So, I have one day left before I need to send in my classical & medieval literature exam. Two essay questions out of three down, but the last one’s a bit of a bitch. This has been a very strange class. For the first section, we had a teacher who provided miles upon miles of secondary sources to read, and commented on everything you wrote, and then some. A little overwhelming at times, but useful. For this second section, we have had an incredibly hands-off teacher. Minimal secondary sources provided, just some very general stuff on the period(s), and extremely general and not very useful comments after each batch of assignments. Hence, I really don’t know what he’s looking for in this exam. Which means I am doing what I usually do in those situations; I give them everything. If I get a well-phrased question and a strictly limited word count, I can usually manage to stick to it (though it takes some work, to put it mildly), but open-ended questions and rough suggestions for word counts tend to result in very, very long answers from me.
I am hoping this particular teacher will learn his lesson and be a little more hands-on for the next section of the class, but I rather doubt it. Going back to the first teacher for the fourth and final section late this spring will no doubt be a rather shocking experience. Still, I already find myself wishing the second literature class wasn’t focused entirely on modern stuff, as I wouldn’t have minded continuing on for another year. Its been quite useful for my translation work, and it has even prompted me to do some very small, tentative bits of writing on the side. But alas, since my interest in modern literature is strictly confined to the fantasy genre, I doubt I’d survive a year of what would be on offer in that class.