Literature Review

What is Literature ?

Literature is a highly interdisciplinary category. One can learn about history, culture, politics, sociology, Marxism, feminism, postcolonialisim, critical and literary theory, structuralism and post-structuralism and various isms. So the filled is fatally vast and deep.

 The Student of arts or literature are always asked a question that what is literature? So let me begin with my early collage days because this all started from there, when I am in B.A. I know only single sentence definition of literature that is ‘Literature is mirror of society”. I feeling blessed because in my bachelors I had a good teachers like Kalpnaba Zala and Dr. Vishal Pandya who both explained all the basics of literature well with good examples. But I just studied literature for the only purpose of exam no any other things. I learned in B.A. to attend various conferences of literature also but not with deeper understanding or take it very seriously for further education important like research works etc. And as per our sir said in B.A. that is also true that for study purpose that kind of atmosphere is also very important which I can’t found in B.A.

How Literature shape me?

But when I came for admission at Department of English at that time further this same question asked by Barad sir in written entrance exam that what is literature? And I also wrote the same definition that “Literature is mirror of Society” and which I learned in B.A. but that is the half truth that basic fact I learned during my Master degree of Arts under the guidance of Dr.Dilip Barad. In M.A. the “Real journey of learning literature” began and specially sir taught us that how literature also connect with today’s world and that process of learning literature is very fruitful for me. Now I know that literature has no boundary. It can be anything. There are many definitions of literature and various layers of meanings also. It depends on readers and individualism. To understand and reading literature under the guidance o  Dr. Dilip Barad is precious  occurrence for me which I couldn't learn in my B.A.  Even though i am studying literature since five years, texts and theories which i've studied in M.A has affected & shaped me more.

“Writers open our hearts and minds, and give us maps to our own selves”.

Means literature mirror not of society but of own self. Now I can understand better my all texts of B.A. through some different angle and I can apply some theories and criticism. So here I remember my graduation text that is ‘Dr. Jakyll & Mr. Hyde’ that how that novel presents the reality of our inner self or dual nature of human being.

“Literature is window to the world and window to the self”.

For me literature is ‘backbone’ for me. Because during the M.A. my father’s health was not good, so I was very tense related him. But when I entered the class of New literature I get a lots of motivation and knowledge which is very helpful to stable myself and after reaching home I can gave some kind of good advised or mentally support to my mother and which I learnt from literature and sir’s   lectures . Because in last two years many time I put into the situation of drop my study , but learning literature is only one things which is work for me as a Backbone for me at that time, it provides some kind of mental strength to fight against problems.

Some time people says that literature looks like it’s wasting of time, but literature is actually the ultimate time saver because it gives us access to a range of emotions and events that it would take you years, decades, millennia to try to experience directly.

In 'Ghasiram Kotwal' by Vijay Tendulkar we find that how power politics played very vital role in society which is directly connected with today’s politics and cast problems also. Literature very actively engages us with political everyday life. For example one in DS, sir asked about the news of one student of fine arts at M.S.University that why he burn his principal’s office at that time sir explained that how political parties connected with this news and what about the artistic freedom and problem with Art for the Art Sake ?

Some literature gave some aesthetic delight or pleasure but When I studied ‘The White Tiger’ by Arvind Adiga  at that time I read that The White Tiger is “once  disturbing  as entreating ”. So this types of literature give some kind of restless felling because writer like Adiga presents the Zeitgeist of time and real representation of India, he questioned on our system also. Adiga portrayed the X-ray image of Indian society. He criticized religion also and that’s why he said “Monkey god”. So literature also disturbed or break our blind faith also.

Literature also taught me well that how to watch film and after studying theories I can easily apply some theories like feminism and postcolonialism in movie. I also wrote one research paper on ‘Hindi movies and postcolonialism’ in which I observed that how black people are marginalized and white people became the center.

On the other side in absurd plays like ‘Waiting for Godot’ and ‘The Birthday Party’ shows the triviality in human life and asked questions on our existence and various concept  likes nothingness, meaninglessness and absurdity of life.

Sadat Hasan Manto is an ‘Uncomfortable’ answer to our quest for an artist and art. Such writers and their literature compels us to think and makes us to think and makes us restless and feels us with angst and anxiety. So reading and watching this kind of literature we can’t achieve aesthetic feeling but as per Barad sir said “ bheja shor karta hai” so this type of mental condition we felt.

I learned various poem in literature like Wordsworth’s poems and Robert Frost’s poems so in which I understand that how the concept nature and human nature explained. But the poem like “Meri Sari” by Sabika Abbas Naqvi gave new metaphor like sari and how she portrayed the nation – ‘Narration of nation’ by Homi K. Bhabha. ‘Poetry is the art to speak more in less words’.

