American Novel Solved Assignment
The IGNOU MEG-11: American Novel course is an integral component of the MA English (MEG) program of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). It exposes students to the richness, diversity, and complexity of the American novel from the initial classics to contemporary masterpieces.
For the July 2025 and January 2026 sessions, IGNOU has published new assignment questions for MEG-11. Assignments account for a 30% weightage in your final grade, so it is important to prepare quality answers to ensure good grades. This blog post offers a detailed, SEO-friendly solved assignment for MEG-11, as well as tips on writing guidelines and exam strategy.
About IGNOU MEG-11: American Novel
The American Novel has been instrumental in its contribution to world literature. The course gives an understanding of the historical, cultural, and literary traditions of America, dealing with topics like identity, race, gender, slavery, class struggle, and the American Dream.
Major goals of MEG-11 are:
- The understanding of the development of the American novel.
- The analysis of writings of prominent American novelists.
- Building critical insights into American society and culture.
- Developing interpretative and academic writing skills.
Some writers and novels that were usually part of this course are: - Mark Twain – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Herman Melville – Moby-Dick
- Toni Morrison – Beloved
- William Faulkner – The Sound and the Fury
- Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Scarlet Letter
Henry James – The Portrait of a Lady
IGNOU MEG-11 Assignment 2025–26: Important Details
- Programme: MA English (MEG)
- Course Code: MEG-11
- Course Title: American Novel
- Validity of Assignment:
- July 2025 Session: Submit on or before 31st March 2026
- January 2026 Session: Submit on or before 30th September 2026
- Mode of Submission: Handwritten, to be submitted at your regional/study centre.
- Weightage: 30% of the total marks.
Tip: Always retain a photocopy of your solved assignment for future use.
IGNOU MEG-11 Assignment Answers Writing Guide?
Before diving into the solved assignment, here are some tips:
- Carefully read the question – Grasp the requirement (critical analysis, summary, comparison, etc.).
- Adhere to word limits – IGNOU requires concise and complete answers.
- Adopt a formal academic tone – Refrain from using informal or conversational language.
- Use quotations – Quoting phrases from novels lends authenticity.
- Adhere to IGNOU’s format: Introduction → Main Body (analysis) → Conclusion.
- Neat handwriting is essential – Write well and clearly.
IGNOU MEG-11 Solved Assignment (July 2025 – January 2026)
Note: Following are step-by-step, authentic, and plagiarism-free solved answers to MEG-11 assignment questions. These are for study and reference purposes only. Students need to rephrase answers in their own words to uphold academic honesty.
Q1. Explain the rise of the American novel in the 19th century using any two prominent authors.
Answer:
The nineteenth century was a period of inception for American literature with the advent of the American novel as a genre. In contrast to the European novel, which was supported by centuries-old tradition, the American novel was closely associated with nation-building, democratic values, and cultural identity.
Two of the most dominant names of this era were Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mark Twain.
- Hawthorne’s Contribution: In The Scarlet Letter (1850), Hawthorne treated the issues of sin, guilt, and redemption in Puritan New England. His novel captures the Puritan moral severity of early America and challenges the conflict between personal liberty and societal expectations. Hawthorne’s allegorical approach provided the American novel with a rich moral complexity.
- Twain’s Contribution:
Mark Twain, widely referred to as the “father of American literature,” revolutionized narrative voice with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). Adopting colloquial language and the tale of a young boy’s travels on the Mississippi River, Twain emphasized themes of race, slavery, and freedom. His book was a pillar of realism and uniquely “American” fiction.
With this, the 19th-century American novel broke away from the influence of Europe, forging a distinct identity based on American history, geography, and democratic principles.
Q2. Critical analysis of the theme of race and slavery in Toni Morrison’s Beloved
Answer:
Toni Morrison’s Beloved (1987) is a classic of African American literature, dealing with the psychological and cultural wounds of slavery. The novel is dated after the American Civil War and is based on the true history of Margaret Garner, an enslaved person who took her child’s life to avoid being sent back into slavery.
