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Year 11 Advanced Module B: Critical Study of Literature

Module B Rubric

In this module, students develop analytical and critical knowledge, understanding and appreciation of a literary text. Through increasingly informed personal responses to the text in its entirety, students develop understanding of the distinctive qualities of the text and notions of textual integrity.

Students study one text appropriate to their needs and interests. Central to this study is the exploration of how the author’s ideas are expressed in the text through an analysis of its construction, content and language. Students develop their own interpretation of the text, basing their judgements on evidence drawn from their research and reading, enabling the development of a deeper and richer understanding of the text. In doing so, they consider notions of contexts with regard to the text’s composition and reception; investigate the perspectives of others; and explore the ideas in the text, further strengthening their personal perspective on the text.

Students have opportunities to appreciate and express views about the aesthetic and imaginative aspects of a text by composing creative and critical texts of their own. Through reading, viewing or listening they analyse, evaluate and comment on the text’s specific language features and form. They express increasingly complex ideas, clearly and cohesively using appropriate register, structure and modality. They draft, appraise and refine their own texts, applying the conventions of syntax, spelling and grammar appropriately.

Opportunities to engage deeply with the text as a responder and composer further develops personal and intellectual connections with this text, enabling students to express their informed personal view of its meaning and value.

NESA Describes textual integrity as: 'The unity of a text; its coherent use of form and language to produce an integrated whole in terms of meaning and value'.

This incorporates:

Organic unity - coherence between form, content, and techniques that creates value

Universal themes - Themes that are relevant to humans in different cultures and contexts across time

Critical engagement - generates critical discussion because there are conflicting perspectives as to its value

This task is for Othello, but it can be easily be applied to many other prelim Mod B texts, e.g. William Blake.

Literary Criticism

Module B requires you to be a literary critic of sorts. It is a practice for the Year 12 Module of the same name, and requires you to consider the Purpose, Audience, Context, and Values (PAC-V) of a text extremely thoroughly.

You must not only engage with the text, or suite of texts if doing poetry, but the composer's context, position in the literary canon, and critical response. You have to read the text several times in Module B, as well as research its response in the time it was made and in modern times.

By reading, analysing and responding critically and creatively to your text, you should develop an appreciation and personal relationship to the text and its themes and ideas.

Further to this, students should be able to express their personal interpretation of the meaning of the text in an appropriate, clear and cohesive manner. In terms of intellectual connections, this refers to the way that literature changes how you think about the world.

No matter what manner you’re responding to the text in, you should always be doing this with proper register, structure and modality and pay close attention to details like spelling and grammar.

Distinctive qualities of the text, notions of textual integrity and significance

An important part of the rubric that is often overlooked. We have seen questions in the past purely focus on the ‘textual integrity’ of a text so we highly recommend that you take some time to consider what this means. When analysing a text, you need to appreciate it as a whole. That is, how has it been composed to follow a certain plot with particular characters to demonstrate an idea? How is the narrative or plot structured? What role does this text play in Literature overall? Why has the author decided to focus on certain aspects and not others? Consider why the text is still valuable in a contemporary setting notwithstanding the fact that it was composed many years ago. All of these questions will prompt you to consider the qualities of the text which contribute to its textural integrity and overall significance.

Notions of context with regard to the text’s composition and reception

A critical concept that is a good way to begin your critical analysis. First start with the context in which the text was written. Consider the social situation that the author was composing their text in and the different ideas that were in circulation at the time. How does this impact the content of the text? That is, does the composer adopt or challenge the assumptions and ideas that were upheld at the time? Why did the author create the text in that particular form (a poem, a play or a poem)?

Once you have understood the context in which it was created, then consider how the audience of the time of the text would have received the text. Would they have agreed with the issues explored or would it have been a text that challenged views of the time?

Together with the context of the time of the text, there is also room to appreciate how a modern audience would receive the text. Would they have the same reaction? Would it be different ? How come? How does a change in context change the value of the text? As these questions provoke a holistic approach to the text, this will allow for critical analysis of the text as a whole. Your reflection of these questions can also help your analysis of the textual integrity of the text. Why after all these years is that particular text still studied? How is it still relevant despite its uniquely different context? If it is a modern text, how does it contribute to society in a way in which no other text has been able to address? What role does this text play in a contemporary society? Does it offer new insights or position audiences to consider a different point of view?

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