Languages And Comparative Literature - Mphil Thesis

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Orientalising the Postcolonial Nation-State: A Study of The Inheritance of Loss and Half a Life
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kaur, Manpreet; Kaur, Zameerpal
In the postcolonial analysis, the term nation-state has been critiqued mainly because the postcolonial nation states experience multiple exclusions and unequal power distribution. This feeling of marginalisation and exclusion is voiced by many postcolonial writers who are concerned with the psychological effects of the political and economic-cultural structures of the postcolonial world. Both the novels selected for this study, disclose the effects of up-rootedness and displacement and ultimately the quest for a particular nation-state. Kiran Desai in her The Inheritance of Loss deals with the themes of cultural conflicts, migration, nostalgia, globalization, multiculturalism, political struggles and economic inequality. Likewise, V. S. Naipaul in his novel Half a Life traces the themes of alienation, migration, displacement, rootlessness, mockery and self-deception of the emigrants. Biju in The Inheritance of Loss and Willie Chandran in Half a Life expose the gamut of issues including the multiple exclusion and distribution faced by postcolonial nation-states, threats of migration, loss of identity, globalization, and economic disparity. The attempt was to analyse both the texts selected for the study to bring forth the underlining beliefs and ideologies. The focus was also on understanding the effects political movements and situations have on personal relations. Study of both the texts foregrounds the miserable conditions of the lives of subaltern people and their continuous struggle and hope of assimilation in the postcolonial nation-states.
Critiquing family as an institution in difficult daughters and unaccustomed earth
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Basanl, Tania; Singh, Rajendra Kumar
Manju Kapur and Jhumpa Lahiri, both contemporary writers, hailing from middle class strata of society take women from the middle class as their subjects who have nothing dramatic or larger than life scenario about their lives but are domestic women leading ordinary day to day life. Despite their apparent geographical, cultural and contextual differences the predicaments of women that they reflect in their writings show some similarities. Family being an important unit forms the backdrop in both writers in which they place their women protagonists. The present study is an attempt to compare Manju Kapur and Jhumpa Lahiri as feminist writers who react almost identically having been placed in different native contexts to woman's problems. The technique that both use as writers is different with one writing her best in a short story and the other in prose using almost similar themes with family forming an integral part of their works. The study brings forth that Manju Kapur is a 'feminist' writer whereas Jhumpa Lahiri is a 'feminine' writer. Manju talks of women's body, spaces, and their psyche as the main highlight whereas Lahiri talks not of gender but of generations and relations. Manju's women are found in confined places like kitchen, the dressing room, or the attic where Virmati was locked whereas Lahiri's women are placed in open spaces with all exposure but still they meet the same fate. Lahiri and Manju do not out rightly deny the hope of harmony in family by expounding on the notions of relations and family in their respective works.
Socio-cultural concerns in ajmer singh aulakh's sat begane and gurdial singh night of the half moon
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kaur, Manpreet; Singh, Amandeep Singh
Ajmer Singh Aulakh and Gurdial Singh are two prominent Punjabi writers who belong to the Malwa region of Punjab. Both the writers portray the everyday realities of marginalised people especially small or landless farmers. Commercialisation of agriculture under the Green Revolution has changed the socio-cultural environment of Punjab considerably, and these changes get reflected in vernacular literature also. In this study, comparative analysis of writings of these two writers has been done so as to analyse various socio-cultural concerns present in their texts. Both the writers belong to a relatively backward area of Punjab, and have focused on small farmers. These texts show complexities of rural agricultural life where land is both the main source of all livelihood and is also cause of many disputes. Due to its power to make or break the future of a family, hold over land becomes an issue of life and death. This over-reliance over land distorts the personal and familial life, in which women are the main sufferers. This socio-economic situation gets compounded with the addition of feelings of revenge, honour etc. which draw their strength from the cultural milieu. Sat Begane and Night of the Half Moon under study portray this complex reality of Punjabi farming community. The focus of this study is on the complex socio-cultural factors and economic transformation of the region that has deeply affected the human relationships and value system during this period.
