AD's English Literature

Biography: A Very Difficult From of Art It is almost an axiomatic truth that biography is a very difficult from of art. A biographer, unlike a historian, has to collect all the relevant and necessary documents and facts. He should construct his biography in such a way that it ultimately assumes the status of an art-form. Johnson has very pertinently observed: “ History  can be formed from permanent monuments and records: but lives can only be written from personal knowledge, which is growing everyday less, and in short time is lost forever.” Writing A Biography: Historical Survey It is a strenuous and uphill task, indeed to collect all the requisite materials for a biography. Again, compared to other genres of Literature i.e. drama, fiction, etc, biography is too young. Its origin dates back to 18 th century. The simple reason for this belated origin of biography is that until 18 th century, there was a death of genuine interest in and a becoming curiosity about the private lives...

A Solid Human- Relationship: Need at the Time of   British-India E.M. Forster's  A Passage to India   is indeed a great work which has encompassed several significant topics that had some bearing upon the society during the   British rule   in India. But Forster’s greatest contribution lies in the fact that in this novel he has raised the problem of human relationship and has discussed the pros and cons of the same at great length. The major fault or lacuna of the British Empire was that the polished and highly tutored dignitaries who were empowered by the British imperialist Government to rule over the Indians failed to realize the value of human relationship. But Forester has again and again sought to pinpoint this axiomatic truth that of a need a solid human- relationship, the most essential need at the time of   British-India .   Forster wholeheartedly believed in the value of personal relation, ‘the holiness of the heart’s affection'. But he ...

A Few Words :   So many poets are writing early 20th century and such is the tremendous poetic output that it is impossible to give individual attention to them. Hence it is usual to divide early modern poetry into two halves-  (a) Georgian poetry i.e. poetry of the early decades, and  (b) poetry of the interwar years i.e. poetry of middle decades.  Georgian Poetry and Inter-war Poetry were two significant literary movements in the early 20th century, primarily in the United Kingdom. While they shared some similarities, they also had distinct characteristics. There is much overlapping, for the poetry that began writing much earlier continues to write though the interwar years. In literature there can be no water tight compartments and such divisions are merely for the convenience of study.  Let's explore the salient features of each movement:    Georgian Poetry :   Georgian poetry is the poetry of the early decades of 20 th century when king Geor...

D. H. Lawrence has evinced his deep love for nature in Sons and Lovers . In the village, in the lush green bosom of nature, Lawrence spent his boyhood or early days. He had a close contact with nature and an intense longing for natural objects. Because of his close and intimate association with natural objects and surrounding, nature did hunt his imagination to a great extent and it does explain why Lawrence possessed almost a poetic sensibility with regard to his delineation of nature. It is admittedly true that the setting of the novel i.e. Bentwood is a mining town. Also it is indubitably true that own was very much close to the world of nature. The characters or people figuring in the novel are not immune from the world of nature. They, of course, live in an artificial set-up or environment of society. Industrialization or more precisely machination was indeed exerting its silting influences o the refined feelings and sentiments of the people. But nevertheless the characters of th...

Irish politics , with its rich history of colonization, struggle for independence, and the partition of Ireland, has provided a compelling backdrop for modern drama. Many playwrights explore the impact of these political events on the lives of ordinary people, highlighting themes of identity, nationalism, and power dynamics. Modern Irish drama particularly early ambit of  Abbey Theatre, t he early political troubles,  national identity and socioeconomic inequality took the upperhand. However in later segment, power and corruption, feminism and gender politics, immigration and integration, reconciliation and healing become the core subject. As we all know, one of the defining political conflicts in Irish history, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, has been a significant source of inspiration for modern drama. Playwrights often delve into the complex relationships between Catholics and Protestants, the violence and social unrest, and the search for r...

George Herbert (1593 - 1633)  is an English poet of the metaphysical school .  A  University of  Cambridge graduate was unsuccessful in getting a play at court unemployed for eleven years (from 1619 to 1630). He devoted  secular ambitions, however, and took holy orders in the Church of England in 1630. He spent the rest of his life as rector in Bemerton.  As a poet George Herbert was temperamentally and totally different from John Donne . His poems are characterized by a precision of language, a metrical versatility, and an ingenious use of imagery or conceits that was favored by the metaphysical school of poets such as John Donne. However, he was in two minds – whether to take to orders or not. He had spells of introspection regarding his motive becoming a priest.

A Set of 26 Objective Questions & Answers History of English Literature-  Miscellaneous 1 Q: Who were the two English lawyers who produced the first English tragedy on the Seneca model in blank verse? A: The two English lawyers were Norton and Sackville. 2 Q: Where did English prose first make its appearance, even before the advent of King Alfred? A: English prose first made its appearance in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. 3 Q: Who were the two editors of the first Folio of Shakespeare, published in 1623? A: The two editors of the first Folio of Shakespeare were Heminge and Condell. 4 Q: Name four poets associated with the 'Decadent Movement.' A: The four poets associated with the 'Decadent Movement' are Oscar Wilde, Lionel Johnson, Ernest Dowson, and Arthur Symons. 5 Q: Which Roman playwright influenced Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy and is famous for Medea? A: The Roman playwright who influenced Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy and is famous for Medea is Seneca. 6 Q: To whic...

We find in John Donne ’s (1572-1631) poetry a mirror of the changing sensibility of his age. Ptolemaic system of astronomy with earth as the centre of universe – geocentric - was in vogue until the period of John Donne . Copernican system – of heliocentric – theory which considered the sun as the cento around which the earth went round came into vogue during Donne’s period as exemplified in his statement ‘the new philosophy calls all in doubt’. Skepticism ruled the roost in the beginning of the 17 th century. Scientific proof was anticipated for everything.  Thus we find in Donne’s poems a strange ‘unpoetic’ kind of imagery: that of the telescope, of geometrical instruments, of mining machines and all other concomitants of the Renaissance laboratory. Even the declaration of a woman’s love cannot be taken as true as it hath me loves no empirical basic. After the espousal of the Church there was a renewal of poetic activity with religious bent of mind. He concentrated all hi...

***Is Lear a man more sinned against – than sinning? This question relates to the whole issue and theme of justice, and its existence or otherwise in King Lear . On the one hand Lear gives in to flattery, makes a bad decision to split his kingdom, and when he does so splits it unfairly. He banishes cruelly the only daughter who loves him, and a nobleman who is devoted to his service. He attempts to live like a king with none of a king’s responsibilities of duties, and takes himself out into a storm when his followers are dismissed. On the other hand he is punished for his lack of self – knowledge his vanity, and his inability to distinguish the truth from falsehood by losing his wealth, his sanity, his daughter, and finally his life. He was certainly sinned, but only through common faults which under different circumstances might have gone unnoticed and unpunished. (Note:  Regarding the statement "Is Lear a man more sinned against – than sinning?", it refers to the question...