LITERATURE IN ENGLISH 

GENERAL OBJECTIVES
The aim of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) syllabus in Literature in English is to prepare the candidates for the Board's examination. It is designed to test their achievement of the course objectives, which are to:
1.Stimulate and sustain their interest in Literature in English;
2.Create an awareness of the general principles and functions of language;
3.Appreciate literary works of all genres and across all cultures;
4.Apply the knowledge of Literature in English to the analysis of social, political and economic events in the society.

DETAILED SYLLABUS

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES
1. DRAMA
a. Types:         
i.      Tragedy
ii.      Comedy
iii.     Tragicomedy
iv.     Melodrama
v.      Farce

b. Dramatic Techniques
i.     Characterisation 
ii.     Dialogue
iii.    Flashback
iv.    Mime
v.     Costume
vi.    Music/Dance
vii.   Décor
viii.  Acts/Scenes
ix.   Soliloquy/aside etc.
c.  Interpretation of the PrescribedTexts
i.     Theme
ii.     Plot
iii.    Socio-political context

OBJECTIVES
Candidates should be able to:

 i. identify the various types  of drama;
 ii. analyse  the  contents  of  the various types of drama;
 iii. compare and contrast the features of different dramatic types;
iv. demonstrate adequate knowledge of dramatic techniques used in each prescribed text;
v. differentiate between  styles of  selected playwrights;
vi. determine  the  theme  of  any prescribed text;
vii. identify the plot of the play;
viii. apply the lessons of the play to everyday living.

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES
2.   PROSE
a. Types:
i.  Fiction
•   Novel
•   Novella
•   Short story
.
ii. Non-fiction
•   Biography
•   Autobiography
•   Memoir
b. Narrative Techniques/Devices:
i.   Point of view
    •    Omni scent/ThirdPerson
    •   First Person
ii: Setting
       •   Temporal
•   Spatial/Geographical
iii. Characterisation
•   Round characters   .
       •   Flat characters
iv. Language use

c. Textual Analysise
i. Theme
ii. Plot
iii. Socio-political context;

OBJECTIVES
Candidates should be able to:

i. differentiate between types of prose;
ii. identify the category that each  prescribed text belongs to;
iii. analyse  the  components  of  each type of prose;
iv. identify the narrative techniques used in each of the prescribed texts;
v. determine an author's narrative style;
vi. distinguish between one type of character from another,
vii. determine the thematic pre- occupation of the author  of the prescribed text;
viii. indicate the plot of the novel;
ix.  relate the prescribed text to real life situations.

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES
3.    POETRY
a. Types:
i.   Sonnet
ii.   Ode
iii.  Lyrics
iv.  Elegy
v.   Ballad
vi.  Panegyric
vii. Epic
viii. Blank Verse
b. PoeticDevices 
    i.   Sructure
    ii.   Imagery
    iii.  Rhyme/Rhythm
    iv.   Diction
    v.    Personal
c. Appreciation.
   i.       Thematic preoccupation
   ii.      Socio-political relevance

OBJECTIVES
Candidates should be able to:

i.   identify   different   types   of   poetry;
ii.   compare and contrast features of different  poetic types:
iii.  determine the devices used by various poets;

iv. show how poetic devices are usedfor aesthetic effect in each poem;
v.  deduce the poet's preoccupation from the poem;
vi. appraise poetry as an art with moral values;
vii. apply the lessons from the poem to real life situations.

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES
4. GENERAL LITERACY PRINCIPLES
a. Literary terms:
foreshadowing, suspense, theatre, monoloque, dialoque, soliloquy, symbolism, protagonist, ntagonist, figures of speech, satire, stream of consciousness etc, in addition to those listed above under the different genres.
b. Relationship between literary terms and principles.

OBJECTIVE
Candidates should be able to:

i.  identify literary terms in drama, prose and poetry;
ii. differentiate between literaryterms and principles;
iii. use literary terms appropriately.

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES
5. LITERARY APPRECIATION
Unseen passage/extracts from Drama, Prose and Poetry.

OBJECTIVES
Candidates should be able to:

i.  determine literary devices used in a given passage/extract;
ii.  provide a meaningful inter- pretation of the given
    passage/extract;
iii. relate the extract to true life experiences.

Literature in English
A LIST OF SELECTED AFRICAN AND NON-AFRICAN PLAYS, NOVELS AND POEMS
DRAMA:
African:
i.       JC De Craft: Sons and Daughters, UPL Non-African:
i.      William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Newswan POETRY:
African:
i.       Buchi Emecheta: The Joys of Motherhood, Heinemann
ii.      Ferdinand Oyono: The Old Man and the Medal, Heinenmann
Non-African:
George Orwell: Nineteen Eighty Four, Newswan
POETRY:
African:
i.  Adeoti Gbemisola: 'Naked Soles'
ii. D. Rubadiri: 'An African Thunderstorm'
iii.Kobcna Eyi Acquah: 'In the novel of the Soul'
iv.Mazisi Kunene: 'Heritage of Liberation'
v. Okinba Launko: 'End of the War'
vi.Traditional: 'Give me the Minstrel's Seat'
Non-African:
i.       Andrew Mabel: 'To His Coy Mistress' 
ii.      D.H.Lawrence: 'Bat' 
iii.     T. S. Elliot: 'The Journey of the Magi' 
iv.     Wendy Cope: 'Sonnet'
 
Literature in English
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
1.ANTHOLOGIES
Gbemisola, A. (2005) Naked Soles, Ibadan Kraft
Eruvbctine, A. E. ct al (1991) Poetry for Secondary Schools, Lagos: Longman
Hayward. J. (cd.) (1968) The Penguin Book of English Verse, London Penguin Johnson, R. et al (eds.) (1996) New Poetry from Africa, Ibadan: UP Pic
Kermode, F. et al (1964) Oxford Anthology of English Literature, Vol. II,
London: OUP
Launko, O. (1987) Minted Coins, Ibadan: Heinemann
Senanu, K. E. and Vincent* T. (eds.) (1993) A Selection of African Poetry,
Lagos: Longman
Sonyinka, W. (ed.) (1987) Poems of Black Africa, Ibadan: Heinemann
Wendy Cope (1986) Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis, London: Faber and
Faber

2.CRITICAL TEXTS
 Abrams, M. H. (1981) A. Glossary of Literary Terms, (4th Edition) New York,
Holt Rinehalt and Winston
Emeaba, O. E. (1982) A Dictionary of Literature, Aba: Inteks Press
Murphy, M. J. (1972) Understanding Unseen, An Introduction to English Poetry
and English Novel forOverseas Students, George Allen and Unwin Ltd.
Nwachukwu-Agbada. J. O. J. (2005) Exam Focus: Literature in English, Ibadan:
UP Pic.