Filming of fiction: A comparative study of bapsi sidhwa's ice-candy-man and1947 earth
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Singh, Barjinder; Kaur, Zameerpal
A visual adaptation of a literary text is a complex phenomenon, involving the basic paradox of word and image, so some sort of compression, omission is natural when the linguistic signs are converted into visual signs. The visual adaptation of a literary text may result into the reinterpretation, modulation, adaptation or reassessment of the meaning of earlier literary texts. The partition of the Indian subcontinent has got widespread resonance in literature but there has been a relative silence in serious cinema and academia about partition and its related issues. Bapsi Sidhwa's novel Ice-Candy-Man tries to reassess or reconstruct the history of Partition giving voice to the marginalised groups on the levels of gender, class, ethnicity and nationality. Sidhwa reviews the history of Partition from a more or less feminist and Pakistani perspective to displace or counter the discursive tendencies of historical thought in Europe or India. 1947: Earth, unlike the novel can be seen as part of the grand narratives of communal violence and human nature. The film adaptation of the novel closely adheres to the novel in terms of general plot or dialogues. But since cinema is entirely different medium having its own concerns of economics, authorship, production, distribution and reception, some of the issues in the novel are silenced while others are foregrounded. This dissertation studies the dynamics of the adaptation of Sidhwa's novel from this perspective.
Theme of Revolt in the Selected Poems of Pash and Lal Singh Dil
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kaur, Manpreet; Kumar Rajinder
The central theme of Punjabi poets Pash (Avtar Singh Sandhu) and Lal Singh Dil is a revolt against an unjust social and economic system. This study is an attempt to trace this theme by undertaking a detailed study of Pash Sampooran Pash Kav by Pash and Naaglok by Lal Singh Dil. The prime object of this research project is to bring into focus the issues of protest and revolt surfacing in the different classes of society in Punjab of sixties and seventies, through a comparative study of the two anthologies. Both two poets Pash and Lal Singh Dil are product of the revolutionary and explicitly political phase of Punjabi poetry. Their work is concerned with social, political and economic issues, particularly critiquing inequality, injustice and exploitation of the poor and the marginalised. Pash's poetry is a revolt against the inhuman political and social system of the country. Challenging the political system of the country, Pash refuses to be a gentle citizen accepting the things as they are. Casteism is a more important issue in Lal Singh Dil's poetry. Reflecting the deplorable circumstances of his life and that of those around him suffering extreme of poverty, injustice and oppression, he emerged as a major voice of the Dalits. Lal Singh Dil was very conscious of his caste and class and took up his pen for his fellow victims. Pash, who received more recognition than Dil during his life time, on the other hand, came from a relatively privileged class and his concerns are different. This comparative study tries to trace the type of revolt in the poems of both these poets.
A study of U.R Anantha murthy's novel samskara in the context of indian philosophy of charvaka
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Yashpal; Kaur, Zameerpal
Indian philosophy broadly comprises of two traditions: Orthodox and Heterodox. Charvaka philosophy occupies a prominent position in the realm of heterodox philosophy. It has radically influenced Indian philosophical tradition. Its main contribution lies in the rejection of dogmatic religious fanaticism, asceticism, extreme spiritualism and casteism. Philosophy along with other approaches can be an important tool in the interpretation and illumination of a text. The analysis of the main tenets of Charvaka philosophy throws light on atheism, realism, naturalism, sensualism and skepticism. In the novel Samskara by U.R. Anantha Murthy, Naranappa, the main character of the novel is an adherent to the materialist philosophy of Charvaka. Naranappa is against all types of religion, custom, Brahmanism, spirituality and follows the pleasure principle. Contrary to him is the character of Praneshacharya who follows the path of spirituality and the precepts of Vedas, Puranas, dharma and God. In a way Anantha Murthy’s Samskara falls into the line of the great modernist novels that deal with the conflict of spirit and flesh. Anantha Murthy presenting a panoramic view of a typical south Indian village, including various topographical and flora - fauna details, represents a kind of reworking of the ancient Indian philosophy.
