English 2202
Summer 2003

Final In-Class Essay Exam on
Jon Hassler's Staggerford

Write on one (1) of the following:

1.  Analyze the character of Miles Pruitt.  Do you think that Miles is "dead" from the beginning, or does he change over the course of the novel?  In other words, is he a flat or round character?  Is he a static or dynamic character?

2.  Analyze the relationship between Miles Pruitt and Agatha McGee.  For example, do you agree with Lillian Kite's assessment of their relationship, that Miles "was a sort of half-husband, half-son" to Agatha?

3.  Compare and contrast Miles' and Agatha's outlooks on life.  For example, you might look at Agatha's comments about the "fern of goodness and sin" (pp. 107-109) and Miles' comments about his students' papers (pp. 229).

4.  Next to Miles, who is the most significant character in the novel?  (For example, Hassler once remarked that Agatha "almost walked away with the novel.")

5.  What are your "problems" with this novel -- parts you don't think are necessary or parts you don't understand, etc. -- and why do you think Hassler wrote these parts the way he did?

Other Guidelines:

You can prepare for this in-class essay exam by studying your copy of the novel and your course notes.  However, the exam will be a closed-book exam, and you may only bring with you a 3" x 5" index card with brief notes and/or an outline -- no complete sentences are allowed; use keywords, fragments, phrases, and/or symbols instead.  I will provide a blue book for you to write in, and you may use pen or pencil, as long as your writing is legible.  You will have 60 minutes to write your essay in class.