It is important that candidates recognise that in all papers, three questions should be answered in order to get the best possible mark (ensuring that the rubric for the paper has been followed accordingly).
Examiners follow a simple mathematical formula when awarding a final overall mark: they give each answer a mark out of 100 (up to three answers only, as required by the exam paper); they then total all available marks; and finally they divide the total by three, thus giving an average overall mark.
So, if your first answer is given 57%, your second answer is given 56%, and your third answer 50%, then the calculation will look like this:
57 + 56 + 50 = 163
163 ÷ 3 = 54.3
Overall mark: 54%
Two good essays and no third essay will always bring the mark down. So, if in the example above a third answer was not given, the calculation would look like this:
57 + 56 = 113
113 ÷ 3 = 37.6
Overall mark: 38%
In this case, even if the candidate had written a ‘poor’ third answer getting a mark of 40% their overall mark would be higher than not attempting an answer at all:
57 + 56 + 40 = 153
153 ÷ 3 = 51
Overall mark: 51%
Note in the example above how the 40% mark, while low, still enables the candidate to achieve an overall mark in the Lower Second category, which is in keeping with their first two marks of 57% and 56%. Not answering a third question would see the candidate lose considerable marks and drop two whole classes. It could also mean the difference between a pass and a fail.
Candidates are thus strongly advised to give equal attention across the paper, plan their time accordingly, and attempt to provide three answers of roughly the same length and as full as possible. Candidates are also reminded that it is totally unnecessary to copy out the question again into the answer book; a question number in the margin is sufficient enough, and this will also save valuable minutes.
This report will discuss in some detail all the questions attempted by candidates along with brief comments on questions that were not attempted.
As noted last year, general legibility and range of material covered were pleasing. Once again it was good to see medieval drama and Piers Plowman being studied. Some candidates did not limit their consideration to the First Fragment of the Canterbury Tales, discussing the ‘Nun’s Priest’s Tale’, for example. It is helpful for candidates to have this broader awareness of the Tales, as it enables them to discuss Chaucer’s practice as a poet with greater understanding. Sir Orfeo and the works of Henryson also received attention, which was pleasing in view of their neglect in recent years.
It continues to be disappointing that so few candidates write on medieval lyrics despite the assurance that they will certainly appear on the paper in Section A. A recurrent weakness was time wasted on basic plot summaries. It cannot be stressed too strongly that relating the plot or describing content does not constitute a successful discussion or argument, and will result in very poor grades. Candidates must remember that Examiners know the texts very well and do not need to be told basic elements of plot. Essay writing practice is essential for students to develop more effective essay writing techniques. The essay marking scheme offered by Goldsmiths is one way in which formative feedback can be gained.
Question 1
There was a definite and pleasing improvement in responses to Section A this year. This was no longer the weakest part of the examination in terms of performance, although standards were rather modest. Candidates are strongly urged to practise timed commentary questions from past papers, perhaps submitting them for assessment under the essay marking scheme. This would help to develop the necessary skills of close reading and analysis. Candidates are advised to follow the rubric closely: two passages must be chosen, and style must be analysed closely as well as content. It is vital to understand that the task of discussing the ‘effectiveness’ in the narrative context does not mean describe where the passage appears, but select key features which relate to the wider literary context, actively exploring significance and thematic resonance. Those answers that simply describe general plots will receive very low marks. Some severe reduction in grades occurs when only one passage is discussed. Candidates are again urged to obtain and study the University of London’s publication specially designed to help with Section A, Responding to ‘Section A’ Questions (2004).
Several important aspects of this passage were noted, such as Margery’s characteristically plain style, with its simple repetition and balanced phrasing. Synonyms dominate (‘plentyuows and abundawnt’) creating a leisurely, ponderous pace. Alliteration enhances this effect, coupled with some pointed antithesis (‘frendys … enmys’, ‘the mor slawnder … the mor … grace’). Although plain in diction the passage is accomplished in rhetorical technique, as is evident in the climactic triple repetition, building to a satisfying conclusion. Clearly, this is carefully self-promoting as well as self-consoling.
Competition between the two central male figures is the subject of this passage, in which women are objectified, as a means to revenge. It would be interesting to consider how far the two students are differentiated, particularly in the manner of their speech. John appears more hesitant and anxious than Alan both in his actions and in his words. The delicate euphemism of the narrator is also worth noting. The comedy of John’s self-reproach is another key ingredient, as he calls himself names (‘an ape … a draf-sack … a daf, a cokenay!’), building up his courage.
