Literary Foundation

Modern Education and Classic "Modern Education and Classic" is an essay by T S Eliot. In this essay, Eliot presents his views regarding the modern education system. The essay commences with a tone of dissatisfaction over the contemporary education system. He blames the unsettled and disarrangement of society as a real cause of the worsening of education in society. The vague and diverse opinions of people lead to more chaos and meaninglessness in the relation of education to the social system. Eliot says the "theory of education" must be derived from our philosophy of life . We must know what we want in education and what we want in general. This disintegration of education in society, which Eliot calls 'Crisis of Education'. While defining the reason for this crisis Eliot says, " The progress of education of several countries has been one aspect a drift, from another aspect a push; for it has tented to be dominated by the idea of getting on ". Fur...

The term   Culture Industry   was coined by two German thinkers Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno in their book   Dialectic of Enlightenment , in 1944. As per PK Nayer, the ' Culture Industry ' is mainly used to describe mass culture forms. It transforms an individual from a thinking and discerning individual into an unthinking individual. The   Culture Industry   does not want the consumer to think but merely consume. In the Marxist's view 'Culture' is not an abstract thing that is created by an individual genius. Rather, it is a product of any society's economic and social conditions. Adorno and Horkheimer have mentioned that the  Culture Industry  claims standards are based on consumers' choice, which is an illusion. Rather, the culture Industry decides what should be catered to an individual. In this cut-throat competition, the interested party uses various technological terms to manipulate people and help the culture industry increase its hold on ...

The Prophet Song is a remarkable novel of the contemporary era. It is written by the Irish novelist Paul Lynch. The novel portrays a dictatorial government which is altering every fact and belief of people. Further, it also portrays a mother's determination to save her family from the torture of GNSB, as the democratic republic of Ireland slides inexorably into totalitarianism. In the novel, the socio-political picture of Ireland has been interpreted so well that it has its resonance with modern times across the globe. This novel puts a woman named, Eilish Stack at the centre of the novel's content that requires the serious and critical attention of the reader to analyse the contemporary issues of human concern, such as 'nation', 'nationalism', 'gender', 'feminism', and 'post-humanistic perspective' along with contemporary attempts to criticize the newer narration in the realm of style that has emerged forcefully in the novel Prophet Song...

Rukmani is a protagonist of highly acclaimed the novel "Nectar in a Sieve" published in 1954. The novel is authored by Kamla Markandey (1924 to 2004), who is known for her realistic portrayal of Indian society. The title of this Nobel is taken from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's short poem “Work Without Hope” (1825). As the heroine of this novel, Rukmani narrates her own life experiences, transformation, unfulfilled desires, and people whom she meets and her relationship with those people.           Rukmini is the younger daughter of the village headman. She is the wife of Nathan and mother of eight children named- Irrawaddy, Arjun Thambi, Murugan, Raja, Selvan, Kuti and adopted child Pully. She is a friend of Kali, Janki, Kunti, Old Granny and Doctor Canny as well as a mother-in-law of Murugan's wife.           Psychologically, she is a strong woman and has an optimistic disposition. When her desire for a Grand marriage like her...

Christopher Marlowe was an immensely renowned dramatist of the Elizabethan Era, often hailed as the morning star of the English Renaissance. His profound erudition shone brightly, reflecting his thorough grounding in classical learning. Yet, Marlowe chose not to mimic the classical models; instead, he masterfully blended elements from classic drama, infusing new life into the then-emerging Elizabethan drama. Known for his innovative approach and Renaissance influence, Marlowe brought high seriousness, bombastic language, and the use of blank verse to the stage. As a pioneering Elizabethan tragedian, he is considered the "Father of English tragedy". Marlowe's emphasis on high genius within his tragedies set a new standard, recognising that tragic outcomes must be a reflection of character development—a vital and manifold contribution to the art form. Before Marlowe, Elizabethan drama was heavily influenced by Senecan tragedy, characterised by lengthy moralising speeches, ...

T he term  Touchstone  was first coined by Matthew Arnold in his work  The Study of Poetry . Touchstone means a piece of fine-grained dark jasper formula used for testing alloys of gold by observing the colour of the mark  they made on it.  But in literature, it is used to  is used   to judge the quality of poetry. A Victorian poet and critic,  Matthew Arnold  (1822-1888) was considered the first  modern critic and could be called a critic's critic.    He was a champion in both poetry and literary criticism.  As per Arnold  the purpose of literary criticism was to know the best that is known and thought in the world . With the desire  to know the best, he created a current of true and fresh ideas that influenced the whole school of literary criticism including new critics such as T.S Eliot, F.R. Leavis, and Allen Tate.    He founded the sociological school of criticism and through his  touchstone...

Samuel Johnson, a renowned figure of the 18th century, was known for his many talents as a critic, essayist, moralist, editor, and biographer. His intellect was highly respected, and he produced numerous notable works, including " The Lives of British Poet ", originally titled " Biographical and Critical, to the Works of the English Poets " from 1771 to 1781. This work is considered one of his most acclaimed pieces and consists of biographical and critical evaluations of 52 poets from the 18th century. Johnson divides the work into three parts. In the biography of Abraham Cowley, Johnson mentions his predecessor Dr. Sprat and criticizes his work for being more of a funeral oration than a biography. Abraham Cowley (1618-1667) was a posthumous child raised by his mother and proved to be a true genius of his time. In his diligent reading of " Fairy Queene ", Cowley is described as possessing the particular mental capacity known as true genius. He began his wr...

An Introduction (1965) is an autobiographical poem by Kamala Das (1934-2009). She was an iconoclast and one who introduced confessional elements in Indian English poetry. This poem was published in her first volume of poetry,  Summer in Culcatta, in 1965 . Her other works are- The Descendent (1967), The Old Play House, and Another Poems  (1984). She is essentially known for her bold and frank expression. An acute obsession with love and confessional modes is an important feature of her poetry.  As per M.H. Abrams-                    "Confessional poetry designates a type of narrative                        and lyric verse, which deals with the facts and                        intimates the mental and physical experiences of the poet's            ...

Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) was a Victorian poet and critic and could be called a critic's critic because his criticism chose to be an educator and guardian of public opinion and propagate the best ideas instead of taking care only about beauties and defects of any works of art He is known for creating a current of true and fresh ideas that had an immense impact on the whole School of literary criticism including new critics such as T. S. Eliot, F. R. Leavis and Allen Tate. He is the founder of the Sociological School of Criticism and through his touchstone method introduced scientific objectivity to critical evaluation by providing comparison and analysis as two primary tools of criticism. Arnold was convinced that the future of poetry was immense because the Orthodox religion was declining. And this deciling will force mankind to turn toward poetry for its joy, consolation and elevation of the mind. Therefore he, in his seminal essay The Study of Poetry (1888), says that poetry ...