English Literature

An objective and impartial estimation of Jane Austen�s contribution to the development of the English novel involve comparisons which are, also, likely to undermine her self-imposed limitations as an artist.  Austen�s range is very narrow. The plots revolve around three or four families in the countryside, consisting mostly of a few typed characters. There is only one theme � the theme of love and marriage � repeated in every novel. Deep philosophy of life is conspicuously absent and there are no hidden meanings to be discovered. There are no adventures to thrill, no violent passions to ruffle, no sensations to tickle and tease. Yet she is one of our major novelists. Safely emerging through two centuries and severe criticism, today she enjoys secure reputation.  Austen�s first important achievement is to bring to the English novel dramatic plots. She has the genius of a great dramatist. Baker successfully verified the plot of �Pride and Prejudice�, in its various stages of dev...

Jane Austen confines her creative activity to the depiction of whatever fell within her range of personal experience. While her range of observation in life is not so wide her work has been variously called as the �Two inches of ivory� and �three or four families�. All these titles exhibit the excellence as well as the limitations of her craft and outlook. Although she works on a very small canvas, yet she has widened the scope of fiction in almost all its directions. Her stories mostly have indoor actions where only family matters especially love and marriages are discussed. However, her plots are perfect and characterization is superb. All of her six novels, including �Pride and Prejudice�, have been controversial since their publication, on account of Austen�s limited range. The critical view is divided in two groups � detractors and admires. The former group had criticized her on various points. Critics object that her novels present a certain narrow physical setting. It was the pe...

Source: https://baarchana.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/critical-appreciation-of-an-astrologers-day-by-r-k-narayan/ Book: An Astrologer�s Day and Other Stories (1947)Author: R.K.Narayan Genre: Short stories Story from the Collection: An Astrologer�s Day Critical Appreciation of the short story �An Astrologer�s Day� �An Astrologer�s Day and other Stories� are a collection of short stories

Source: http://www.postcolonialweb.org/india/anand/stracuzzi1.html The Indelible Problem: Mulk Raj Anand and the Plight of Untouchability Andrew M. Stracuzzi, The University of Western Ontario Mulk Raj Anand, speaking about the real test of the novelist, once said: It may lie in the transformation of words into prophesy. Because, what is writer if he is not the fiery voice of the

SHUAIB ASGHAR DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH GOVT. RAZVIA ISLAMIA COLLEGE HAROONABAD, PAKISTAN �The Waste Land� , a masterpiece of T.S. Eliot, is a long and complex poem about the psychological and cultural crisis that came with the loss of moral and cultural identity after the World War I. The critics have commented on the theme of this poem in different words: �vision of desolation and spiritual drought�. (F.R. Leavis); �the plight of the whole generation�. (I.A. Richards); �a sigh for the vanished glory of the past�. (Cleanth Brooks) �there is a life in death, a life of complete inactivity, listlessness and apathy�. (Spender) There are only two master themes in the poem, which in turn, generate many sub-themes. Disillusionment             The first of these major themes is the disillusionment, which indicates in the current state of affairs of modern society, especially the post-World War I Europe in which he lived. He illustrates this pe...

SHUAIB ASGHAR DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH GOVT. RAZVIA ISLAMIA COLLEGE HAROONABAD, PAKISTAN The critics have taken objection to the form of �The Waste Land�. Some are of the opinion that it is a group of separate poems loosely strung together. Others feel that it is a parade of the poet�s learning. Some critics understand that there is no story or movement in the poem. The poet keeps beating about the bush without reaching any conclusion. However, on a careful study of the poem it has been found that there is a thin and subtle thread which runs throughout the poem and gives it a sort of unity. This pertains to the evils of civilization and how civilization can be saved. Tiresias, The Unifying Link Tiresias, the protagonist, imparts a sense of unity to the poem as a whole. Through the stream of consciousness method Tiresias reflects on the past and the present, and sees a lot of resemblances between them. Film Technique-Montage Eliot follows the film technique in representing scenes from the...

SHUAIB ASGHAR DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH GOVT. RAZVIA ISLAMIA COLLEGE HAROONABAD, PAKISTAN Undoubtedly, �The Waste Land� is a social document of our times, a poem which throws light on the problems, perplexities and disintegration of modern civilization. This integration is due to several reasons as mentioned below. Sexual Perversion Today, sex has been perverted from its proper function and is utilized for animal pleasure and monetary benefits. It has, therefore, become a source of degeneration and disease and a hurdle in man�s spiritual progress as well. Easy sexual relationships are found among all sections of society. Eliot cites the instances of German princess and the Lady of Situations. Further he mentions the story of Lil and the experiences of the three daughters of Thames. The typist girl has no emotional involvement in the sex act. She takes it as she would take as aspirin to get over a tension or a headache. Eliot sums up the story of the European lust through the words of St. ...