These lyrics exemplify two dominant modes of late medieval piety: the immediacy of semi-dramatic representation (Jesus’ direct address) and intense personal involvement in the events of the Passion, which both constitute important aspects of Affective Piety. The simplicity of the diction could not be more evident (‘I am Jesus’) yet makes a striking impact upon the reader. This topos of Jesus as a knight fighting for humanity invokes secular associations inventively; associating him with knightly heroism evokes admiration and respect. The physicality of the cross is powerfully conveyed in passage (ii) by cumulative details. The itemising of Jesus’ torments encompasses a wide range of felt experience, including touch, taste and sound, to create a vivid impression of being present at, and reliving, the crucifixion.
The most striking feature of this passage is its satire, directed particularly at friars, merchants and pardoners. With typical inventiveness, Langland constructs a mini allegorical comedy about outlaws taking refuge with each of these groups, damning them all by their association with Falseness, Guile and Liar. Attention could be given to features such as pace, alliterative effects and irony.
This passage reveals deep homiletic qualities, as it details the penitence of Lancelot and other knights of the Round Table. It sets out a moving account of transformation, with knights becoming men of the church, careless of their erstwhile most prized possessions, their horses, and embracing a life of willing poverty in place of luxury. As the climax of Malory’s romance, it strikes a serious moral note asserting a quite different ethic to that which preceded the death of Arthur. Once again, however, Malory presents Lancelot as the supreme force, inspiring the others. The final resting place of Gwenever beside her husband restores a sense of order. The prose style repays close attention, with its sparseness and formality.
What is perhaps most dominant here is the exuberance of the court, as it engages in Christmas celebrations. The passage is full of intensifiers and superlatives insisting on excess. Repetition contributes to the liveliness and sense of overflowing luxury. King and Christ appear at the beginning and near the end almost as if to enclose the activities of merrymaking within an envelope of power and religious meaning, but there may be ironies here, implying a subtle discord. Questions to ponder might include whether there is an implied disapproval or indictment of the youthful court, and whether the narrative voice is hyperbolic?
Answer ONE question
Question 2
Many texts might be discussed here, such as the lyrics, which typically employ a limited lexis, with recurrent formulae, yet develop a wide range of moods and powerful experiences of contemplative intensity. Margery Kempe’s colloquial expression is worth considering as she asserts her exceptional experiences as evidence of her special status. The Moral Fables of Henryson are also relevant as they combine apparently straightforward narratives with often surprising moral conclusions. Sir Orfeo is a good case of a romance delivered in a simple style but treating important issues of power, loyalty and honour. It was important here to focus on style and vocabulary, not merely describe content.
Question 3
Henryson’s Moral Fables might be usefully considered here, but Langland and Chaucer also explore the potential of the beast fable genre with their allegories of the Belling of the Cat and the ‘Nun’s Priest’s Tale’ respectively. The similarities of animals to humans can evidently be exploited for moral purposes in a range of ways.
Question 4
Biblical material is exploited in texts as diverse as the ‘Miller’s Tale’, Piers Plowman and The Book of Margery Kempe, so there were plenty of relevant texts to consider here. These texts provide examples of the bible being used as a source for effects of humour, irony, propaganda and personal aggrandisement. The direct influence of the bible upon medieval drama is obviously worth discussing in either of the two very different treatments of the Noah story in the Chester and Wakefield plays.
Question 5
Gender is an issue in most texts, so candidates had a wide choice of texts here. The restricted roles of women in romance could be considered, perhaps contrasting the depiction of Gwenever and the Maid of Ascalot, one vicious and one virtuous, and their varying relationships with, to the exemplar of chivalry, Sir Lancelot. The Lady in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight provides another interesting example of female agency, assailing Gawain’s chastity and ‘troth’. What was important for this question was to appraise the overall effect of any representation of gender division. The issue of gender as it appears in fabliaux, in drama, and in religious contexts would all have been useful topics for consideration.
Question 6
This offers similar grounds for discussion as Question 2, but varieties of language might be assessed in this case. Chaucer juxtaposes different regional accents in the ‘Reeve’s Tale’, and deliberately employs a low register for his fabliaux. The ‘historical’ aspects of Malory’s romance are enhanced by his neutral prose style, with its restricted vocabulary and formulaic phrasing. Henryson adopts a deliberately didactic tone in his Moral Fables. Medieval writers often consciously explore the relationship between matter and manner (meaning and style). Questions to consider include whether clarity and simplicity of speech equate with truthfulness and reliability, the comic potential of assigning low speech in ways that denote character, and how the narrative voice impacts upon the material.
Question 7
Whichever topic was chosen, candidates were expected to do more than recount plots. The thematic relevance of the quest in Sir Gawain for example, might be analysed as involving the subversion of generic expectations, so that the ‘real’ quest becomes an internal and moral one, rather than a matter of external heroic deeds. Intangible threats and invisible strengths acquire more significance than the slaying of monsters (dismissed by the narrator in a few lines). The experience of trials and confession by some of the most innocent and the most guilty animals in Henryson’s Moral Fables suggests an indictment of widespread social injustice and political corruption. Cresseid’s ‘testament’ is a character study of self-deceit and self-destructive pride, finally brought to self-knowledge by harsh punishment. Malory’s lenient treatment of Lancelot during the sequence of trials in the final Books reveals a great deal about contingency and equivocation.
