English Literature

Canto- It is a division of a very long poem- especially epic. It comes from the Sanskrit word “Kanda” which means chapter. Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” could be taken as an example.

Caricature- in literature it refers to a method of describing people by which certain characteristics are exaggerated and others are over simplified. These could be either an insult or a compliment and are generally humorous.

Catastrophe- A tragic plot would traditionally turn “downwards” for worse. This turn was called catastrophe.

Catharsis:  The signature of a good tragedy, catharsis, purifies or purges the emotions by providing an outlet.  The tears that came out at the end of a tragedy were considered the ultimate purgation of self.

Bibliography- it is a list of books or wittings and includes the year and place of publications. Author would have either quoted from these writings or would have referred to them; it could also be the list of books meant for advanced reading.

Burlesque- An exaggerated theatrical production that could be a satire or parody, intended to evoke humor. Things of great importance are treated as if they were of no importance at all.

Byronic Hero: A much romanticized, negative character. These characters are typically sophisticated, educated, intelligent and good looking but have a negative streak in them like arrogance or skepticism. Such a character was first brought out by Lord Byron in the epic poem  “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”

Ballad- it is a poem with a story, most often set to music so that it can be sung. Themes could vary from the simple folk stories to the mythological, romance to the supernatural. Ballads usually have a simple rhyme and a refrain. “Tears in Heaven” and “Yesterday” are some of the famous modern ballads.

Biography- it is the story of someone’s life usually published as a book or article. Most biographies cover lives of famous people. Although, this need not always be so.

Blank verse- a term referring to unrhymed iambic pentameter used in poetry. John Milton made very good use of the blank verse in “Paradise lost”  

Allegory- a work of literature where the primary story has a deeper secondary meaning, often didactical. “Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan is a very good example. An allegory could be a part of the story or the entire story itself.  “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift is supposed to be an allegory of contemporary politics in England.

Autobiography- a biography or story of one’s own life, written by oneself. For example Gandhi’s “My Experiments With Truth”.

Autobiographical novel- A novel which is fictionalization of the author’s own experiences. Most authors write autobiographical novels.  Arundhati Roy’s “God Of Small Things” is said to be one such novel.

In the next few articles, I would like to take you through what I consider are the meaning of some literary terms:

Alliteration – when the same consonant gets repeated a number of times in the beginning of several word in a phrase, you have alliteration. Example- long lost lovers live long lives lifelessly. It can also be applied to vowels or consonants with similar properties.

Anecdote- a very brief, short story based on real life. It is usually narrated to induce interest or humor.

Anthology- a collection of literary works, generally of the same genre. Anthology initially referred to only a collection of poems. Anthology usually is made up of shorter works like poems, short stories etc.

There are a lot of writers that I would like to cover through this blog. I would also like to provide you with as much information as I can get on English Literature as we go on. Right now I am doing research regarding this.

Meanwhile I would like to put down my personal list of all-time favourite poets.

• Robert Frost: One of my favourite poets. This poet is so simple, yet in his simplicity lives his greatness. His messages touch the heart; he speaks of humanity, of choices, hard work. The rustic touch can never be missed.

• Sylvia Plath: A poet who made me wake up and READ the poem. There is no subtlety in her, no minced words for her. She is bold and direct. That is why she is at the top of my list.

• Nissim Ezekiel: I don’t know how old I was when I read his “The Night of the Scorpion”, his narrative writing style, his matter-of-fact description, his cynicism, all make him a giant amongst Indian writing in English. He is, therefore, my first choice for an Indian poet.

•   Emily Dickinson: A genius who was not recognised during her life, her poems are as much an enigma as the poet herself. Her poems tug at my heartstrings, there is something in her that I totally identify with. Naturally, she is among my all-time best poets.

•  Toru Dutt: If Emily’s genius was not recognised during her time, Toru passed away even before her genius could be truly realised. As comfortable in English and French as she was in her own mother tongue, this prodigy finds a mention for her unmatched talent here.

• Wordsworth: How can any list on poetry be complete without the master poet himself? Because he gave us poetry par excellence, because he showed a new direction to poetry, because his poems have become world’s most popular quotable quotes, Wordsworth makes it to my list.

• Keats: Because I fell in love with his talent the first time I read his poem. The love affair continues…

It is difficult to say when exactly the English language started. Some say it could have started with the Celts, the original inhabitants of what is now called England. But it is largely accepted that we can trace the origins of this great language to the Anglo-Saxons, who occupied the country. From then on, English language grew and evolved, borrowing liberally from anyone it met. In fact most of the major languages in the world have contributed to the growth of English! Greek, Latin, French and German were some of the earlier languages to donate their vocabulary to English. When England had a French ruler for a period of time, French was given precedence over the native English. French was the “court language” and hence the aristocracy spoke French while English became the layman’s language. Then came the era of colonization, this brought in words of African, India, West Indian and other origins. The industrial revolution, the world wars and the current burgeoning technology have all contributed to enriching this language. Though the London English was standardized, there was no way the scholars could check its growth. Wherever the British went, they left English behind. English has thus become a world language with as many versions as the regions in which it is spoken. It is due to its ability to adapt and adopt that the language is still alive and still developing.