AD's English Literature

In the Greek language, the word ‘tragedy’ means ‘Goat Song’ and the word came to be used for plays because of the practice of awarding goats to winners in a dramatic contest. The plays were generally serous in tone. For the Greeks, tragedy simply meant “A play with a sorrow ending,” usually, at least one death, “The action and the thoughts are create seriously and with a respect for human personality.” The central character in tragedy, according to Aristotle is a person of admirable character and important position who is reined by single flaw of characters . Tragic flow or Hamartia, such as the ambition of Macbeth. The atmosphere of tragedy is sombre and serious. The tragedy arouses in us the emotion of pity and fear, but only to purge us of these and similar emotion and it has a spiritually gracing effect. And important feature of true tragedy in that we are left with a sense of greatness of man as well as of the suffering involved in human life. In English literature there ...

Simply, Amitav Ghosh's The Shadow Lines (1988), is about an Indian family and an    English   family in the transitional days of 1960's covering three  cities- Calcutta, London and Dhaka.  Ghosh primarily focuses are on the meaning of political freedom in the modern world and the force of nationalism. One might struck by the  complexity of themes, destiny of narrative texture, or use of language in The Shadow Lines . But critics observe that Ghosh puts the very concept of nationalism and nationality, as it were, under the microscope, and analyses the ideologies, exigencies and implications inherent in it.  In fact,  Ghosh even questions the idea of nationalism and national boundaries while at the same time granting its existence an its operation upon human minds.      The novel , according to the blurb, focuses on "nationalism, the Shadow Lines we draw between people and nations, which is both  absurd illusion and a so...

“I could never understand why Louise bothered with me. She disliked me and I knew that behind my back she seldom lost the opportunity of saying a disagreeable thing about me.”-   “Louise”  by  W. Somerset Maugham Introduction: #  William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) , a celebrated writer of his time, showcased his versatility as a novelist, playwright, and short-story writer. His 1936 short-story "Louise" revolves around a woman who manipulates others with her supposed "weak heart" to fulfill her desires. Titled with a woman's name and written in the first person by a male author, the story hints at a captivating female protagonist. With its gripping narrative, emotional depth, and pervasive irony, the story exposes the intricate dynamics of human relationships. Maugham's central message highlights the alarming capacity of some individuals to sacrifice the well-being of others, including their own family members, for personal gain.   Hidden Irony #  As...

"All of Stratford, in fact, suggests powdered history—add hot water and stir and you have a delicious, nourishing Shakespeare." Margaret Halsey  (1910 - 1997) U.S. writer. With Malice Toward Some The history of English literature is invested with great importance, indicating as it does a landmark or development and expansion in the study of English literature as a whole. Indeed, from the ancient tribal worlds of Anglo Saxon to the present century space-age English literature has found a vivid and panoramic reflection in the history of the ages. Even a closer observation of the wide range and astonishing variety of the history of the ages is a formidably stupendous task, not to speak of scrutiny and analysis.

Keywords: Women's Roles, Tribal Society, Contradictions, Orthodoxy, Igbo Culture, Women Empowerment, Nigerian Integrated Development, Tribal Integration and Development, Feminism, Political Marginalization, New Women, Gender Equality, Eco criticism, Eco feminism   All of the Chinua Achebe ’s novels Things Fall Apart (1958) , No Longer at Ease (1960) , Arrow of God (1964) , A Man of the People (1966) , and Anthills of the Savannah (1987) exemplify good socio-historical fictions. Achebe’s talent as a storyteller lies in his ability to recreate the period of African history and give it life and color. His hundreds of carefully chosen details express perfectly the atmosphere and flavor of precolonial to present Nigeria particularly the Igbo world. Although his attention to authenticity is evident, he smoothly incorporates his research into the stories. Details of every setting make the events of Achebe’s novels more plausible. Achebe stimulates not only the reader'...

“Even so, in death the same unknown will appear as ever known to me. And because I love this life, I know I shall love death as well. The child cries out when from the right breast the mother takes it away, in the very next moment to find in the left one its consolation.” Rabindranath Tagore  (1861 - 1941) Indian poet, writer, and philosopher. Gitanjali Indian poet, philosopher, and Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali as translated by himself into English made Tagore internationally famous. Gitanjali is a collection of one hundred and three deeply religious and mystical poems which delight, thrill, and uplift us by their noble thoughts and feelings, and which stir and move us by their lyrical qualities. These poems were the fruit of Tagore’s meditations on God, on man, and on Nature against the beautiful natural background of Shantiniketan where Tagore founded his World University (Vishva Bharati). What is most surprising about these “songs-off...