Why Comparative Indian Literature ?
- 1. Why Comparative Indian Literature ? Sisir Kumar Das Presenters: ● Aamena Rangwala Roll No.01 ● Divya Sheta Roll No.06 Class: MA, Semester 4 S.B.Gardi Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
- 2. Abstract Comparative Literature is an interdisciplinary field; it studies literature across national borders, across time period, across language, across genes, across boundaries. It provides geographically and chronologically a broader perspective on the literary and cultural achievement of human kind than is possible from within a single literature alone.Comparative Literature provides readers a serious, sustained understanding of cultures beyond their own and helps them to become better global citizens.
- 3. Key Arguments ● Can an area of enquiry clearly demarcated by linguistic and political boundaries serve the basic demands of comparative literature? ● Does not the area identified as Indian literature impose certain restrictions on the investigator and precondition him? ● Why should a scholar of literature prefer Indian literature to comparative literature, which promises a greater scope and a wider perspective?
- 4. ● Das states that "Indian Literature or Literary studies still fragment into smaller linguistic units as we know the reason is multilinguality and multi religion or multicultural nation which are extremely limited. ● Indo-Anglian writers such as Sri Aurobindo and others have failed to provide us with a certain critical framework to study Indian literature together. ● The study of the Indian languages by linking it with comparative literature still indeed to indicate the proper framework within which Indian literature can be Studied. ● The term ‘Comparative Indian Literature’ is not self-explanatory and not only to define the term Indian literature but also to define the necessity of the qualifier. ● Das marked that we must try to find out the exact nature of relation between comparative Literature and Indian comparative literature and also try to see it as an express necessity to study literary relation within a comparative framework.
- 5. ● To visualize the total activities of man as a single universe. ● The main dilemma of the Comparatist, then, is to reconcile his idea of Literature as a single universe of verbal expression with his ability to study it in its totality. ● Das also points out the reason why every comparatist is anxious to seriously distinction between comparative Literature and world Literature that they have to make compromises and to delimit their area of investigation according to their ability. ● Goethe spoke about Weltliteratur In 1827 , a poet who attempted to bring together literature of different civilizations. He is the first man to speak on world literature. He said this in conversation with Eckermann on 31 January 1827.He said the "epoch of world literature is at hand, and everyone must strive to hasten its approach" . Goal of Comparative Literature and ‘Weltliteratur’
- 6. ● Western comparatist has kept himself restricted to western literatures. ● The contact between the literatures of the west and the East began early in history. Europe came to know of Hebrew literature the day it accepted Christianity.Europe's acquaintances with Arabic was even earlier. ● The court at cordova in spain in 11th century was center of Arabic literature. Then by the end of 18th Century they discovered Sanskrit which brought revolution in linguistics. ● Francois Jost admits about Western criticism. The result is that comparative Literature in the West began as comparative Western literature and it remains so even today.
- 7. ● Ulrich Weisstein expressed his hesitation to ‘extend the study of parallels to phenomena pertaining to two different civilizations.’ ● The academic justification for excluding 'Oriental literature ' from comparative literature in the west comes from the necessity to avoid ' all historical parallels based on only speculation. ● Comparative literature consists of the study of Indian literature that must be as valid as comparative literature in the West. Comparative Western Literature The study of different national literatures Comparative Indian Literature The study of one nation or one national literature written in many languages.
- 8. ● Are Indian English writings a part of English literature? What will criterion, language or nationality? ● Comparative literature has to be both intralinguistic and interlingustic. ● (British Literature and American Literature – different national literature, Bengali and Hindi) ● One language can be the medium of two literature. ● The exponents of comparative literature still insist on the study than on literatures of any group of people, then they have to come to terms with nations which have many literatures or with national literatures written in many languages. India provides a case in point. Comparative Indian Literature
- 9. ● The validity of comparative Indian literature can be argued from two directions. Whatever be the goal of comparative literature, it must have a terra firma, a solid ground. ● It is(literature) born of language and yet it goes beyond language; it is nourished by a culture. Its meaning and significance of its relation with that culture. ● The lesson we must learn from the Western comparatist is the lesson of vigilance against dilettantism. Comparative Indian Literature
- 10. ● Comparative Indian literature not only justifies the need for literary study, but it provides the comparative study of literature with a new range and vision. The Indian contact with Western literatures is not confined to English alone. ● It is difficult to study a literature like Konkani without a reference to Portuguese; for Portuguese had a direct impact on the Indian languages spoken in Goa. The innumerable translations from European languages, French and Russian in particular, in various Indian languages, speak not only of the enthusiastic response of an enlightened readership in our country but also recounts the story of a deep relationship between those literatures and ours. Amiya Dev said, 'Comparison is right reason for us because, one, we are multilingual, and two, we are Third World. Comparative Indian Literature
- 11. ● Will not the study of Indian literatures alone breed a kind of literary patriotism or critical parochialism which must be avoided? ● Multilingualism is a fact of Indian society and of Indian literature. This multilingualism appears bewildering to the foreign students of India, and certainly occasions a grave concern in our politicians. But the literary history of India is a history of multilingual literary activity. ● new literary styles, Manipravala ● new language and literature, Urdu Multilingualism in India
- 12. ● Conclusion Our idea of comparative literature will emerge only when we take into account the historical situation in which we are placed. Our journey is not from comparative literature to comparative Indian literature, but from comparative Indian literature to comparative literature.