Portrayal of diaspora in english and vernacular fiction: A study of the namesake and hashiye
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kaur, Shyamkiran; Singh, Amandeep
Diaspora is a complex phenomenon which has important economic, political, social, and religious dimensions. It can be voluntary or forcible movement of people from their native land into new regions. Diasporic discourses deal with themes like cultural dualism, racial discrimination, identity crisis, alienation, struggle for survival, nostalgia, hybridity, transnational migration, globalization and second-generation cultural gaps etc. The approach of this study is to undertake individual studies of Jhumpa Lahiri and Darshan Singh Dhir and examine the diasporic issues in their chosen works, The Namesake and Hashiye respectively. The prime object of this research is to bring into focus the major issues of the different classes of migrants by undertaking a comparative study of two novels: one published in English and the other in Punjabi; one written by a woman and the other by a man. Both Lahiri and Dhir portray the well known as well as normally concealed world of migrants in their fictional narratives. Lahiri portrays the individual and familial matters from a broadly female perspective while Dhir reveals political, cultural and familial issues. These writings encapsulate many experiences of the Indian American and Indian Britain families from changing family relationships and issues of culture to the overall challenge of navigating a new set of identity-related complications and racial abuses. The works of Dhir and Lahiri bring into focus issues related to diasporic communities and highlight some of the problems they face in host societies due to their ethnicity, race and culture.
Historico-mythical analysis of girish karnad's tugh laqhlaq and swarajbir's krishna
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Disha; Saini, Alpana
The present study proposes to do the comparative analysis of two plays- Tughlaq by Girish Karnad and Krishna by Swarajbir. Both the playwrights go back to ancient sources to conceive their plays. Karnad exploits the history of intelligent, sharp but unsuccessful Muslim ruler Tughlaq who is popularly known as "mad Muhammad". Swarajbir has used the mythical and historical character of Krishna to construct his play. The thread that unites both the plays is the negotiation of mythical and historical personages used in the plays with the contemporary reality. Both the plays transcend the periods they belong to and emerge as examples of metaphoric depiction of modern times. This study explores how these plays are charged with a contemporary flavour and to analyse these texts from a poststructuralist perspective comprising of various streams of thought such as archetypal criticism, Marxism, Historicity, Discourse analysis, Culture Studies and Gender Studies that further allow the texts to unravel and allow for a multifaceted research.
Struggle for identity comparative study of cry, the peacock and home
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Romana, Khushwinder Kaur; Kaur, Zameerpal
The present dissertation scrutinises the construction of female identity in Indian society in Anita Desai's novel Cry, The Peacock and Manju Kapur' novel Home. It has been divided in four chapters. The first chapter deals with the key-concepts of Feminism, in which background of western feminism, three waves of feminism, schools of feminist thought and Indian feminism is described. Second chapter analyse the multi-facetedness and constructedness in the identity of Maya in the novel Cry, The Peacock. Anita Desai depicts the protagonist of her novel to be deeply embroiled in the quest for her real self. She is trying to find it in her social, personal and intimate relations. Maya cannot repress her urge to define the completeness in her identity through creation of a new life. The urge constantly nags at her and makes her conceive of her identity as incomplete. Third chapter of the dissertation focuses on Nisha's protest to establish her identity in Manju Kapur's novel Home. In this chapter the key- models of barrenness, dowry system, incestuous abuse, women education and economic independence of women are illustrated. Nisha, the protagonist of the novel is quite modern who discards the traditional thoughts of the society. In the fourth chapter conclusion is discussed with the comparative aspects of Anita Desai's novel Cry, The Peacock and Manju Kapur's novel Home. The conclusion tries to set up a common ground on which Cry, The Peacock and Home are compared. It presents the picture of contemporary Indian society in which women are yearning to ascertain their autonomous selves. The present study presents the plight of Indian women who are caught in traditions and conservative thoughts. It depicts the desire of woman for her autonomous self. The present study in itself is not complete but it brings into focus some issues of women
Depiction of dalit explotation and remonstration: a comparative study of salaam and muktiparva
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Chitra; Sen, Rajinder Kumar
Dalit literature sheds the light on the whole society. Dalit literature depicts the suffering and pain of the Dalits. In Dalit literature, short story and novel writing both the genre has important place. By presenting the problems of the present social structure in India, these texts portray significant social critique of the prevailing problems. Omprakash Valmiki's Salaam (short story collection) and Mohandass Namishrai's Muktiparva replicate the internal distress, pain and revolt of Dalits. This research is an attempt to analyze these two texts and to reproduce as a social critique. Omprakash Valmiki's Salaam represents the discrimination, illtreatment, sufferings, untouchability and harsh realities of Dalits. It also highlights the socio-economic and political exploitation of Dalits by the upper caste. Mohandas Namishrai's Muktiparva is not only the depiction of Dalits, but it is also a mirror of the whole Indian society. Muktiparva shows the conditions of Dalits after independence. Dalits are still exploited and neglected due to their caste in the society. It unveils the social structure that exploits Dalits. It represents the socioeconomic, political and cultural gap between the Dalits and upper castes in Indian society. Through these texts, Omprakash Valmiki and Mohandass Namishrai have tried to bring self-assured attached with the whole society. Both texts highlight the struggle, discrimination against exploitation on the basis of caste system and raise the voice for the upliftment and empowerment of Dalits.
