historiography, poststructuralism, and digital humanities. Understanding the archival method through a Derridean lens allows students to approach texts with a deeper awareness of how power, memory, and textuality shape the preservation and interpretation of knowledge.



📘 Commentary (UGC NET English)

This question brings together themes from cultural studies, historiography, and memory theory, all of which are increasingly relevant in UGC NET English. Understanding the “cultural circuit” by Dawson and Thomson equips scholars to approach oral narratives, testimonial literature, and personal histories with a nuanced perspective that connects individual memory to broader cultural frameworks. This is particularly useful in analyzing postcolonial, diasporic, and trauma literature, where memory becomes a site of resistance, identity formation, and cultural negotiation.

Correct Answer: 3. Saussurean research

Detailed Explanation:

Margaret Wetherell et al., in their foundational work on Discourse Analysis (especially in Discourse Theory and Practice), identify several major traditions of discourse analytical research, including:

Discursive Psychology – Focuses on how psychological themes (like identity, emotion, intention) are constructed in discourse.





Bakhtinian Research – Draws on Mikhail Bakhtin’s concepts like dialogism and heteroglossia to explore how multiple voices and perspectives coexist in discourse.





Foucauldian Research – Uses Michel Foucault’s theories to examine how discourse shapes knowledge, power, and subjectivity through historical formations.





However, Saussurean research is not listed as a distinct discourse analytical tradition by Wetherell et al. While Ferdinand de Saussure is foundational in structural linguistics, his work is considered pre-discursive and does not directly engage with discourse as socially constructed practice—which is the core concern of discourse analysis.

Saussure emphasized langue (language system) over parole (individual speech acts), focusing on structure rather than use, which places his theory outside the methodological traditions of discourse analysis identified by Wetherell and colleagues.

📘 Commentary (UGC NET English)

This question tests familiarity with critical theory and discourse analysis, increasingly important in UGC NET English, particularly in units dealing with literary theory, language, and cultural studies. Understanding why Saussurean linguistics is not part of discourse-analytical traditions clarifies the shift from formal language systems to context-bound, power-embedded discourse. For exam success, students must grasp the methodological distinctions among discourse theorists like Foucault, Bakhtin, and Wetherell, as these are frequently referenced in critical reading and research-based questions.