A Level English Literature

I'm slowly approaching my A2 exam for English Literature, which I feel so unready for. I have barely been getting C's in my mocks, and I feel like giving up. It's so depressing. All my other subjects I do quite well in, and I just never seem to have quite got there with English.

Does anyone else feel this way about their English Literature exam? I'm curious.

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Reply 1

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Reply 2

Sherifa Issifu

My first time posting :smile:

I get how you feel. I'm doing A2 AQA Love Through the Ages and don't feel 100% about the exam, but hopefully with some revision and practice things will be on the up.

Reply 3

pompompandapple

I find that sorting quotes into themes and learning them helps me to feel more 'ready' for the exam. I'm doing Hamlet, Revenger's Tragedy, and Donne poetry.

Reply 4

The Empire Odyssey

I'm doing Love Through the Ages too. Why did I ever pick to study English Lit and Classics at uni :frown:

Reply 5

suehadz

Gosh yes!
Whats worse is my teacher doesn't even give grades she just shouts ans tells you what wrong with it lol
I'm doing great expectations and the life of pi, you?

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Reply 6

LuckyBug07

I'm studying Hamlet and the Revengers tragedy, and I'm struggling too. My main concern is finding the right quotes because I've just randomly picked some I thought would help. If anyone has any tips for revision I would appreciate it.

Reply 7

Beckie_J

I'm studying Hamlet and The Revenger's Tragedy too!

I'm not too bad with the quotes, we've been finding good quotes we can generalize to the majority of themes within class. It's the A03-Critic marks i'm lacking! I can't seem to find any decent critics anywhere!

Reply 8

thecookiefreak

Original post by Beckie_J

You should research these critics - James Shapiro, Elaine Showalter and Richard Brucher. They are great for Revenger's Tragedy and Hamlet. Btw what sort of questions do you think will come up? I am scared!

Reply 9

Beckie_J

Original post by thecookiefreak

I'm hoping one on Revenge or Death will come up, or even corruption. They are all pretty similar. Are you also doing Chaucer?

Reply 10

thecookiefreak

Original post by Beckie_J

I'm hoping one on Revenge or Death will come up, or even corruption. They are all pretty similar. Are you also doing Chaucer?

No I do William Blake :frown:

what kind of things could you write about death
I know for corruption you could write about moral and physical corruption and characters like Claudius and the Duke but I'm unsure about death...

Reply 11

Harriet88

Hey, I'm doing Hamlet and the Revenger's Tragedy too. I'd love a question on death or corruption. I think for that you can comment upon Shakespeare's use of imagery on decay and disease such as "something in rotten in the state of Demmark" or Hamlet calling Claudius a "mildewed ear" etc, saying itr reflects corruption and death. That way your sure to address AO2.
You could also maybe talk about symbolism and Yorrick's skull and the points Hamlet makes when discovering it. For the Revenger's tragedy you could talk about the Corruption of the court and for decay how the Duke is literally decaying when he is killed.
Just some ideas 😊

Reply 12

Harriet88

Original post by Beckie_J

I'm hoping one on Revenge or Death will come up, or even corruption. They are all pretty similar. Are you also doing Chaucer?

I'm doing Chaucer, how are you finding revision?

Reply 13

suehadz

Original post by Harriet88

I'm doing Chaucer, how are you finding revision?

Are you doing the wife of bath - Canterbury Tales?

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Reply 14

Harriet88

Original post by suehadz

Are you doing the wife of bath - Canterbury Tales?

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I am yes

Reply 15

Harriet88

Original post by suehadz

Are you doing the wife of bath - Canterbury Tales?

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How are you finding it?

Reply 16

Beckie_J

Original post by thecookiefreak

No I do William Blake :frown:

what kind of things could you write about death
I know for corruption you could write about moral and physical corruption and characters like Claudius and the Duke but I'm unsure about death...

Death you could write about pretty much everything; Old King Hamlets death, Hamlets suicidal thoughts, Ophelia's suicide and the thoughts on whether it was or wasn't, you could link death into the theme of Revenge Tragedy about how every revenge tragedy ends in the hero being killed etc., the ghost, links to revengers could be about the death imagery through Glorianna's skull, the links between the fact both of the hero's lost their fathers etc.

Reply 17

suehadz

Original post by Harriet88

How are you finding it?

It's not that bad, it's actually a funny story
It's the linking it with my other texts that's the issue... You?

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Reply 18

Harriet88

Original post by suehadz

It's not that bad, it's actually a funny story
It's the linking it with my other texts that's the issue... You?

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Yeah it is funny. Once you get past the old english the ideas behind it are pretty simple I think. We have unseen poetry in the exam which we have to make a link to, do you not have that? I find it alright - I just do it at the end and you don't have to write loads about the unseen poem just as long as you address bits of it and link it to Chaucer

Reply 19

Anonymous #2

I'm doing Wife of Bath with unseen poetry then Richard II with Edward II as a partner text. Really panicking about it to be honest, my teacher doesn't know what he's doing (he even admitted it).

How do you guys structure your essays?