BANKURA UNIVERSITY

B.A. 4th Semester (Major) Examination, 2026

Course Code: A/ENG-403/MJC-7 • Course ID: 40313

British Literature: 19th Century (NEP)

Time: 2 Hours

Full Marks: 40

The figures in the margin indicate full marks. Candidates are required to give their answers in their own words as far as practicable.

1. Answer any one of the following questions from Unit I: (1 × 10 = 10)

Examine how Jane Austen presents the limitations, domestic realities, and economic dependencies of 19th-century English women through secondary characters like Miss Bates and Jane Fairfax in Emma.
Analyze the architectural and symbolic significance of Highbury as a closed, self-contained rural community in Emma.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Critically analyze this opening framework of A Tale of Two Cities to show how Dickens sets up the structural and social dualities of his narrative.
Examine the transformation of Dr. Manette in A Tale of Two Cities, focusing on how his internal psychological scars represent the destructive power of tyranny.

2. Answer any one of the following questions from Unit II: (1 × 10 = 10)

Critically analyze D.G. Rossetti's "The Blessed Damozel" as a bridge between the spiritual aspiration of the soul and concrete, material human love.
Discuss how Alfred Tennyson treats the conflict between dynamic, forward-looking exploration and passive retirement in his dramatic monologue "Ulysses".

3. Write short notes on any two of the following topics from Unit III (Victorian Period): (2 × 5 = 10)

The "Victorian Compromise" and its socio-literary manifestations.
The impact of the Industrial Revolution on early and mid-Victorian fiction.
Salient features of Lord Alfred Tennyson's elegiac poetry with special reference to In Memoriam.
Doubt and pessimism in late 19th-century Victorian literature.

4. Answer any five of the following questions from Units I and II: (5 × 2 = 10)

How does Emma Woodhouse misread the intentions of Mr. Elton regarding Harriet Smith?
Identify the significance of the location "Cole's Party" in Jane Austen's novel Emma.
What specific message does Jerry Cruncher receive on the Dover Road, and what is his cryptic response?
What does the figure of "The Guillotine" come to symbolize to the revolutionary mobs in Paris according to Dickens?
To whom does Ulysses hand over the governance of his kingdom of Ithaca, and how does he justify this choice?
What visual change occurs in the weather and landscape when Sir Lancelot comes riding down towards Camelot?
Explain the philosophical outlook of the lover in "The Last Ride Together" when he states: "All labor, yet no less / Bear up beneath their unsuccess."
What specific physical actions does Caliban perform to secretly defy or mock Setebos when he thinks the deity is not looking?
Describe the physical warmth or sensory impact of the Damozel's bosom against the gold bar of heaven.
What do the three lilies in the hand of the Blessed Damozel symbolize within Pre-Raphaelite iconography?