The aim of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) 2026 syllabus in Literature in English is to prepare the candidates for the Board’s examination. It is designed to test their achievement of the course objectives, which are to:

stimulate and sustain their interest in Literature in English;
create an awareness of the general principles of Literature and functions of language;
appreciate literary works of all genres and across all cultures;
apply the knowledge of Literature in English to the analysis of social, political and economic events in the society.

1. DRAMA

Topics:

a. Types:
i. Tragedy
ii. Comedy
iii. Tragicomedy
iv. Melodrama
v. Farce
vi. Opera etc.

b. Dramatic Techniques

i. Characterization

ii. Dialogue

iii. Flashback

iv. Mime

v. Costume

vi. Music/Dance

vii. Décor/scenery

viii. Acts/Scenes

ix. Soliloquy/aside

x. Figures of Speech etc

c. Interpretation of the Prescribed Texts
i. Theme
ii. Plot
iii. Socio-political context
iv. Setting

Objectives:

Candidates should be able to:
i. identify the various types of drama;
ii. analyse the contents of the various types of drama;
iii. compare and contrast the features of different dramatic types;
iv. demonstrate adequate knowledge of dramatic techniques used in each prescribed text;
v. differentiate between styles of selected playwrights;
vi. determine the theme of any prescribed text;
vii. identify the plot of the play;
viii. apply the lessons of the play to everyday living
ix. identify the spatial and temporal setting of the play.

2. PROSE

Topics:

a. Types:
i. Fiction
- Novel
- Novella/Novelette
- Short story
ii. Non-fiction
- Biography
- Autobiography
- Memoir
iii. Faction: a combination of fact and fiction

b. Narrative Techniques/Devices:
i. Point of view
- Omniscent/Third Person
- First Person
ii. Characterisation
- Round, flat, foil, hero, antihero, etc
iii. Language

c. Textual Analysis
i. Theme
ii. Plot
iii. Setting (Temporal/Spatial)
iv. Socio-political context

Objectives:

Candidates should be able to:
i. differentiate between types of prose;
ii. identify the category that each prescribed text belongs to;
iii. analyse the components of each type of prose;
iv. identify the narrative techniques used in each of the prescribed texts;
v. determine an author's narrative style;
vi. distinguish between one type of character from another;
vii. determine the thematic pre-occupation of the author of the prescribed text;
viii. indicate the plot of the novel; identify the temporal and spatial setting of the novel.
ix. identify the temporal and spatial setting of the novel
x. relate the prescribed text to real-life situations.

3. POETRY

Topics:

a. Types:
i. Sonnet
ii. Ode
iii. Lyrics
iv. Elegy
v. Ballad
vi. Panegyric
vii. Epic
viii. Blank Verse, etc.

b. Poetic devices
i. Structure
ii. Imagery
iii. Sound(Rhyme/Rhythm, repetition, pun, onomatopoeia, etc.)
iv. Diction
v. Persona

c. Appreciation
i. Thematic preoccupation
ii. Socio-political relevance
iii. Style.

Objectives:

Candidates should be able to:
i. identify different types of poetry;
ii. compare and contrast the features of different poetic types:
iii. determine the devices used by various poets;
iv. show how poetic devices are used for aesthetic effect in each poem;
v. deduce the poet's preoccupation from the poem;
vi. appraise poetry as an art with moral values;
vii. apply the lessons from the poem to real-life situations.

4. GENERAL LITERARY PRINCIPLES

Topics:

a. Literary terms: foreshadowing, suspense, theatre, monologue, dialogue, soliloquy, symbolism, protagonist, antagonist, figures of speech, satire, stream of consciousness, etc., in addition to those listed above under the different genres.

b. Literary principles
i. Direct imitation in play;
ii. Versification in drama and poetry;
iii. Narration of people's experiences;
iv. Achievement of aesthetic value, etc.

c. Relationship between literary terms and principles.

Objectives:

Candidates should be able to:
i. identify literary terms in drama, prose, and poetry;
ii. identify the general principles of Literature;
iii. differentiate between literary terms and principles;
iv. use literary terms appropriately.

5. LITERARY APPRECIATION

Topics:

Unseen passages/extracts from Drama, Prose, and Poetry.

Objectives:

Candidates should be able to:
i. determine literary devices used in a given passage/extract;
ii. provide a meaningful interpretation of the given passage/extract;
iii. relate the extract to true life experiences.

A LIST OF SELECTED AFRICAN AND NON-AFRICAN PLAYS, NOVELS, AND POEMS

Shakespearean Drama:

William Shakespeare's Antony & Cleopatra

Drama:

African:
i. Efua Sutherland's The Marriage of Anansewa

ii. Bosede Ademilua-Afolayan's Once Upon an Elephant

Non-African:
i. J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

ii. Robert Bolt's A Man for all Seasons

Prose:

African:
i. Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die

ii. Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road

Non-African:
i. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

ii. Susanne Bellefeuille's Path of Lucas: The Journey He Endured

Poetry:

African:
i. Gabriel Okara's "Once Upon a Time"

ii. Elizabeth Kamara's "New Tongue"

iii. Wole Soyinka's "Night"

iv. Niyi Osundare's "Not My Business"

v. S.O.H. Afriyie-Vidza's "Hearty Garlands"

vi. Syl Cheney Coker's "The Breasts of the Sea"

Non-African:
i. Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty"

ii. Wilfred Wilson Gipson's "The Stone"

iii. Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Nun's Priest's Tale"

iv. Seamus Heaney's "The Digging"

v. Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise"

vi. Fleur Adcock's "The Telephone Call"

RECOMMENDED TEXTS

1. ANTHOLOGIES
Gbemisola, A. (2005) Naked Soles, Ibadan: Kraft
Hayward, J. (ed.) (1968) The Penguin Book of English Verse, London Penguin
Johnson, R. et al (eds.) (1996) New Poetry from Africa, Ibadan: UP Plc
Kermode, F. et al (1964) Oxford Anthology of English Literature, Vol. II, London: OUP
Nwoga D. (ed.) (1967) West African Verse, London: Longman
Parker, E.W (ed.) (1980) A pageant of Longer poems London: Longman
Senanu, K. E. and Vincent, T. (eds.) (1993) A Selection of African Poetry, Lagos: Longman
Soyinka, W. (ed.) (1987) Poems of Black Africa, Ibadan: Heinemann

2. CRITICAL TEXTS

Abrams, M. H. (1981) A Glossary of Literary Terms, (4th Edition) New York, Holt Rinehalt and Winston
Emeaba, O. E. (1982) A Dictionary of Literature, Aba: Inteks Press
Murphy, M. J. (1972) Understanding Unseen, An Introduction to English Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Students, George Allen and Unwin Ltd.

An elegy is a poem that usually expresses a state of

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