u/LoneStarAKK_2024

Why is the marking scheme of English Honours so pathetic in Kolkata colleges like Calcutta University, Presidency, Xavier's and JU? I am myself in Xavier's and have heard that the situation is not different elsewhere in Kolkata.

Most professors are unreasonable and expect a PhD thesis in 30-45 minutes, while others expect us to miraculously write the exact same concoction they have in their mind. It is such a pathetic subject when it comes to marking that I feel awful about my choice, and I feel like this is affecting my liking for the subject. If I am subjected to the whims and fancies of an arrogant evaluator, what is the point of studying or working hard at all? Day by day, I feel an increasing intense hatred towards professors of English Literature. The amount of guts you need to say, "60% is an amazing score. How much more do you want?" in 2026 is horrifyingly shocking. It is a trash score and is considered thus by the society outside your narrow bubble, any companies and in other areas.

When will this disgusting practice end?

Is the situation the same in other universities in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad?

Can these conservative professors ever lose their arrogance and see the contemporary world for what it is?

Please don't comment that English is a subject of Humanities or that it is a subjective thing, so students should be marked low. It makes no sense whatsoever and don't forget about the enormous loss of possible scholarships and academic opportunities we are losing out on.

I have read just a few classic novels so far. I usually prefer plot-heavy novels to digressive or intellectually complex works with philosophical digressions. Based on my readings so far, the classic novels I've enjoyed immensely and love are:

The Woman in White

The Moonstone

A Tale of Two Cities

Great Expectations

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Dracula

Pride and Prejudice

The Great Gatsby

Jane Eyre

The Picture of Dorian Gray

I felt that the following books were good enough but I didn't fully love them:

Wuthering Heights

Frankenstein

The Mayor of Casterbridge

Gulliver's Travels

Animal Farm

The novels I didn't like at all were:

To The Lighthouse

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Beloved (I couldn't even finish this. It was structurally too difficult for me to follow)

Can you suggest some classic novels written originally in English (NOT TRANSLATIONS) based on my preferences? Please don't judge me for my preferences. I just couldn't get myself to like some novels. I've realised that High Modernism is not for me.

I am currently pursuing BA English Honours from SXC Kolkata and I don't like the professors or their arbitrary marking schemes. I'm looking for alternate colleges with a good faculty, or a good marking scheme in Tier 1 Indian cities, but especially Kolkata or Delhi. It would be helpful if students and former students from the DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH could help me out.

Half of the professors here can barely teach. Some of them literally ask students to read the texts out loud, while they themselves dictate some notes from reference materials. About the marking scheme, the lesser said the better: I have no idea on what basis these people mark us. Two answers with the same points, both written well, can be marked very differently. These professors are stuck in the 90s. Some professors are so arrogant and rude for no reason as if we have killed half their family, and there's one maternal figure whose theatricality and pretentiousness need no introduction. Why is this department even popular? What's your opinion of these people? I genuinely wanna know the impressions of current and former students.