Topic Nine (1.9): Wider Reading and Consolidation – Critical Perspectives 1

Introduction

As you will have seen in Topic 0.9 in Module Zero, at AL, a fifth and new assessment criteria is tested in addition to the same four criteria which underpin the AS. AO5 (Evaluation of opinions) is described in the mark scheme as ‘The ability to discuss and evaluate varying opinions and interpretations of literary works.’ What this means in practice is that you will need to read a range of critical opinions about each of your AL texts, and then quote from these in your essays (both passage-based and wider questions).

We recommend including around three or four critical perspectives in each of your essays, as relevant to the question and spreading them evenly through the discussion. For the very highest marks for this assessment objective, you need to engage with, and evaluate, them in order to develop your own argument.

In this topic, you will begin reading critical material about Hamlet from the introduction to your copy of the play and gathering together ideas and interpretations from critical sources in order to inform your own views. Reading about the views of other readers is not only required for the exams but is also a great way to enhance your understanding of the text and its key themes and characters.

Review

Go back to Style Tip 6: Using Critical Perspectives in Topic 0.9 in Module Zero now and read carefully through the guidance and examples provided on how to select critical perspectives and how to incorporate them into your essays.

Top Tip

Obviously, if you have to quote from the critics you read in the exams, you will need to learn suitable quotations later on. It’s important to keep up with this from the start of the course and learn these quotations alongside the quotations from the text, so you don’t have too much to revise all in one go the end of the course.

Wider Reading

  • The following lecture and article provide an excellent discussion of the whole play by Oxford University Professor of Shakespeare Studies, Emma Smith, whose views you may wish to quote in your essays. Have your Critical Viewpoints Grid to hand as you make notes on both:

LISTEN – Lecture on Hamlet – from the Approaching Shakespeare series by Emma Smith (University of Oxford) Links to an external site.

EXPLORE – Hamlet: Looking Backwards by Emma Smith (The British Library) Links to an external site.

  • The introduction to your copy of Hamlet is long and very complex in places. This edition of the play is used by university students and lecturers, so it contains material that goes beyond what is needed for A Level and you don’t have to read and understand all of it – it’s ok to skip or skim read certain passages!
  • At this stage in your studies, it would be helpful to read the following sections, adding to your notes and Critical Viewpoints Grid as you go along:
    • ‘The challenges of Hamlet’ (pages 1 to 17)
    • ‘Hamlet in our time’ (pages 17 to 36)

Remember: the views of Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, who wrote the introduction and textual notes for your edition of the play, count as those of critics. They also sometimes quote other critics in the introduction. You can use both as critical sources in your own essays – just make sure you record the correct name alongside the quotation on your grid.

Consolidation

  • Now is a good time to consolidate what you have learnt by watching the following video series from MASSOLIT, which covers a range of key areas of study relating to the play, and making notes.
  • The views of Dr John Lennard count as those of a critic and can be quoted in your essays if you wish, so jot down any key points on your Critical Viewpoints Grid as you watch:

WATCH – Hamlet: Introduction (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.

WATCH – Hamlet: Hamlet as Revenge Tragedy (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.

WATCH – Hamlet: The Ghost (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.

WATCH – Hamlet: Comparisons (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.

WATCH – Hamlet: The Role of Hamlet (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.

WATCH – Hamlet: Metatheatre (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.

Terminology

Make sure you understand any new literary terminology covered in this topic. You may like to make flashcards of key terms now, to help you with revision later on.