CSB/SJU German Studies
Assessing Literary Interpretation Skills

      Taken from Sylvie Debevec Henning, Foreign Language Annals Vol. 25, 1992, pp. 344-47

LITERARY INTERPRETATION SCALE

Level 8 -

Distinguish among critical strategies.
Distinguish tendencies within work.
Analyze critically work's relation to literary history; author's other works and philosophical context.

Level 7

Analyze critically: irony; cultural illusions; stylistic techniques; parody; narrative point of view; temporal structures; self-conscious techniques; themes and motifs.
Analyze critically work's relation to: historical, sociocultural, sociopolitical conext.
Describe work's relation to literary history; author's other works; philosophical context.

Level 6

Understand function of: rhetorical figures; cultural symbols and allusions; stylistic techniques; narrative point of view; connotation, parody.
Describe work's relation to: sociocultural, sociopolitical, historical contexts.
Recognize self-conscious techniques other than irony. Describe irony.
Recognize work's relation to: literary history; philosophical context; author's other works.

Level 5  --   Note:  We have decided to focus on the first 5 levels for our teaching of GERM 212.

Understand function of: temporal structure(s); figurative language; caricature, satire.
Describe themes and motifs.
Recognize: rhetorical figures; cultural symbols; cultural allusions; narrative point of view; stylistic techniques; parody.
Recognize work's relation to: sociocultural, sociopolitical, historical contexts.
Distinguish between connotation and denotation.

Level 4

Recognize temporal structure(s).
Recognize figurative use of language. Recognize irony.
Recognize caricature, satire.
Recognize themes and motifs.

Level 3

Summarize plot.
Distinguish main plot from subplots.
Describe characters.
Distinguish types of poems.
Distinguish basics of prosody.

Level 2Distinguish main events from lesser ones.
Distinguish major form minor characters.
Retell plot (retell story accurately).
Describe setting.

Level 1

Recognize events of intrigue (retell story w/errors, repeat, paraphrase, translate).
Distinguish characters and recognize their relationships.
Distinguish major genres: prose, drama, poetry.
Distinguish comedy from tragedy.

Suggested Questions on Literature

Irmgard C. Taylor, SUNY-Cortland, Summer 1990
Revised Fall 1991 by Sylvie Debevec Henning

It might be easier and assure greater accuracy of assessment to ask questions of students' performance in literary interpretation. The following questions are inspired by The ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview, Tester Training Guide, 1989. The Rating Guide in the Appendix asks such questions.

Novice

1) Can the student recognize the main events of the work?
2) Can the student distinguish characters and recognize their relationships?
3) Can the student distinguish major literary types (genres, Gattungen)?
4) Can the student distinguish comedy from tragedy?

Novice High

In addition to the skills listed above
1) Can the student distinguish main plot from subplot?
2) Can the student distinguish major from minor characters?
3) Can the student summarize the plot?
4) Can the student describe the setting?

Intermediate

1) Can the student describe characters?
2) Can the student differ between protagonist and other characters?
3) Can the student recognize more than the surface level of the work?
4) Is there a distinct effort to go beyond the surface meaning?
5) Is the student searching for symbolic meaning of the work?
6) Can the student be more specific about genre (subgenre)?
7) Does the student recognize the basic elements of prosody and types of poetry?

Intermediate High

In addition to the skills listed above
1) Can the student recognize temporal structure(s)?
2) Can the student recognize figurative use of language?
3) Can the student recognize caricature, satire, humor?
4) Can the student recognize themes and motifs?
5) Can the student comment on the structure of the work beyond genre?
6) Can the student comment on style?
7) Can the student recognize and appreciate ambiguity?
8) Can the student avoid fantastic interpretations rather than interpretation based on close reading of the text?
9) Is the student's analysis well integrated?

Advanced

In addition to the skills listed above
1) Can the student understand the functions of: temporal structure(s)/ figurative language?
2) Can the student describe themes and motifs?
3) Are skills associated with literary criticism apparent?
4) Can the student recognize: parody/ rhetorical figures/ cultural symbols/ allusions/ historical context?
5) Can the student distinguish between connotation and denotation?

Advanced Plus

In addition to the skills listed above
1) Can the student describe irony?
2) Can the student recognize other self-conscious techniques?
3) Can the student recognize the work's relation to its philosophical context, literary history, the author's other works?
4) Can the student discuss the text's relation to its sociocultural, sociopolitical and historical contexts?
5) Does the student understand the function of rhetorical figures, cultural symbols and allusions, stylistic techniques, narrative point of view, connotation and parody?

Superior

In addition to the skills listed above
1) Can the student analyze critically: irony/ cultural allusion/ stylistic techniques/ parody/ narrative point of view/ temporal structure(s)/ self-conscious techniques?
2) Can the student analyze critically the relation of the work to: historical context/ sociopolitical context/ sociocultural context?
3) Can the student describe the work's relation to: literary history/ author's other works/ philosphical context?

Superior Plus

In addition to the skills listed above
1) Does the student distinguish among critical strategies and tendencies within a work?
2) Can the student analyze critically the work's relation to the philosophical context, literary history, author's other works?
3) In general, does the student display some or all of the skills of a "disciplinary expert"?

 

 

from : http://sasw.chass.ncsu.edu/fl/review/AppendixD.htm