This paper aims at studying briefly how and when colonialism came into being and how it flourishe... more This paper aims at studying briefly how and when colonialism came into being and how it flourished and took shape into Post-colonialism, followed by its visible impressions in literature. Post-colonialism, if etymologically defined, is 'after colonialism', basically, the aftermaths of colonialism.
History is replete with incidents of pandemics like Influenza flu, Ebola, and now, the recent mos... more History is replete with incidents of pandemics like Influenza flu, Ebola, and now, the recent most novel Corona virus. The spread of these infectious beings is mostly fatal, highly explosive, and unmanageable, bringing with them severe social, economic, physiological and psychological impacts. Revisiting such historical events through literature is quite insightful. One feels empathetic and connected with the characters. This paper intends to revisit the settings and situations of Oran, the centre of pandemic in Albert Camus' The Plague and compare it with the current, globally occurring, pandemic of Corona virus. The purpose is to understand how literature connects with real life and becomes a source of hope, strength and motivation for the readers.
History is replete with incidents of pandemics like Influenza flu, Ebola, and now, the recent mos... more History is replete with incidents of pandemics like Influenza flu, Ebola, and now, the recent most novel Corona virus. The spread of these infectious beings is mostly fatal, highly explosive, and unmanageable, bringing with them severe social, economic, physiological and psychological impacts. Revisiting such historical events through literature is quite insightful. One feels empathetic and connected with the characters. This paper intends to revisit the settings and situations of Oran, the centre of pandemic in Albert Camus' The Plague and compare it with the current, globally occurring, pandemic of Corona virus. The purpose is to understand how literature connects with real life and becomes a source of hope, strength and motivation for the readers.
Quarantine, isolation, loneliness are some words we hear frequently in the Covid-19 pandemic situ... more Quarantine, isolation, loneliness are some words we hear frequently in the Covid-19 pandemic situation. These bring with them nothing but questions about constant fear and existential crisis. There is anxiety, despair, hopelessness, and of course meaninglessness of existence. It is necessary to find a means of grasping the reality and gaining an ability to cope and heal mentally, physically, emotionally and socially. Researchers are working hard in providing prophylactics in the light of this novel yet not new viral pandemic. There are many philosophical questions which need to be answered so as to cope up in this situation like, constant fear of being affected, especially when among people; problem of self-isolation; selfalienation; not finding moral support during and after being affected from the disease; some citizens' selfinterest and immoral behavior. These problems are taking the psychological form. Literary works are replete with many such prevalent issues and problems. Literature has, since ages, been a means of escape from the reality as well as a strong and effective way of facing the reality in a rehabilitative manner. In this paper the aim is to read and reread some selected literary works which give glimpses similar to the current pandemic and study how the tragic literary heroes become role models and help finding answers to some questions on existential anxiety.
Travel literature intends to put to record usually the personal experiences of an author touring ... more Travel literature intends to put to record usually the personal experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel or intentionally for the purpose of research transgressing the cultural, social, racial, ethnic, religious and gender based boundaries that exist among humanity. Travel writing is another genre that has, as its focus, accounts of real or imaginary places. The genre encompasses a number of styles that may range from the documentary to the evocative, from literary to journalistic, and from the humorous to the serious. It is a form whose
Travel literature intends to put to record usually the personal experiences of an author touring ... more Travel literature intends to put to record usually the personal experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel or intentionally for the purpose of research transgressing the cultural, social, racial, ethnic, religious and gender based boundaries that exist among humanity. Travel writing is another genre that has, as its focus, accounts of real or imaginary places. The genre encompasses a number of styles that may range from the documentary to the evocative, from literary to journalistic, and from the humorous to the serious. It is a form whose
Owing to the outcry of the eco-critical literary movements, the issues of deterioration of enviro... more Owing to the outcry of the eco-critical literary movements, the issues of deterioration of environment at the hands of modernization gained momentum. Many writers and poets became eco-conscious, expressing about environment and its importance to human life, and further how it is being disturbed by the man himself for his selfish needs. This paper aims to outline ecocritical examination of Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide. He has shown the alienation of man from his environment by bringing together the characters, history and myths prevalent in the area of Sundarbans.
