Core I - Introduction to Literature ( Syllabus)

Core I 

Introduction to Literature

UNIT I – Introduction to Literary Forms and Terms

• Sonnet

• Poetry

• Ode

• Elegy

• Prose

• Novel

• Short Story

• Prosody

• Metre

UNIT II –  Poetry

John Milton – When I Consider How My Light is Spent

• Theme: Personal loss (blindness), faith in divine purpose.

• Form: Petrarchan sonnet.

• Famous line: "They also serve who only stand and wait."

John Keats – Ode to a Nightingale

• Themes: Escapism, mortality, beauty of art vs. harshness of life.

• Romantic era poem, rich in imagery and emotion.

Thomas Gray – Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

• Theme: Death as a universal equalizer.

• Tone: Reflective, melancholic.

• Focus: Uncelebrated lives of the poor and their potential.

UNIT III – Prose Essays

Francis Bacon – Of Studies

• A classic essay on the use and value of reading, learning, and reflection.

• Famous lines: "Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man."

Stephen Leacock – The Financial Career

• Satirical piece on ambition, naivety in the financial world.

• Humor and irony are key features.

Jerome K. Jerome – Uncle Podger Hangs a Picture

• A humorous short prose piece.

• Themes: Everyday chaos, family, exaggeration.

• Great for understanding British wit and situational comedy.

UNIT IV – Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream

  • Plot: Love, magic, confusion in a forest.

  • Themes: Love vs. reason, dream vs. reality.

  • Comic misunderstandings and fairy mischief.

• Twelfth Night

  • Plot: Mistaken identities, love triangles.

  • Themes: Gender roles, love, disguise.

  • Characters: Viola, Orsino, Olivia, Malvolio.

UNIT V – Fiction

Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice

• Genre: Social satire, romantic fiction.

• Themes: Pride, prejudice, marriage, class, family.

• Key Characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine.

• Famous quote: “It is a truth universally acknowledged...”

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