Topics

1. In many ways Crusoe appears to be the same sort of person at the end of the novel as he is at the beginning.
Despite decades of solitude and exile, wars with cannibals, and the subjugation of a mutiny, Crusoe hardly seems to
grow or develop. Is Crusoe an unchanging character, or does he change in subtle ways as a result of his ordeal?

2. Crusoe and the realistic novel, a demonstration.

3. Explain the possible appeal of the novel. Why would it still be relevant today?

4. Analyse Crusoe and Friday relationship. Are they really good friends?

5. Do you think that Defoe meant this novel to be a moral tale? If so, what was the moral?

6. Capitalism and imperialism in Robinson Crusoe.

7. Present Gulliver’s Travels and their significance.

8. What is the significance, if any, of the order in which Gulliver’s journeys take place? How does each adventure
build on the previous one?

9. What is the allegorical significance of the floating island of Laputa?

10. Why does Gulliver keep traveling despite his many misfortunes?

11. Why does Gulliver want to stay with the Houyhnhnms? Does his desire make sense in light of the other
societies he has visited?

12. How do the Lilliputians view the threat that Gulliver represents?

13. Some would argue that Swift was a misanthrope and that Gulliver's Travels proves his hatred of mankind.
Agree or disagree with this assessment and support your opinion with examples from the text.

14.Explain how Swift makes use of the character of Gulliver. As you prepare your answer, be sure to consider
whether Gulliver has a distinct and recognizable character or whether he is simply Swift's mouthpiece.

15. Targets of satire in Gulliver’s Travels. Refer to at least two of them.

16. Refer to “A Modest Proposal” satire. How is it effective?

17. Enlightenment in Crusoe and Gulliver’s Travels. How are the two novels representative of the Age of Reason?

18. Romanticism and Enlightenment. Describe briefly the two movements and the philosophical ideas behind each.

19. Why does the Mariner kill the Albatross? What does the Albatross stand for? Can it be said to be a religious
reference?

20. Why does the Mariner stop the particular Wedding Guest? How is the latter changed by the Mariner’s story?
Why does the Mariner keep telling his story?

21. Discuss how the crew is punished for the Mariner’s reckless deed. Is the punishment fair? Compare the
punishment with the one the Mariner has to suffer.
22. What is the moral of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner? How is it presented? Refer to the many symbols in the
poem.

23. Demonstrate the Rime is a Romantic poem.

24. The supernatural and its role in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

25. William Wordsworth and his poem, I wondered lonely as a cloud, defining for the Romantic era in England.

26. The Solitary Reaper poem by Wordsworth, Romantic elements.

27. Pick a Romantic writer (Shelly, Keats, Byron, Coleridge or Wordsworth) and describe his definition of poetry
within Romanticism. Refer to one or two poems.

28. Choose one short story by Edgar Allan Poe that contains both horror and detective elements and explain their
role.

29. Speculate on the events in Poe’s life and their importance in determining his approach in art.

30. Speak about the origin of the Gothic literature and why Poe is considered to be the father thereof.

31. Insanity and unreliable narrator in Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories The Black Cat and the Tell-Tale Heart.

32. Grief in the Raven by Poe. Discuss the theme referring to the mood and the tone.

33. Moments of the plot in one of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story.

34. Analyse the role of witches in Macbeth. Did they determine the main character’s unfortunate turn of events?
Why did Shakespeare decide to include them in the play?

35. Macbeth as tragic hero. Refer to Aristotle’s tragic hero traits and decide whether Macbeth is one.

36. Macbeth as moral play and its justice at the end of the novel. What is the reason behind Shakespeare’s choice
of morality?

37. Mention at least 2 themes in Macbeth. Motivate your answer.

38. Lady Macbeth as a key character in the play. Refer to her traits and the events she is part of in the play. How
defining is her presence and how is she changed by the course of events?

39. Despite his being a tyrant and despite his engaging in a killing spree, Macbeth is not entirely a villain. Why do
you think that is?

40. King and tyrant in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Good versus bad kind and why the play is a glorification of King
James I.