Literary Appreciation

  Original Scope It is originated from Greece It refers to war songs, love poems, political verses, lamentations for the dead, as subjects in earlier stage. The Greeks judged this composition by its form not by its subject matter. So, it was written in elegiac measure , a couplet composed of a dactylic hexameter followed by dactylic pentameter. Modern composition In modern usage, it is the theme that matters not the metre.  The theme must be mournful or sadly reflective, may be a lamentation for the dead. It is written as a tribute to something loved and lost.  In many poems , the personal loss have been written in very simple language, usually aims at an effect of dignity and solemnity without a sense of strain or artificiality.  Example: Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard and the form he adapted is quatrains in iambic pentameter.  Other features Milton laments the degradation of poetry and religion in Lycidas, an Elegy on the death of a "learned friend", Ed...

  Features: It is of Greek origin It is a serious and dignified composition. It is exalted in subject matter and elevated in tone and style. Neither the theme nor its treatment can be trivial or undignified. The poet is serious both in the choice his subject and in the manner of its presentation. Example: Wordsworth's 'Ode on the Intimations of Immortality' It is longer than the lyric proper, for the emotion it embodies is of a kind that admits of development. It does not, like the lyric, aim at giving the effect of "unpremeditated art". It may be full of deep and sincere emotion, but its expression is expected to be much more consciously elaborate, impressive and diffuse. It is often in the form of an address, addressed directly to the being or object it treats of. The opening lines sometimes contain an apostrophe or appeal, which is characteristic of the whole treatment of the poem. Example: Shelley's " Ode to the West Wind" begins with 'O wil...

  Origin: In Italy, latter half of the 13th century. It is associated with the great Italian poet, Petrarch. It was originally a short poem, recited to the accompaniment of music. The word "sonnet" was derived from the Italian word "sonetto", meaning a little sound or strain. The Italian Sonnet: From its brilliant use by Petrarch, the Italian Sonnet is often known as Petrarchan. Sometimes it was called as classical form.  It is a short poem of 14 lines, expressing one single thought or feeling.  It is composed of two parts- Octave (a stanza of eight lines) and Sestet (a stanza of six lines) The Octave has two rhymes arranged according to the following scheme: a b b a, a b b a. The Octave may be divided into two stanzas of four lines each, called quatrains. At the end of the Octave i.e. after the eighth line, there is a well- marked pause or caesura , followed by a volta or turn in the thought in the Sestet.Yet this break is not found in the Italian Sonnet, or in M...

Origin: Greek song was divided into two classes- melic or lyric song which was sung by a single voice to the accompaniment of a lyre; and choric song, which was intended for collective singing to the accompaniment of instrumental music, supplemented, probably, by a dance. True to its Greek origin, Lyric has the two characteristics: i) it is an expression of a single emotion ii) it is a musical composition The music in the Lyric: In ancient times music provided by the minstrel's harp or lyre formed an external accompaniment to a Lyric. However unpolished the language of the song, it was made musical by the voice of the singer keeping tune with the sound of the instrument. The subject matter also was of little importance so long as the singer's voice could give it the right emotional effect. Later ages discovered the rhythmic possibilities of the words themselves unassisted by music. The Elizabethans, in particular, were past masters of the art of investing words with the hig...

Subjective and Objective Poetry Poetry treats of two kinds of subject matter - that which is supplied by external objects, such as deeds, events and the things we see around us and that which is supplied by the poet's own thoughts and feelings. The former gives rise to Objective Poetry , the latter to subjective. In one case, the poet functions as a detached observer, describing what he has seen or heard; in the other he brings to bear his own reflections upon what he has seen or heard. The same subject may, of course, be treated either way. If the poet views it from without, confining himself, that is to say, merely to it's externals, his treatment is Objective; If he views it from within, giving expression, that is to say, to the thoughts and feelings it arouses in his mind, his treatment is Subjective. One might put it more briefly by saying that Objective Poetry is impersonal, Subjective is personal. In the former the focus of attention is something that is outward - a prai...

Literature is divided into four main genres - Poetry, Prose, Fiction and Non Fiction. The term genre usually refers to one of the three classical literary forms of epic, drama, or poetry. This categorization is slightly  confusing as the epic occurs in verse, too, but is not classified as poetry. It is, in fact, a precursor of the modern novel (i.e., prose fiction) because of its structural features such as plot, character presentation and narrative perspective. Although this old classification is still in use, the tendency today is to abandon the term “epic” and introduce “prose,” “fiction” or “prose fiction” for the relatively young literary forms of the novel and the short story.   A further key term in theoretical treatises on literary phenomena  is discourse. Like text type, it is used as a term for any kind of  classifiable linguistic expression. It has become a useful denotation for various linguistic conventions referring to...

The history of English Literature is divided into distinct phases termed as "Ages" or "periods" with their characteristic features. These are named after a major literary writer or the ruling monarch of that period such as Age of Shakespeare or Elizabethan Age. The earliest of the phases of English literature is called Anglo Saxon period after the Germanic tribes who settled in the Celtic British Isles. This period produced Oral Literature with songs about battles, god's, heroes and legends. This period set the tone for English Poetry with the works of poets such as Caedmon and Cynewulf. The best known work in this period is the Old English poem Beowulf . The Norman (French) conquest of England in 1066 with the Battle of Hastings brought a new or Modern direction to the literature of the Middle English Period. The French influence in the culture, social life and literature of this period is immense. This period produced writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Thomas M...

* What is Literature? * Why do we study Literature? * What is the role of Literature in Life? * Does Literature reflect/ mirror society? * Does Literature construct society? * How should we study Literature? * Is Shakespeare, Bernard Shaw relevant today? Activity: What are the benefits of studying Literature? Post your answers in the comment box.

  By studying the Humanities— philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history and l anguage— we broaden our intellectual foundation. Students learn that “most human situations defy a single correct answer,   that life itself is rarely, if ever, as precise as a math problem, as clear as an elegant equation.” W hen students study the Humanities, they learn “how individuals,  organizations, and nations act on their desires and concerns. They gain historical and cultural  perspectives, and critical thinking skills that help them collaborate with people across the globe, as   well as communication skills that enable them to listen, explain, and inspire” (Fitzgerald).  Studying the Humanities exposes students to creative ideas from great minds outside of science that they can then apply to their own work. T he study of the sciences is not just physical but also intellectual. Studying the Humanities  helps students to connect ideas across cur...

SYLLABUS: UNIT I - INTRODUCTION 1.1 Studying Literature  1.2. Value of Humanities in the Present Times 1.3 Brief Survey of Literature in English 1.4 Genres and Forms 1.5 Glossary of important terms in Genres and form 1.6 Unit –end Assessment and Assignment UNIT II- READING AND APPRECIATING POETRY 2.1 Understanding Poetic Devices  2.2 Text-1 William Wordsworth- The World is Too Much With Us  2.3 W.H.Auden- Funeral Blues  2.4 Critical Analysis of Text I  2.5 Critical Analysis of Text II 2.6 Glossary of Poetic Terms 2.7 Unit end Assessment/Assignment UNIT III- READING AND APPRECIATING PROSE 3.1 Understanding Non-Fiction Writing 3.2 My Lost Dollar Stephen Leacock 3.3 Kindly Adjust to our English Shashi Tharoor 3.4 Critical Appreciation of Text 1 3.5 Critical Appreciation of Text 2 3.6Glossary of Prose Terms 3.7 Unit - end Assessment & Assignment UNIT IV- READING AND APPRECIATING DRAMA 4.1 Understanding Dramatic Devices 4.2 G.B. Shaw’s Arms& The Man 4.3 Criti...