Revising English Literature?!

[Medea86]

I am in the first year of my English degree and exams are around the corner. In the past revision hasn't really been a problem, as it usually just consisted of me reading the set text a few times over again. However, now that technique isn't really going to work when I have twelve novels to study for one exam, and we are not allowed to bring any of the texts into the actual exam.

We are expected to write 3 essays on four of the novels, on any topic; the question really is going to be a complete wild card, because I have looked at the past exam papers. We have been advised to spend lots of time in the library going through the secondary reading list that has been provided. How does one select the right information, or make the right length of notes? Especially when everything seems relevant, and everything seems to be linked to everything else.

I was wondering if anyone has ever been in the same position (i.e going to the English Literature section in a library and getting depressed over the sheer volumes of secondary criticism), and if anyone would have any advice for revising at degree level.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

try asking your teacher(s) for recommendations. I'm sure they will advise you on which texts to concentrate on.

[amanda_isabel]

as was said earlier, ask your teacher for recommendations. aside from this, look over the past test questions and try to find some pattern in your teacher's questions. decipher her style and, after getting this info, the hardest of all, try to make inteligent guesses as to what the questions might be. hope this helps. good luck

[optimisticnad]

revision? bah. lol. Maybe this isn't good advice: but I read anything, everything, relevant, insignificant...and it all clicks. Most importantly you can't get everything done, you can't learn everything, so you pick areas that u want to concentrate and the thing I lv so much about Lit. is that perhaps you learnt something different to the essay question but you can so twist it round and just turn it inside out and make it relevant to the essay question. Read variety of things throughout the year, not just what you've been told, go and dig out something randomly yourself and when its exam time start narrowing it down and focusing. good luck and happy revision!