‘Harry Potter’ taught me that ‘Make your own choice’ and work for it. The book like ‘Frankenstein’ by Marry Shelly provides the opportunity to think on what is real Monster? How beautifully she gave the unique end of the novel and give justices to Monster, because human being become like Monster.

Self help books like One Night @ Call Center, The White Tiger give the new concept like ‘Amoral’ not moral or immoral. This is the new morality of youth.  Because literature and morality don’t get along. They’re enemies. And you have to respect literature if you believe in freedom.

“Literature is the center division of the “humanities” flanked on one side by history and on the other by philosophy.”  By- Northorp Frye

Archetypes of literature by Northorp Frye are also very useful to understand the skeleton of any literary work or movie.

Reading Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse & Room of One's own, leads us towards stronger feminist discourse. How Lily Briscoe break the patriarchal mentality that “women can’t paint or write" but she proved that “Women can paint or write”.

So, this way after studying various types of literature I learned so many good things from various characters, that is the not final means that all characters gives good message. Some characters are portrayed very bad like Mr.Ahab, but what we learn or not we learn from literary characters is up to me.

Studying English literature had brought many changes in me. After studying M.A, I am not same now. My views towards society is completely change and that’s why one problem I face that now I can’t match with people properly because there are many ideas like religious belief, cast , corruption, way of working in working place are contrast with my ideas. So I considered myself different from them and sometime people criticizing my subject also because of my thoughts and way of works with the use of technology. But as per Barad sir said “Don’t be like sheeple”, which is worth to apply in life.

Literature given many radical ideas to improve myself. Through studying literature in last two years one good cultivate one good habit that ‘ questioning’ and ‘doubting’  don’t accept things  as it is. Literature has given me a philosophical insight to look at the outside as well as inside within me.

As a student of literature now I can read the mind of people well with keen observation power because I studied so many characters and their psychology. Studying literature in Department of English under the guidance of Barad sir , my  way of working is completely change so I can say that –‘The festivals have changed’ for ex- My presentation is Asmita parv”  for me.

As per Keats said – “Beauty is truth and truth is beauty” so literature also give very precious beauty in form of new ‘Vision’ to see this world with unique spectacles . Real beauty for human being is in hard work nothing else.

With the Sense of an Ending, I would like to thanks Literature and Department of English because both played very vital role for shaping me. Today whatever I’m is only of studying literature and various experience of my life. At the end I say that ‘I would have been nothing without literature’.

The Function of Criticism by T.S. Eliot

                        The Function of Criticism

                                                    

                                                               By – T.S.Eliot

Introduction of Essayist:-

Thomas Stearns Eliot was born on 26 September 1888, in Missouri, US. He was a poet, dramatist, literary and social critic, essayist and editor also. He educated at AB in philosophy. He got awards like Nobel Prize in Literature (1948). His Notable works are ‘The Love Song of J.Afred Prufrock’ (1915), ‘The Waste Land’ ( 1922 ), ‘Four Quartets’ ( 1944 ). In all these works  ‘ The Love song of J. Afred Prufrock’ is seen as a masterpiece of the modernist movement.

“Tradition and Individual Talent” (1921), “Hamlet and his problems “are his famous essays. He died on 4 January 1965 in London, England.

Introduction of Essay:-

This essay is response to essay of Murray. Murray have problem to that don’t use tradition , but Eliot believed that don’t follow tradition but learn tradition, he believed that the use of the tradition in creative way, because tradition is past, without past present we don’t know. Reproduction is important. Follow is bad but productive in new way, you represent creative out put. Create new by using old, don’t any tress of old.

“Tradition and Individual talent” Eliot’s dynamic conception of tradition.

This essay is an outcome of the controversy that was created in the year 1919 it is actually the response to Murray’s essay on Eliot essay of “ Romanticism and tradition”. In this particular essay he showcases the relationship between past and present in world literature.

Definition of criticism :- 

According to Eliot criticism is the analysis of the works of literary nature, criticism always has to be about something and it’s goal his to give proper explanation about all literary texts.

First Part :-

Superior to nature as both of them are depended yet independent any writer and his or her importance is considered by looking into the tradition. Maturity + Understanding = Critic

Sometime critics deform from each other because of there personal biases, Eliot believes that all the critics should cooperate in order to critics of particular text make a responsive criticism is important in literature.

Murray’s views on the classic and Romantic

Second part :-

In the second part of this essay Eliot talks about Murray’s views on classicism and Romanticism according to Murray a classical writer can not be a romantic writer a romantic writer can not be a classical writer. Eliot does not subscribe to this view and does not believe that English people are romantic and French people are classic.

In the latter part of the essay Eliot discuses the problem in criticism and goes again the view of Mathew Arnold. There is a lot of different between creative writers and critical writing. Mathew Arnold differences between critical and creative writing. According to Eliot criticism is also of equal important and any critic has to be creative in order to criticizes a text.