Literature reflects the society and it has been since ages an essential means of portrayal of the... more Literature reflects the society and it has been since ages an essential means of portrayal of the developing self of women. This paper deals with an in-depth study of texts of different cultural backgrounds, mingling facts and fiction to portray realities of life of a section of society at the margins. The texts selected for study and comparison are American writers, Alice Walker's The Color Purple and Joyce Carol Oates' Marya: A Life, and Pakistani writer, Tehmina Durrani's My Feudal Lord. The selected texts chosen for study are essentially social realist and feminist in nature. The female protagonists achieve transformation not by reforming patriarchal systems, but by being creative and re-appropriating their own identities in the unfavourable and antagonistic systems. By the end of the texts, they have achieved a measure of fulfillment and a strong sense of identity which is quite encouraging for the readers. These books give an insight into the journey of their life from a troublesome childhood, struggling to cope, in the heart of their religious families, to confidence and self-dependence.
It is a common twentieth-century thought that we live in a world that is demystified by the force... more It is a common twentieth-century thought that we live in a world that is demystified by the force of technology and by the rationalized thinking that grounds such technology. In the wake of the attacks of September 11th, many artists struggled with how to respond to the horror. In literature, Don DeLillo was one of the first authors to pose a significant, fictionalized investigation of the day through Falling Man. DeLillo's works are very much suited to the uncertainties of the time. His list of awards is
The paper tries to focus some realities that Indian society faces and feels with different socio-... more The paper tries to focus some realities that Indian society faces and feels with different socio-historical phases through the lens of Indian English novel. In Indian context realism is structured round various cries in the history of India and Indian Writings in English endorses the socio-economic-psychic realities under the segmental banner of Partition literature, Dalit literature, Pre-and Post-Independence literature. This study is based upon the exhaustive reading and analysis of some major texts of selected novelists of the post-Independent Indian Writings in English. The prime issue hovers round the study is of the depiction of realism.
Science fiction has been an attraction due to its depiction of a world of themes of travel throug... more Science fiction has been an attraction due to its depiction of a world of themes of travel through space, robot watch, aliens, nuclear power and its effects, etc. Authors found this genre a platform to turn dreams into reality. This paper deals with the literature of real events and advancement of technology in the fiction of John Hersey and Norman Mailer, in Hiroshima and Of a Fire on the Moon, respectively. Although there are many more books dealing with themes, yet these particularly have tried to express a feeling of techno-phobia of losing our human identity, our ethics, and becoming mechanical in every sense. The attempt in this paper is to show how these real narratives give a darker side of technological growth of society.
This article aims at exploring how Sonia Falerio, an Indian reporter and writer, has depicted the... more This article aims at exploring how Sonia Falerio, an Indian reporter and writer, has depicted the pathetic lives of Indian Mumbai bar dancers in her literary journalistic study, Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay Dance Bars (2010). It is a rare kind of five years extensive research study in which she interviews bar dancers, sex workers, pimps, and other such people dealing in the flesh trade, during and after the ban. She deals with a subject of helpless victims of poverty and want. This article also seeks to study the extent to which the feeling of empathy is stimulated through such a close examination of the untold lives of bar dancers in recent nonfiction. Abstract This article aims at exploring how Sonia Falerio, an Indian reporter and writer, has depicted the pathetic lives of Indian Mumbai bar dancers in her literary journatistic study, Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay Dance Bars (2010). It is a rare kind of five years extensive research study in which she interviews bar dancers, sex workers, pimps, and other such people dealing in the flesh trade, during and after the ban. She deals with a subject of helpless victims of poverty and want. This article also seeks to study the extent to which the feeling of empathy is stimulated through such a close examination of the untold lives of bar dancers in recent nonfiction.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers is written by Katherine Boo, who is a journalist writing for the Ne... more Behind the Beautiful Forevers is written by Katherine Boo, who is a journalist writing for the New Yorker. It is a revealing study of the life in Annawadi, a trash-ridden slum, surrounded by multi-storey luxurious hotels near Mumbai Airport, a symbol of riches and globalization. Many Indian authors have studied the in-depth life in Mumbai from various aspects, for instance, Sonia Faleiro’s Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay Dance Bars (2010), Suketu Mehta’s Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found (2004), etc. This paper takes into consideration how Boo depicts the realities of garbage gatherers’ life especially Abdul and his family, somewhat prosperous among Annawadians but caught in the swirls of fate, making use of her skills of journalism and fiction writing.
