…ex-Mason College Festac students…Literature was a priority in all forms!…
mason college festac students….traditional dances
The aim of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) syllabus in Literature in English is to prepare the candidates for the Board’s examination. It is designed to test their achievement of the course objectives, which are to:
1. Stimulate and sustain their interest in Literature in English;
2. Create an awareness of the general principles and functions of language;
3. Appreciate literary works of all genres and across all cultures;
4. Apply the knowledge of Literature in English to the analysis of social, political and economic events in the society.
1. DRAMA
a. Types:
i. Tragedy
ii. Comedy
iii. Tragicomedy
iv. Melodrama
v. Farce
b. Dramatic Techniques
i. Characterisation
ii. Dialogue
iii. Flashback
iv. Mime
v. Costume
vi. Music/Dance
vii. Décor
viii. Acts/Scenes
ix. Soliloquy/aside etc.
c. Interpretation of the Prescribed Texts
i. Theme
ii. Plot
iii. Socio-political context
Candidates should be able to:
i. identify the various types of drama;
ii. analyse the contents of the various types of drama;
iii. compare and contrast the features of different dramatic types;
iv. demonstrate adequate knowledge of dramatic techniques used in each prescribed text;
v. differentiate between styles of selected playwrights;
vi. determine the theme of any prescribed text;
vii. identify the plot of the play;
viii. apply the lessons of the play to everyday living.
2. PROSE
a. Types:
i. Fiction
· Novel
· Novella
· Short story
ii. Non-fiction
· Biography
· Autobiography
· Memoir
b. Narrative Techniques/Devices:
i. Point of view
· Omniscent/Third Person
· First Person
ii. Setting
· Temporal
· Spatial/Geographical
iii. Characterisation
· Round characters
· Flat characters
iv. Language use
c. Textual Analysise
i. Theme
ii. Plot
iii. Socio-political context
3. POETRY
a. Types:
i. Sonnet
ii. Ode
iii. Lyrics
iv. Elegy
v. Ballad
vi. Panegyric
vii. Epic
viii. Blank Verse
b. Poetic Devices
i. Structure
ii. Imagery
iii. Rhyme/Rhythm
Candidates should be able to:
i. differentiate between types of prose;
ii. identify the category that each prescribed text belongs to;
iii. analyse the components of each type of prose;
iv. identify the narrative techniques used in each of the prescribed texts;
v. determine an author’s narrative style;
vi. distinguish between one type of character from another;
vii. determine the thematic pre-occupation of the author of the prescribed text;
viii. indicate the plot of the novel;
ix. relate the prescribed text to real life situations.
Candidates should be able to:
i. identify different types of poetry;
ii. compare and contrast the features of different poetic types:
iii. determine the devices used by various poets;
iv. show how poetic devices are used for aesthetic effect in each poem;
iv. Diction
v. Persona
c. Appreciation
i. Thematic preoccupation
ii. Socio-political relevance
4. GENERAL LITERARY PRINCIPLES
a. Literary terms:
foreshadowing, suspense, theatre, monoloque, dialoque, soliloquy, symbolism, protagonist, antagonist, figures of speech, satire, stream of consciousness etc,
in addition to those listed above under the different genres.
b. Relationship between literary terms and principles.
5. LITERARY APPRECIATION
Unseen passage/extracts from Drama, Prose and Poetry.
v. deduce the poet’s preoccupation from the poem;
vi. appraise poetry as an art with moral values;
vii. apply the lessons from the poem to real life situations.
Candidates should be able to:
i. identify literary terms in drama, prose and poetry;
ii. differentiate between literary terms and principles;
iii. use literary terms appropriately.
Candidates should be able to:
i. determine literary devices used in a given passage/extract;
ii. provide a meaningful inter-pretation of the given passage/extract;
iii. relate the extract to true life experiences.
A LIST OF SELECTED AFRICAN AND NON-AFRICAN PLAYS, NOVELS AND POEMS
Drama: African:
1. Femi Osofisan: Women of Owu
Non African:
1. William Shakespeare: The Tempest
Prose: African:
i. Asare Konadu: A woman in Her Prime
ii. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Purple Hibiscus
Non African:
i. Ernest Hemingway: The Old Man and The Sea
Poetry: African:
i. Gbemisola Adeoti; Hard lines
ii. P.O.C. Umeh: Ambassadors of Poverty
iii. Shola Owonibi: Homeless not Hopeless
iv. Syl Cheney-Coker: Myopia
v. Jared Angira: Expelled
vi. Traditional: Serenade.
Non African:
i. John Donne: The Sun Rising
ii. Sir Walter Raleigh: The Soul’s Errand
iii. Langston Hughes: Negro Speaks of Rivers
iv. John Fletcher: Upon an Honest Man’s Fortune.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
1. ANTHOLOGIES
Gbemisola, A. (2005). Naked Soles, Ibadan Kraft
Eruvbetine, A. E. et al (1991). Poetry for Secondary Schools, Lagos: Longman
Hayward, J. (ed.) (1968). The Penguin Book of English Verse, London Penguin
Johnson, R. name(s)? (eds.) (1996). New Poetry from Africa, Ibadan: UP Plc
Kermode, F. name(s)? (1964). Oxford Anthology of English Literature, Vol. II, London: OUP
Senanu, K. E. and Vincent, T. (eds.) (1993). A Selection of African Poetry, Lagos: Longman
Sonyinka, W. (ed.) (1987). Poems of Black Africa, Ibadan: Heinemann
Wendy Cope (1986). Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis, London: Faber and Faber
2. CRITICAL TEXTS
Abrams, M. H. (1981). A Glossary of Literary Terms, (4th Edition) New York,
Holt Rinehalt and Winston Emeaba, O. E. (1982). A Dictionary of Literature, Aba: Inteks Press
Murphy, M. J. (1972). Understanding Unseen, An Introduction to English Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Students, George Allen and Unwin Ltd.
Nwachukwu-Agbada, J. O. J. (2011). Exam Focus: Literature in English, Ibadan: UP Plc. Wisdomline Pass at Once JAMB.
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