YOU CAN CRACK- NET EXAM PAPER 2

How to tackle paper 2

After spending hours together in preparation mode made possible through hard work and sacrifice of the candidate, it is not only the sacrifices of an individual it is the family as a whole, the expectations of kith and kin, all waiting for a miracle. Money spent for books and coaching for full timers it is added pressure as expectations run high. But what it takes to crack English literature. Does it mean that the candidate has to be thorough with every minute detail in literary works, filled with information and all trivial details? Well the answer is both Yes and No.

When it comes to the syllabus it is quiet vague, as anything which comes under the ambit of literature can take the shape of a question. The syllabus given in the official website cannot be relied upon. As the topics are broad they capture a lot of themes more than one can imagine. One golden rule is to read the university syllabus of both bachelors and masters of famous universities like the Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University or Indira Gandhi National Open University. But still many students find it difficult to crack the NET exam. The most reliable method suggested by many toppers is to collect all the old question paper of previous years and list the names of authors asked in questions, one may end up with hundreds of writers then one should do a careful study of all the works by the writers. It is not only the book plots but also important quotes, names of minor characters and all other trivial details. The plot of the novel can be read in Wikipedia for free, if it is not clear then one can refer to websites like spark notes or grade saver. It is important to know and remember the plots of as many novels and dramas as possible. The only way to keep up is to recollect it as many times as possible. One may consider Shakespeare as a great writer but questions mostly come from his great tragedies. Questions from dramas like Romeo and Juliet have never been asked in NET exam history. But sometimes exceptions happen and it is totally unpredictable. The history of English literature forms the backbone of any preparation so the only way is to be thorough with the timeline. Though there are numerous books available on the topic ranging from the good old David Daiches to Routledge. As we have only one month left for the exam my suggestion is William J Long. It is the most compact book and you will get the maximum out of every single page. The golden rule is never read it cover to cover just pick an age, and skim through the pages. If you want to write in the next attempt then try David Daiches though it is not updated every year it is still relevant to know the basic background of literature.

MH Abrams A glossary of literary terms is a must and one should be thorough with it. Whenever feeling bored try to solve previous years question paper you will get to taste the flavor of exam. Keep trying, keep doing never ever call it quit. For American writers go for dramatist who have been frequently asked like Eugene O'Neill, Edward Albee and Arthur Miller, also read novelists like Ralph Ellison and Mark Twain, The Bell Jar  the only novel written by the American poet Sylvia Plath is very important. The most difficult part of NET exam is to read the classics of world literature. Though these books are never written in English they have been translated into English, Eugène Ionesco is one such writer on whose works questions were frequently asked in previous years.  Russian writers like Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Nikolai Gogol, Alexander Pushkin are very important. Lolita is a 1955 novel written by Russian American novelist Vladimir Nabokov is a classic and a must read. Though Lolita was written in English Nabokov translated it into Russian himself. French writers like Alexandre Dumas, Honoré Balzac, Marcel Proust  Jean Genet and Jean Racine are also important. Other European writers like August Strindberg and Bertolt" Brecht are a must read.

Sir Henry John Newbolt, Wilfred  Owen, Siegfried Loraine Sassoon, and other war poets are a must read. African writers like Nadine Gordimer, Chinua Achebe Wole Soyinka Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o , Ayi Kwei Armah, "Buchi" Emecheta, Nuruddin Farah, Ben Okri, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie J. M." Coetzee are some of the very important ones whose works one should be through with.  Anna Maria Bunn, Patrick  White, Peter  Carey,  Thomas Keneally (Schindler's Ark ), David  Malouf  are some of the important Australian authors., AK Mehotra R Parthasarathy,  Ak Ramanujan, , Amitav Ghosh, Rohinton Mistry Toru dutt, Meena kandaswamy, Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand, Ruth Prawar Jhabavala, R. K. Narayan, Shashi Deshpande, Arun Joshi, Bapsi Sidhwa, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Nilanjana Sudeshna "Jhumpa" Lahiri, C. S. Lakshmi  and Nayantara Sahgal  are some of the notable Indian authors one has to be thorough with. Mahesh Dattani plays are also important.

Make a list of authors who have won Nobel prize for literature and read everything about them. Also follow the same method for the winners of Booker prize.  Literary theories and movements should also be read throuoghly. The point is that 6% of all students who are going to appear in NET exam are thorough with these authors if you wish to join them you have to learn about these authors.

The trick is that there are a few questions whose answer no one knows. Not even 1% of the student knows about it.  So don’t worry about it. Always think about the top 6% who would know many things. I have not written much about British writers as they are known to everyone but the decider is how you tackle non British writers. Don’t dive deep into things and do research into a single novel or play. You should know the basic of everything, not an expert in only one area. The authors which I have mentioned in this article are non-British writers and they form the bare minimum for your preparation. If you learn many authors who are not in this list its good but make sure that you know something about the authors whom I have mentioned in this article. It will surely help you to crack this exam. Remember 94 students have to fail if 6 students were to pass so try to be in the winning side. All the best.