5e. Literature post-1900 (Non-exam assessment component) suggested texts - THE CITY — OCR A-Level English Literature
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5e. Literature post-1900 (Non-exam assessment component) suggested texts - THE CITY explained
T. S. Eliot’s 1922 poetry, notably The Waste Land, is a seminal modernist text ideal for exploring 'The City' theme in the post-1900 non-exam assessment (NEA).
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Eliot’s fragmented, polyvocal verse captures the alienation, spiritual decay, and psychological fragmentation of the modern urban experience, specifically post-WWI London. Students must analyse his innovative poetic techniques, including free verse, juxtaposition, and extensive literary allusions, to understand how the 'Unreal City' functions as both a physical setting and a symbol of cultural disillusionment. Engaging with the 1922 context enables students to evaluate how Eliot’s poetry reflects the trauma of modernity and the collapse of traditional European structures.
Serious Money Caryl Churchill 1987 Drama
Caryl Churchill’s 1987 drama Serious Money offers a satirical, fast-paced exploration of London’s financial district following the 1986 'Big Bang' deregulation. Written in rhyming couplets, the play captures the frenetic, greed-driven culture of the City of London, transforming the financial hub into a chaotic, amoral landscape. Students should analyse how Churchill uses theatrical techniques, such as overlapping dialogue and direct address, to critique the capitalist excess of the 1980s. By examining the City as both a physical setting and a symbol of systemic corruption, learners can evaluate how the drama reflects the socio-economic shifts of late twentieth-century Britain and the dehumanising effects of unregulated wealth.
Narcopolis Jeet Thayil 2012 Prose
Jeet Thayil’s 2012 prose work Narcopolis presents a hallucinatory, visceral depiction of Bombay (Mumbai) spanning three decades. The novel explores the city's underworld through the lens of an opium den, using the intoxicating substance as a metaphor for the city itself. Students must examine how Thayil’s fluid, stream-of-consciousness narrative style mirrors the disorientation of addiction and the rapid, often destructive, modernisation of the urban landscape. By analysing the transformation of Bombay into Mumbai, learners can evaluate how the text portrays the marginalised figures of the city, contrasting the glittering economic progress with the decaying, hidden realities of its most vulnerable inhabitants.
Your focus
- Analyse the structural and linguistic features of Eliot's modernist poetry.
- Evaluate the thematic function of 'The City' in representing post-WWI disillusionment.
- Synthesise close textual analysis with relevant contextual and critical material regarding 1922 modernism.
Show all 9 objectives
- Analyse Churchill's use of dramatic form and verse to represent the frenetic pace of the City.
- Evaluate the impact of the 1986 financial deregulation on the play's thematic concerns.
- Synthesise contextual knowledge of 1980s Britain with close textual analysis of the drama.
- Analyse the use of narrative structure and imagery to depict the sensory experience of the city.
- Evaluate the thematic significance of Bombay's transformation into Mumbai within the context of the novel.
- Compare the representation of urban marginalisation in Narcopolis with other texts in the NEA study.
5e. Literature post-1900 (Non-exam assessment component) suggested texts - THE CITY exam tips
Marking Points
- Analyse Eliot's modernist poetic techniques, including fragmentation, allusion, and polyphony.
- Evaluate the representation of 'The City' as a site of alienation and spiritual barrenness.
- Demonstrate understanding of the 1922 post-WWI context and its impact on modernist literature.
- Integrate critical perspectives on Eliot's use of myth and literary tradition to depict urban decay.
- Analysis of Churchill's use of rhyming couplets to reflect the rhythmic, relentless and mechanical nature of financial trading.
- Evaluation of the City of London as a symbol of capitalist greed and moral decay following the 1986 financial deregulation.
- Exploration of dramatic techniques, including overlapping dialogue and fast pacing, to mirror the chaotic environment of the stock exchange.
- Comparison of the text's representation of urban financial centres with other post-1900 texts focusing on the theme of 'The City'.
- Analysis of Thayil's stream-of-consciousness narrative and its reflection of both opium intoxication and urban disorientation.
- Evaluation of Bombay/Mumbai as a dynamic, shifting entity that functions almost as a living character within the prose.
- Exploration of how the text gives voice to the marginalised and hidden populations of the city's underworld.
- Comparison of the novel's depiction of urban decay and transformation with other post-1900 literary representations of the city.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Focus closely on the 'Unreal City' motif in The Waste Land to directly address the NEA theme of urban alienation.
- 💡Select specific, manageable extracts for close analysis rather than attempting to cover the entirety of the poem superficially.
- 💡Connect Eliot's fragmented poetic form directly to the fragmented psychological state of the modern city dweller.
- 💡Always link Churchill's use of rhyming couplets to the thematic exploration of greed and the mechanical nature of the City.
- 💡Use specific quotations to demonstrate how overlapping dialogue creates a sense of urban chaos and overwhelming financial pressure.
- 💡Contextualise your analysis by referencing the socio-political climate of 1980s Thatcherite Britain and its impact on the City.
- 💡Examine how Thayil uses sensory and often grotesque imagery to construct a vivid, immersive portrait of the city's underbelly.
- 💡Discuss the transition from Bombay to Mumbai as a symbol of lost history and the destructive nature of rapid urbanisation.
- 💡Compare the fluid, non-linear structure of the prose to the chaotic, sprawling geography of the city itself.
Common Mistakes
- Listing allusions without analysing their purpose; always explain how an allusion contributes to the poem's meaning or the theme of the city.
- Treating the speaker as a single, coherent voice; recognise and analyse the shifting, fragmented personas (polyphony) Eliot employs.
- Focusing solely on the negative aspects of the city; ensure you also address moments of potential regeneration or the search for spiritual meaning.
- Treating the play merely as a realistic documentary rather than recognising and analysing its highly stylised, satirical dramatic form.
- Ignoring the specific historical context of the 1986 'Big Bang' deregulation, which must be addressed to understand the City's portrayal.
- Focusing solely on plot and character without analysing Churchill's distinctive use of verse and overlapping dialogue to create meaning.
- Viewing the novel solely as a story about addiction while neglecting to analyse its broader commentary on the historical transformation of Bombay.
- Overlooking the significance of the narrative structure, particularly the famous six-and-a-half-page opening sentence, which must be discussed to explain the city's atmosphere.
- Failing to connect the experiences of the marginalised characters to the wider socio-economic changes occurring within the urban environment; ensure these links are explicitly made.