Events can inflict trauma on survivors. The effects can be even worse, in case of repetition, wit... more Events can inflict trauma on survivors. The effects can be even worse, in case of repetition, witnessing to the degree that the events are severe, sudden, and inescapable and carry the actual or implicit threat of death or personal injury. Belief of the world being a safe place to live is shattered and life goes beyond our control. There is a feeling of being powerless and insecure. The sense of powerlessness and helplessness spills. Such events are overwhelming and unexpected; it renders its victim shocked; and it leads to a sense of loss of control and meaning. Loss may trigger depression; sometimes we can also emerge sane and strong. Over the past decade, experts have made great strides in understanding our response to traumatic events.
The colossal scene of carnage of Partition has become the theme of innumerable works of
literary ... more The colossal scene of carnage of Partition has become the theme of innumerable works of literary art like, Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight's Children (1980), Bhisham Sahni’s Tamas (1974), Manohar Malgonkar’s A Bend in the Ganges (1965), and Bapsi Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy Man (1988). There are also several short stories such as Toba Tek Singh (1955) by Saadat Hassan Manto, Urdu poems such as Subh-e-Azadi (Freedom’s Dawn, 1947) by Faiz Ahmad Faiz. A non-fiction work by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre that recorded the events surrounding the first Independence Day celebrations in 1947 is Freedom at Midnight (1975). It is indispensable to bring to one’s mind the name of Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan while revisiting Indian history, especially Partition history, through literature. This paper discusses nature of violence, characters involved and the ultimate message communicated in the novel Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh.
Literary journalism, a hybrid writing style that borrows
techniques from journalism and prose fic... more Literary journalism, a hybrid writing style that borrows techniques from journalism and prose fiction, is being scrutinized as literature since its conception in early twentieth century. This kind of genre when read, arouse in readers the feelings of empathy and rejoining with their own experiences and sensations. Taking some fitting examples of this genre from American literature, the purpose in this paper is to identify the journalistic research methodologies which have contributed to the fictional tradition as much as what the use of literary narrative methods have meant to the journalism tradition.
This paper aims at studying briefly how and when colonialism came into being and how it flourishe... more This paper aims at studying briefly how and when colonialism came into being and how it flourished and took shape into Post-colonialism, followed by its visible impressions in literature. Post-colonialism, if etymologically defined, is 'after colonialism', basically, the aftermaths of colonialism.
History is replete with incidents of pandemics like Influenza flu, Ebola, and now, the recent mos... more History is replete with incidents of pandemics like Influenza flu, Ebola, and now, the recent most novel Corona virus. The spread of these infectious beings is mostly fatal, highly explosive, and unmanageable, bringing with them severe social, economic, physiological and psychological impacts. Revisiting such historical events through literature is quite insightful. One feels empathetic and connected with the characters. This paper intends to revisit the settings and situations of Oran, the centre of pandemic in Albert Camus' The Plague and compare it with the current, globally occurring, pandemic of Corona virus. The purpose is to understand how literature connects with real life and becomes a source of hope, strength and motivation for the readers.
