1776- A NOVEL


 

AN OVERVIEW

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THE LITERARY CANON: AN OVERVIEW

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THE LITERARY CANON: AN OVERVIEW Defining canon? The word  canon comes from the Greek word Kanon, meaning a measuring rod or standard. Now, the literary works that have achieved the status of classics, i.e of lasting quality and timeless worth are clubbed under the literary canon.  Oh! What's classics?  Classics are an outstanding example of timeless worth and lasting quality. It was first used by the 2nd-century Roman writer Aulus Gellius. It is said that Aulus in the miscellany Noctes Atticae place writers as classics scriptor , non preletarius ( " A distinguished, not a commonplace writer"). Now, this kind of classification began with the Greeks! The ranking of their cultural works appeared with the word canon. A canon could be a body of work representing high culture: be it literature, music or philosophy. Now, in literature, if you ask, we have influential works from every continent. Continent, you say! Well, some classics precede the coinage of the word 'con...
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THE MANY RAMAYANAS FOR AN UNPREJUDICED MIND

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P aula Richman, William H Danforth professor of South Asian Religions at Oberlin, Ohio, specialises in the study of Ramayana and Tamil. In her lecture ' Crossing Boundaries- Narratives and Persons Who Travel' at Delhi-based South Asian University, she spoke on stories travelling across borders over the centuries.    Speaking of the journey of a story or text across borders, she cited how Ramayana has taken "different forms, where stories are not only translated but retold, with each poet retelling it in a local context." She said various cultures have emphasised different "morals" from it.  Richman's 1991 book, ' Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia ', had to face criticism from Hindu activists for including inappropriate interpretations of the holy text. An essay by historian AK Ramanujan titled, ' Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five examples and three thoughts on translations ', which detailed several interpret...
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The Bride

  In the dead of the night, She stood in front of the mirror. In the company of her incompetence   Struggling to drape a saree. Rustling noises Cacophony of expectations  Jingle of the jhumka Burning kohl Ruddy    lips Flushed cheeks Coloured manicured nails  A bindi placed in the middle  To hold together. Her ragged nerves Met face to face   A woman  Staring long and deep  At lifeless cast aside skin. In her artwork  Carrying a draped complex fabric  The colours and hues The fragrance She set to walk in an arid landscape. Her feet bled  To water the listless  Her brow sweat  To provide refuge  Her eyes burnt brighter Than the scowling sun Her saree  Turned into a bed of lush greenery  As she lay to rest. 
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