Some of the critic are capable of cretizining there own work because more correct and structured he continuously agreed that critical and creative writing can not be separated.

According to Eliot the most important qualification of any critic is that he or she should be able to recognize the important of facts, which is a rare qualities the critic should get into the details of the fact. Any critic or artist should surrender and sacrifices himself or herself in order to get the meaning of the text. “Total involvement in art and for art”.

      

He or she would make sure that there are united to gather a common agenda. This is the quality of the first rate artist where as the second rate artist does not believe in this and works in a completely opposite direction. Art always has a predestined conclusion by the elucidation of the works of art and the correction of test. It may happen that there are different in opinion  but all the different should be respected or should be worked upon in close connection.  

Third Part : -  “ Inner voice treatment of it”.

 In the third part Eliot completely goes against the views of Murray as it is all common principal in order to achieve perfection in art. The artist who believes in the inner voice is not tradition and the wisdom and the experience but also of the present which can be extremely advantageous. Girt felling is always right and wisdom is important in writing and criticism because wisdom make critic.

Fourth Part : - Criticism and the creative faculty

 As we have written earlier there is no different between a creative writers and a critical writer. Both of them are almost the same as the later of the labor of an other is composting the critical labor and any writer who can criticizes his own work is the highest kind of criticism. When you criticizes your work you have to see fault line in your own work and no one can judge you without you. Can there be a creative criticism?

Qualification of a Critic :-

(1)           In order to be a good critic one has to developed and extraordinary sense of facts about the work of art, the condition, the setting and mannerism.

(2)           Any critic has to be good in comparison  and analysis about the theme, plot and technical aspects like the structure and the contain of all of them. They should be taken to gather in order to interpret it.

(3)           Facts are not always beneficial because they can be misleading  facts should be in close connection to what you are writing upon.

(4)           A good critic has to be extremely objective in nature and should have a scientific attitude by fallowing all the above mentioned points.

 Conclusion :- 

  Eliot strongly believes in the concept of individuality and originality but in a different manner that is by respecting by tradition and taking it’s cooperation to design the present.

Report - Survey on the Usage of NAMO e - Tab

The Survey as a field work on the usage of the Namo Tab by the students of First Year of graduation including girls and boys. The Survey has done with the first year students of different fields like Arts, Commerce and different branches of Engineering from GEC Bhavnagar, SSCCM Bhavnagar and Shamldas Arts College  

To read the Report :- Click here

Online Discussion : Cultural Studies and Post Colonialism

Here is link of given online discussion -  Click Here

Moni Mohsin, author of the best selling social satire wrote against of the controversial questions raised and favor of literary writer. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won the Academy Award for her documentary, A Girl in the River. Sharmeen’s films are about truly heroic Pakistani women — women who have suffered appalling cruelty and oppression but who have refused to be silenced. In telling their stories to the world, they have fought back and exposed injustice.Any nation should be proud to have such women in its midst. We should celebrate them, not try to hide them away like a shameful secret. Or indeed, question their patriotism.

                                                           

Yes, I am agree with this point,Of course western interest can be narrow in its focus and agenda driven. But whose is not? Instead of frothing with self-righteous rage or manufacturing hysterical conspiracy theories to justify other people’s selective interest or indifference, we would be better served to confidently define our own priorities. We have to fight our battles, celebrate our heroes and tell our stories truthfully.

And if we find that these stories shame us, then we must do something about them. But for those of us still fixated on the ‘image’ issue, it’s quite simple really: you want better PR? Improve the product.

Cultural aspects -  

The central government’s decision to ban Hindi news channel NDTV India for a day has been sharply criticized  by observers, journalists and opposition parties alike. Ravish Kumar worked as a journalist in this news channel. So this news channel band in India. So when we see this problem in cultural context at that time we find that how power politics played very vital role. Reality not come in right way, if you try to speak you trolled. So power or position as sup rim Laval we find.

Post colonial aspects -

If we see from the postcolonial perspective, people believed that some of the writers and directors shows negative side of India for various big awards and western people gave this kinds of awards also because they are happy to see the bad condition of India. No, it is not true but it is half truth because writers and directors presents reality of India which gave real image of a country as it is not negative. Every artist/writers/directors should have freedom of expression what they are feeling or observing in a country.

As there are many writers who has given the bad but real image of the India like Salman Rushdie always remain in controversy because he wrote against India though he is Indian and that's why congress government not permit him to stay in India and that's why he leave in abroad. He is dystopian writer and postcolonial writer also. But what he presented in his work which reality of India for example in " Midnight Children"  it deals with India's transition from British colonialism to independence and the partition of British India. It is considered an example of postcolonial, postmodern, and magical realist literature.

So,  this types of literature, movies or documentary become most important for any nation for made changes in their rules.