History is replete with incidents of pandemics like Influenza flu, Ebola, and now, the recent mos... more History is replete with incidents of pandemics like Influenza flu, Ebola, and now, the recent most novel Corona virus. The spread of these infectious beings is mostly fatal, highly explosive, and unmanageable, bringing with them severe social, economic, physiological and psychological impacts. Revisiting such historical events through literature is quite insightful. One feels empathetic and connected with the characters. This paper intends to revisit the settings and situations of Oran, the centre of pandemic in Albert Camus' The Plague and compare it with the current, globally occurring, pandemic of Corona virus. The purpose is to understand how literature connects with real life and becomes a source of hope, strength and motivation for the readers.
Quarantine, isolation, loneliness are some words we hear frequently in the Covid-19 pandemic situ... more Quarantine, isolation, loneliness are some words we hear frequently in the Covid-19 pandemic situation. These bring with them nothing but questions about constant fear and existential crisis. There is anxiety, despair, hopelessness, and of course meaninglessness of existence. It is necessary to find a means of grasping the reality and gaining an ability to cope and heal mentally, physically, emotionally and socially. Researchers are working hard in providing prophylactics in the light of this novel yet not new viral pandemic. There are many philosophical questions which need to be answered so as to cope up in this situation like, constant fear of being affected, especially when among people; problem of self-isolation; selfalienation; not finding moral support during and after being affected from the disease; some citizens' selfinterest and immoral behavior. These problems are taking the psychological form. Literary works are replete with many such prevalent issues and problems. Literature has, since ages, been a means of escape from the reality as well as a strong and effective way of facing the reality in a rehabilitative manner. In this paper the aim is to read and reread some selected literary works which give glimpses similar to the current pandemic and study how the tragic literary heroes become role models and help finding answers to some questions on existential anxiety.
Travel literature intends to put to record usually the personal experiences of an author touring ... more Travel literature intends to put to record usually the personal experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel or intentionally for the purpose of research transgressing the cultural, social, racial, ethnic, religious and gender based boundaries that exist among humanity. Travel writing is another genre that has, as its focus, accounts of real or imaginary places. The genre encompasses a number of styles that may range from the documentary to the evocative, from literary to journalistic, and from the humorous to the serious. It is a form whose
Travel literature intends to put to record usually the personal experiences of an author touring ... more Travel literature intends to put to record usually the personal experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel or intentionally for the purpose of research transgressing the cultural, social, racial, ethnic, religious and gender based boundaries that exist among humanity. Travel writing is another genre that has, as its focus, accounts of real or imaginary places. The genre encompasses a number of styles that may range from the documentary to the evocative, from literary to journalistic, and from the humorous to the serious. It is a form whose
Owing to the outcry of the eco-critical literary movements, the issues of deterioration of enviro... more Owing to the outcry of the eco-critical literary movements, the issues of deterioration of environment at the hands of modernization gained momentum. Many writers and poets became eco-conscious, expressing about environment and its importance to human life, and further how it is being disturbed by the man himself for his selfish needs. This paper aims to outline ecocritical examination of Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide. He has shown the alienation of man from his environment by bringing together the characters, history and myths prevalent in the area of Sundarbans.
Literature reflects the society and it has been since ages an essential means of portrayal of the... more Literature reflects the society and it has been since ages an essential means of portrayal of the developing self of women. This paper deals with an in-depth study of texts of different cultural backgrounds, mingling facts and fiction to portray realities of life of a section of society at the margins. The texts selected for study and comparison are American writers, Alice Walker's The Color Purple and Joyce Carol Oates' Marya: A Life, and Pakistani writer, Tehmina Durrani's My Feudal Lord. The selected texts chosen for study are essentially social realist and feminist in nature. The female protagonists achieve transformation not by reforming patriarchal systems, but by being creative and re-appropriating their own identities in the unfavourable and antagonistic systems. By the end of the texts, they have achieved a measure of fulfillment and a strong sense of identity which is quite encouraging for the readers. These books give an insight into the journey of their life from a troublesome childhood, struggling to cope, in the heart of their religious families, to confidence and self-dependence.