The novel’s theme of race and slavery is at its center:
- Legacy of Slavery: The characters such as Sethe and Paul D grapple with painful memories. Slavery is not just a historical experience but an open psychic wound.
- Loss of Identity: Slavery turns people into property, depriving them of names, family connections, and individual backgrounds. Morrison gives voice to these muted voices by assigning them narrative space.
- Supernatural Dimension: Beloved’s ghost represents the pervasive presence of violence in slavery. It is both an individual and communal representation of African Americans’ and women’s suffering.
In lyrical prose and disjointed narrative, Morrison challenges America’s inability to come to terms with its past of slavery. Beloved is both a personal and shared memory of racial violence.
Q3. Discuss the portrayal of women in Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady.
Answer:
Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady (1881) dramatizes the tension between personal freedom and societal requirements through the character of Isabel Archer.
- Isabel’s Search for Autonomy: Isabel craves independence and spurns traditional marriage offers. She is the “New Woman” of the late 19th century who looks for personal enrichment beyond household duties.
- Marriage as Entrapment: Despite her independence, Isabel’s marriage to Gilbert Osmond becomes a prison. James critiques the patriarchal structures that limit women’s choices, showing how marriage often traps women in roles of submission.
- Psychological Depth: James’s psychological realism allows readers to understand Isabel’s inner struggles. She becomes a symbol of women’s resilience against social constraints.
Therefore, James introduces women as multi-dimensional beings, rather than figural romantics. His book brings to the forefront the conflict between duty, freedom, and societal expectations still encountered by women.
Q4. Explain the symbolism of the sea in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick}.
Answer:
In Moby-Dick (1851), the sea is not just a setting but an influential symbol that directs the action.
- The Vastness of Nature: The sea symbolizes the immense, unmanageable powers of nature. It deflates man’s pride, both expressing freedom and threat.
- The Unknowable: The mysteries of the sea reflect the unknowable facets of life and the human mind. Ahab’s monomania about the whale signifies man’s futile battle against the unknowable.
- Democratic Space: On the Pequod, men of different backgrounds coexist and labor together. The sea is a microcosm of society, illustrating both harmony and discord.
- Spiritual Dimension: For Melville, the sea represents metaphysical issues of existence, God, and destiny. It is simultaneously beautiful and awe-inspiring.
In this way, the sea in Moby-Dick is a rich symbolic force, adding depth to the novel’s philosophical richness.
Q5. Discuss William Faulkner’s narrative technique in The Sound and the Fury.
Answer:
William Faulkner transformed the American novel with his experimental narrative style in The Sound and the Fury (1929).
- Stream of Consciousness: Faulkner uses broken narration, changing viewpoints, and inner monologues to represent the disintegration of the Compson family. This technique represents the turmoil of thought and feeling.
- Multiple Narrators: The novel consists of four sections, each of which is told by different narrators. This polyphonic structure discloses subjective truths and not objective reality.
- Time as Fluid: Faulkner eschews chronological time, mirroring how memory constructs human existence. Past and present blend together, underlining decay and loss.
Through his experimentalist approach, Faulkner documents the decline of the Southern aristocracy while expanding the frontiers of modernist fiction. His writing continues to be a landmark in narrative experimentation.
High Scoring Tips for IGNOU MEG-11 Assignment
- Quote from novels wherever possible.
- Utilize critical essays and reference works for analytical understanding.
- Express answers in clear, organized paragraphs.
- Don’t plagiarize verbatim answers from guides.
5. End answers with critical analysis, not summaries.
Conclusion
The IGNOU MEG-11: American Novel course (July 2025 – January 2026) offers students the chance to study some of the greatest novels of American literature in-depth. From Twain’s realism to Morrison’s postmodern fictions, the course invites learners to enjoy the variety of themes, styles, and viewpoints characteristic of the American novel.
Following the solved assignment answers and writing hints given here, students can effectively fulfill their submissions and obtain high marks.