How to Prepare for JNU MA English Entrance

Centre for English Studies, JNU – Admissions Help Pamphlet : The Centre for English Studies, in the School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi has the well-earned reputation of being one of the foremost foundations in the field of English literary, critical and cultural studies in India. The Centre has gained national and international prestige for being a vibrant place of intellectual activity with lectures, seminars, colloquiums and visits by creative writers and academics from all over the world. The Centre is also well known for its progressive and innovative outlook towards teaching and research in the fields of language and literature studies in English and for comparative literary and cultural studies. This Centre was one of the first in Asia to question the centrality of the British canon and introduced courses on “New World Literatures” like American, African, Canadian, Australian, Indian English and others. The programmes seek to develop in the students an ability to relate literature(s) to the Indian context, to compare literary theories and texts, and to explore the ways in which history, ideology and material forces condition literary texts. Also the Centre has long been offering courses on Paņini’s Ashtādhyāyi, Bhartŗhari’s Vākyapadīya, Bharata’s Nātyaśāstra and the Indian grammatical traditions. The aim was to familiarize students with their own cultural and intellectual heritage in order to provide them with a balanced viewpoint when approaching predominantly Western literary and theoretical and critical texts. The Centre offers an M.A. programme in English, and integrated, interdisciplinary programmes of research (M.Phil/Ph.D.). The yearly entrance examination for the M.A. English at JNU is one of the most sought after literature courses in India. Its popularity is evident from, for example, it attracting more than 5,000 candidates from all over India, and even from foreign countries, every year. Of these, only 20, or less that 1%, are admitted. The MA programme in English lays emphasis on non-British literatures in African, 1 American, Australian, Canadian, English, Indian and Irish — even while it introduces students to new ways of looking at colonial British literature. Courses on literary criticism and literary theories help the students to develop the ability to relate the literatures to their context, to compare theories and texts, and to explore the way history, ideology, and material forces condition literary and other cultural texts. Candidates are selected on the basis of a written examination that tests them on English literature, English language, Literatures in India as well as in third world countries and related cultural issues.

The primary focus of the examiners is to test the analytical acumen, critical skills, independence, logical thinking and literary merit of the candidates. Focus is also there on Indian English and Indian-English writers, apart from Literatures of Canada, Ireland, Australia and the commonwealth. Unlike most other Indian universities, candidates’ ability to senselessly memorize data is useless in this examination and only those get through who can think out of the box and can defend their perspectives with solid arguments in face of immense pressure, thought at the same time being pliable to logical voices of others. The MA English entrance exam paper usually consists of ten questions with a candidate required to do any three or four.

All prospective candidates need to do is to revise their BA English courses thoroughly, be aware of literary periods and their characteristics, and place the texts they read within the socio-material conditions of production and consumption, thereby forming a macro-vision of and on literature. For those who do not hold a bachelors degree in English Literature, there is no need to worry. All they need to do is to see and try to read as much of the syllabus prescribed for BA (H) English in their nearest university, for JNU does not test people on specific books but on specific reactions to them – reactions that are or may be inter-disciplinary, independent, critical and coloured by literary and political theory. The emphasis has to be on connecting literature with culture and The same holds true for the research programme (M.Phil/Ph.D.). It is open to postgraduates 2 from many disciplines. The areas of research include Indian Literary and Grammatical Theories, Translation Studies, New Literatures including Indian English, African Literature, Canadian Literature, Australian Literature, American Literature, Literature of the Indian Diaspora, Theatre, Performance Studies, Nineteenth and Twentieth Century British Literature, Literary and Cultural Theories, Comparative Literature, Popular Fiction and English in India. Admission here is based on a written exam followed by an interview where the proposed area of research is analysed in toto. Candidates are examined in English Literature, English Language, Structure of English, Literature in India and other Third World Countries, Literary Theory, and Relationship between Literature, Culture and Society. Again, no special set of books is required apart from those taught in BA and MA English at universities throughout the country.

The key is not to read different books, but to read books differently. This has to be done while formulating one’s own opinions and reactions of the characters, events and tone of texts that may or may not be against the grain, and should be substantiated with logical reasons that hold water. Apart from this, a candidate needs to work on his synopsis that will be scrutinized by the panel if one clears the written exam.