It is a common twentieth-century thought that we live in a world that is demystified by the force... more It is a common twentieth-century thought that we live in a world that is demystified by the force of technology and by the rationalized thinking that grounds such technology. In the wake of the attacks of September 11th, many artists struggled with how to respond to the horror. In literature, Don DeLillo was one of the first authors to pose a significant, fictionalized investigation of the day through Falling Man. DeLillo's works are very much suited to the uncertainties of the time. His list of awards is
The paper tries to focus some realities that Indian society faces and feels with different socio-... more The paper tries to focus some realities that Indian society faces and feels with different socio-historical phases through the lens of Indian English novel. In Indian context realism is structured round various cries in the history of India and Indian Writings in English endorses the socio-economic-psychic realities under the segmental banner of Partition literature, Dalit literature, Pre-and Post-Independence literature. This study is based upon the exhaustive reading and analysis of some major texts of selected novelists of the post-Independent Indian Writings in English. The prime issue hovers round the study is of the depiction of realism.
Science fiction has been an attraction due to its depiction of a world of themes of travel throug... more Science fiction has been an attraction due to its depiction of a world of themes of travel through space, robot watch, aliens, nuclear power and its effects, etc. Authors found this genre a platform to turn dreams into reality. This paper deals with the literature of real events and advancement of technology in the fiction of John Hersey and Norman Mailer, in Hiroshima and Of a Fire on the Moon, respectively. Although there are many more books dealing with themes, yet these particularly have tried to express a feeling of techno-phobia of losing our human identity, our ethics, and becoming mechanical in every sense. The attempt in this paper is to show how these real narratives give a darker side of technological growth of society.
This article aims at exploring how Sonia Falerio, an Indian reporter and writer, has depicted the... more This article aims at exploring how Sonia Falerio, an Indian reporter and writer, has depicted the pathetic lives of Indian Mumbai bar dancers in her literary journalistic study, Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay Dance Bars (2010). It is a rare kind of five years extensive research study in which she interviews bar dancers, sex workers, pimps, and other such people dealing in the flesh trade, during and after the ban. She deals with a subject of helpless victims of poverty and want. This article also seeks to study the extent to which the feeling of empathy is stimulated through such a close examination of the untold lives of bar dancers in recent nonfiction. Abstract This article aims at exploring how Sonia Falerio, an Indian reporter and writer, has depicted the pathetic lives of Indian Mumbai bar dancers in her literary journatistic study, Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay Dance Bars (2010). It is a rare kind of five years extensive research study in which she interviews bar dancers, sex workers, pimps, and other such people dealing in the flesh trade, during and after the ban. She deals with a subject of helpless victims of poverty and want. This article also seeks to study the extent to which the feeling of empathy is stimulated through such a close examination of the untold lives of bar dancers in recent nonfiction.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers is written by Katherine Boo, who is a journalist writing for the Ne... more Behind the Beautiful Forevers is written by Katherine Boo, who is a journalist writing for the New Yorker. It is a revealing study of the life in Annawadi, a trash-ridden slum, surrounded by multi-storey luxurious hotels near Mumbai Airport, a symbol of riches and globalization. Many Indian authors have studied the in-depth life in Mumbai from various aspects, for instance, Sonia Faleiro’s Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay Dance Bars (2010), Suketu Mehta’s Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found (2004), etc. This paper takes into consideration how Boo depicts the realities of garbage gatherers’ life especially Abdul and his family, somewhat prosperous among Annawadians but caught in the swirls of fate, making use of her skills of journalism and fiction writing.
Events can inflict trauma on survivors. The effects can be even worse, in case of repetition, wit... more Events can inflict trauma on survivors. The effects can be even worse, in case of repetition, witnessing to the degree that the events are severe, sudden, and inescapable and carry the actual or implicit threat of death or personal injury. Belief of the world being a safe place to live is shattered and life goes beyond our control. There is a feeling of being powerless and insecure. The sense of powerlessness and helplessness spills. Such events are overwhelming and unexpected; it renders its victim shocked; and it leads to a sense of loss of control and meaning. Loss may trigger depression; sometimes we can also emerge sane and strong. Over the past decade, experts have made great strides in understanding our response to traumatic events.
