THE PUPIL OF LITERATURE

 INTRODUCTION Machiavellianism is "the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct".    The word comes from the Italian Renaissance diplomat and writer Niccolo Machiavelli, born in 1469, who wrote  Il Principe ( The Prince).   Soon after its publication in the 16th century, it saw infecting Northern European politics. Having originated in Italy, it soon spread to France and the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572 in Paris is seen as the product of Machiavellianism. The concept was greatly influenced by the Huguenot Innocent Gentillet, who published his  DiscourscontreMachievel  in 1576.      DEPICTION OF MACHIAVELLIANISM IN ART   The concept of Machiavellianism was seized upon by many contemporaries. The English Playwrights William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were enthusiastic proponents.    Shakespeare's Gloucester, later Richard the Third, refers to Machiavelli...

  A HOUSE FOR MR.BISWAS deals with a theme of deeper significance, the theme of selfhood where an individual quests for identity and struggles to acquire a personal place for which the “house” stands as an evocative symbol all through. It traces the story of a man’s struggle to make something out of a circumscribed and mediocre existence. The concluding lines of the ‘Prologue’ to the novel sum up, in a nutshell, what the novel is actually about: “How terrible it would have been at this time, to be without it…to have lived and died as one had been born, unnecessary and unaccommodated.” The words very clearly suggests that the ‘House’ becomes a symbol of order and identity. It affirms the importance of such values as independence, individuality, creativity and a degree of freedom from human complicity.     The possibility of acquiring a personal space in the New World is suggestive of a fragile hope.   The protagonist, Mr. Biswas’s task in the novel happens to...

TOPICS Volpone Gorboduc (play) Venus and Adonis (Shakespeare poem) Shakespeare's Sonnets VOLPONE(1605-06) It is Italian for sly fox. A comedy by English Playwright Ben Jonson Elements of city comedy, beast fable directed to satire on greed and lust Considered to be the most performed play and among the finest Jacobean era comedies. It was premiered at the Globe Theatre in 1606. It was performed by the King's Men. After the Restoration, the play was owned by the King's Men of Thomas Killigrew. It was performed at Drury Lane in 1663. Characters - very important ( List from Wikipedia) Volpone (the Sly Fox) – a greedy and rich childless Venetian  magnifico Mosca (the Fly) – his servant Voltore (the Vulture) – a lawyer Corbaccio (the Raven) – an avaricious old miser Bonario – Corbaccio's son Corvino (the Carrion Crow) – a merchant Celia – Corvino's wife Sir Politic Would-Be – ridiculous Englishman Lady Would-Be (the parrot) – English lady and wife of Sir Politic-Wo...

  Feminism, since its coinage has been used and interpreted in numerous shades and shapes of its meaning. The essence of feminism has, however, always been more or less the same. It stands for the belief that women have the same rights and opportunities that men have. In this way, feminism serves as an aid to women's empowerment. Feminist literary criticism is the direct product of the ‘women’s movement’ of the 1960s. This movement being literary from the start realized the necessity to combat the images of women promulgated by literature and aimed at exposing the mechanisms of patriarchy, that is, the cultural mindset in men and women which perpetuated sexual inequality. Notwithstanding its Western origin, literature all over the world through this outlook has questioned and challenged the imprisoning customs of patriarchy.           Indian English literature in the post-independence era has witnessed a spurt in women’s writing as well as feminist lite...

INTRODUCTION No, we are not talking about the 'October Morning' in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, or oil on canvas by Clarice Beckett, also not the one in the Guildhall Art Library and definitely not the slew of music albums called by the same name. But we are talking about October by Robert Frost. You can read the poem here .  But do that later, first all attention here! BEFORE MOVING TO ROBERT FROST Do you belong to that category of English Graduate who has become all cozy and comfortable with British Literature? Are you experiencing some kind of trepidation in the crossover? Or does Frost reminds you only of ' the woods are lovely dark and deep  ' from the ICSE 10th standard English reader? If you fall in any of the three or even just borderline, you are in the right place. LET'S DECODE FROST STEP BY STEP You want to see how he looks? Look , but you won't be able to recall his face. I find his works doing more justice to his memory.  Now, as you Googl...

INTRODUCTION September like every month is full of literary events. To name a few- on the 6th, we celebrated 'Read a Book Day'; Roald Dahl's birthday was on the 13th; Hobbit day was on 22nd, and such others. I wanted to write on all. But I could write only on one due to time crunch.  I selected an event called the Banned Books Week celebrated in the last week of September. But why was the last week of the month singled out? What was the intent behind the celebration? - all these questions and several others cropped up in my mind. Let's take a look at it one by one.  BEFORE THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND- A NOTE ON BANNING AND CENSORSHIP "You can't do this! I won't let you." That's how banning sounds like. You don't need to drink gallons of lessons on human psychology to figure out what's banned is the most attractive. The louder the uproar, the more limelight it gets.  Freedom like power can be used for the good as well as abused. Drugs are ban...

THIS IS MY FIRST BLOG!  IT'S TO GOING TO BE READ BY MANY( I HOPE SO WHILE CHUCKLING INSIDE!!) IT IS NO LONGER GOING TO REMAIN IN THE PAGES AND LANGUISH WAITING TO SEE THE LIGHT OF THE DAY. The literature of the seven continents or say the world literature has been fascinating me since the second year of my undergraduate degree. I love discussing and relating the pieces of writings with the affairs of the world.  My aim behind starting a blog is to chisel and give direction to my unshaped ideas. My writing is a medium to connect with the outside world- THE NETIZENS! I want to kindle the light of literature in every remote corner. I want it to share as much space as the news of reel life celebrities or a fiery political debate in any household.  I have always tried to push beyond the drawn boundaries of literature. I am from India, but my purview isn't Indian Literature only. My eyes and ears stretch to the literature of seven continents.  Writing fascinates me. The cr...