Question 8
All sorts of contrast are present throughout medieval literature, as writers explore polarities. The ‘Merchant’s Tale’ pits January against May, the Wife of Bath abuses her elderly husbands only later to be abused by her younger one. Social tensions are depicted by Chaucer and Langland, juxtaposing the pious poor with the wealthy hypocrite, for example. Margery Kempe is an illiterate woman who determinedly confronts the authority of the church in her quest for self-fulfilment. Consideration of what these and other examples of contrasts and oppositions reveals would provide interesting discussion.
Question 9
The best cases to consider here would be Criseyde/Cresseid, Margery Kempe and the Wife of Bath. Lyrics written from a female perspective also offer good material for a discussion.
Question 10
The ‘figural’ aspects of a work include its use of allegorical landscapes (Piers Plowman), characters who represent an abstract concept or a ‘type’ of human behaviour (Lady Mede, Noah’s Wife, Gawain) and moral exempla (‘Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale’). Romance in particular tends to present an idealised viewpoint, enacting an educative process, often presenting the coming to maturity of the hero. Some critical interpretations regard the details of the plot as external projections representing internal psychological development. The dark forest can be read as symbolic of the inner recesses of the soul, agents of temptation as projected fears and anxieties. Sir Orfeo, Malory and Sir Gawain offer useful cases to consider. Imagery in the lyrics is often complex and multi-layered, frequently combining paradoxical elements which invite multiple interpretation (such as Christ as a knight, Mary as his mother, sister, daughter and queen). Situations from secular love poetry are reconfigured as occasions of divine grace, presenting Christ as a lover and so on.
Answer ONE question. Your answer in this section should refer to AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT authors.
Question 11
Self-consciousness is an important element in the construction of many characters, such as Gawain, Cresseid, Chaucer’s narrators, and Margery Kempe. Discrepancies between word and deed are very common, as authors treat themes of loyalty and honour, hypocrisy and manipulative rhetoric. Figures such as Lady Mede, Henryson’s Fox, and Chaucer’s Pardoner are expert deceivers, professing one thing but acting very differently.
Question 12
Henryson’s Moral Fables provide a good example of two contrasting methods of narration, with the tales and their morals having very different tones and attitudes. Chaucer adopts multiple voices in the Canterbury Tales, exploring individual personality and highlighting the malleability of words and meaning.
Question 13
Anxiety is widespread in this period, manifesting in social, political and religious unrest. New ideas, reformist impulses, challenges to authority and traditional assumptions are apparent in the works of Chaucer, Malory, Henryson, and others.
Question 14
Similar issues apply here as in Question 13: everywhere in medieval literature one finds questioning, assertive, disruptive forces, which are unsettling notions of order and immutable hierarchy. Mobility is a dominant aspect of the romance, with its wandering heroes and wayfaring women while Margery Kempe’s travelling is a disruptive activity for her family and community. ‘Dissonance’ is evident in the conflict among the Canterbury pilgrims, with the ‘Knight’s Tale’ and the ‘Miller’s Tale’, for example, effectively juxtaposed to emphasise discord. Upward mobility and the weakening of established concepts such as the Three Estates are sources of tension in Piers Plowman.
Question 15
Malory’s nostalgic reverence for a past golden age of chivalry and virtue is an ideal text to discuss here, alongside the yearnings of Piers Plowman for a return to order and clarity. Biblical history is fundamental to medieval drama and to religious lyrics, presented in vividly immediate ways (live embodiment in performance and direct first person accounts), which allow the audience imaginatively to inhabit the past. The Classical past also features frequently in medieval works, sometimes as a source of inspiration, sometimes needing to be ‘purified’ of its ‘heathen’ associations (see Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde).
Question 16
Chaucer’s diffident narrator in the ‘General Prologue’ is an indirect critic, never openly disapproving but working by means of irony to indict a range of figures representing corruption and abuse of power. Langland is much more openly attacking similar targets. Even he, however, occasionally retreats behind the veil of allegory and layers of fiction (as in the beast fable of the Belling of the Cat).
Question 17
Late medieval piety is characterised by an intensity of personal devotion, and by a prevalent morbidity. The female mystics’ radical claims of direct access to the divine are one extraordinary phenomenon. A keen awareness of mortality and the urgent need for moral reform is evident in the grimly physical decay of Cresseid, and in the figure of Death in the ‘Pardoner’s Tale’. Affective Piety is particularly apparent in the lyrics’ powerfully realised impression of proximity to Jesus’ torment.