The colossal scene of carnage of Partition has become the theme of innumerable works of
literary ... more The colossal scene of carnage of Partition has become the theme of innumerable works of literary art like, Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight's Children (1980), Bhisham Sahni’s Tamas (1974), Manohar Malgonkar’s A Bend in the Ganges (1965), and Bapsi Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy Man (1988). There are also several short stories such as Toba Tek Singh (1955) by Saadat Hassan Manto, Urdu poems such as Subh-e-Azadi (Freedom’s Dawn, 1947) by Faiz Ahmad Faiz. A non-fiction work by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre that recorded the events surrounding the first Independence Day celebrations in 1947 is Freedom at Midnight (1975). It is indispensable to bring to one’s mind the name of Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan while revisiting Indian history, especially Partition history, through literature. This paper discusses nature of violence, characters involved and the ultimate message communicated in the novel Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh.
Literary journalism, a hybrid writing style that borrows
techniques from journalism and prose fic... more Literary journalism, a hybrid writing style that borrows techniques from journalism and prose fiction, is being scrutinized as literature since its conception in early twentieth century. This kind of genre when read, arouse in readers the feelings of empathy and rejoining with their own experiences and sensations. Taking some fitting examples of this genre from American literature, the purpose in this paper is to identify the journalistic research methodologies which have contributed to the fictional tradition as much as what the use of literary narrative methods have meant to the journalism tradition.
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Papers by Gurpreet Kaur
literary art like, Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight's Children (1980), Bhisham
Sahni’s Tamas (1974), Manohar Malgonkar’s A Bend in the Ganges (1965), and Bapsi
Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy Man (1988). There are also several short stories such as Toba Tek
Singh (1955) by Saadat Hassan Manto, Urdu poems such as Subh-e-Azadi (Freedom’s Dawn,
1947) by Faiz Ahmad Faiz. A non-fiction work by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre that
recorded the events surrounding the first Independence Day celebrations in 1947 is Freedom at
Midnight (1975). It is indispensable to bring to one’s mind the name of Khushwant Singh’s Train
to Pakistan while revisiting Indian history, especially Partition history, through literature. This
paper discusses nature of violence, characters involved and the ultimate message communicated
in the novel Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh.
techniques from journalism and prose fiction, is being
scrutinized as literature since its conception in early
twentieth century. This kind of genre when read, arouse in
readers the feelings of empathy and rejoining with their
own experiences and sensations. Taking some fitting
examples of this genre from American literature, the
purpose in this paper is to identify the journalistic
research methodologies which have contributed to the
fictional tradition as much as what the use of literary
narrative methods have meant to the journalism tradition.
literary art like, Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight's Children (1980), Bhisham
Sahni’s Tamas (1974), Manohar Malgonkar’s A Bend in the Ganges (1965), and Bapsi
Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy Man (1988). There are also several short stories such as Toba Tek
Singh (1955) by Saadat Hassan Manto, Urdu poems such as Subh-e-Azadi (Freedom’s Dawn,
1947) by Faiz Ahmad Faiz. A non-fiction work by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre that
recorded the events surrounding the first Independence Day celebrations in 1947 is Freedom at
Midnight (1975). It is indispensable to bring to one’s mind the name of Khushwant Singh’s Train
to Pakistan while revisiting Indian history, especially Partition history, through literature. This
paper discusses nature of violence, characters involved and the ultimate message communicated
in the novel Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh.
techniques from journalism and prose fiction, is being
scrutinized as literature since its conception in early
twentieth century. This kind of genre when read, arouse in
readers the feelings of empathy and rejoining with their
own experiences and sensations. Taking some fitting
examples of this genre from American literature, the
purpose in this paper is to identify the journalistic
research methodologies which have contributed to the
fictional tradition as much as what the use of literary
narrative methods have meant to the journalism tradition.