Mythico-patriarchal constructiuon of a women in githa hariharan's the thousand faces of night and mahasweta devi's stories draupadi and breast-giver
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Vandana; Saini, Alpna
The present research offers a comparative study of Githa Hariharan's novel The Thousand Faces of Night and Mahasweta Devi's stories ''Draupadi'' and ''Breastgiver''. The focus of the analysis will be on the interpretative use of mythology from feministic perspective underlining women's oppression and predicament in a patriarchal society. Both the writers take mythological tales as patriarchal discourses with implied patriarchal stance and tend to revise these tales with altered ends to give voice to the silenced female perspective. The study explores how by reinterpreting mythical tales from feministic perspective, both writers Githa Hariharan and Mahasweta Devi inclusively expose and question women's suppression in a male-dominated set up.
Socio political protest : a comapartive study of selected plays (Har ik nu jion da haq chahidaye and savere di lo) of gursharan singh and selcted poems of sant ram udasi
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Kaur, Kiranpal; Kaur, Zameerpal
The present research is based on the comparative study of two Punjabi writers Gursharan Singh and Sant Ram Udasi. If one is famous for his poetry the other is equally famous for his plays. There are similarities in the themes of both the writers. The theme of protest by the labour class especially women is shown in one and in other it is the farmer class which fights for its rights. The writers belong to Punjab and based their writing upon the socio-political conditions prevailing in this part of the country which led to the suppression of one class in the hands of another class. The compared writings belong to the field of political writing and the language and tone of both the authors is revolutionary. It deals with the problems of marginalised sections of society who have to suffer a lot in the capitalist world. The writers do not take any stand based on their religion rather their writing is for the people, to the people and by the people. The study would be across genre but the themes are the main focus. For this examples are given from the respective texts starting from the history of this kind of writing in Punjabi language before these writers came up.
Critiquing anthropocentrism in amitav ghosh's the hungry tide and j.m. coetzee's disgrace
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Sheenam; Singh, Amandeep
Rapid degradation of environment is an important concern facing all disciplines of knowledge and man centeredness known as anthropocentrism is believed to be one of the major causes behind this. In literary sphere, approach of ecocriticism focuses on environmental issues and dominance of man over non-human living and non-living objects. Both the novels selected for this study, disclose the effects of degradation of environment due to man's anthropocentric approach. Amitav Ghosh in his novel The Hungry Tide deals with the themes of wildlife conservation and preservation of natural flora and fauna taking into consideration the lives of human beings. Focusing on ecologically fragile Sunderbans area, Ghosh raises questions about conflict between humans and animals and shows how anthropocentric model of development results in disappearance of tigers and other natural inhabitants of this region. Likewise, J.M.Coetzee in his novel Disgrace deals with the suffering of animals. Focusing on Post-Apartheid Africa, Coetzee presents the perspective of blacks who had to suffer like animals during colonialism. In this conflict, animals become the first casualty and reclamation of land and other natural resources becomes an important step towards fighting back. Both these writers tries to decentre human beings, they are of the view that non-human other should acquire equal rights and protection as human beings themselves possess. Lucy in Disgrace is the voice of Coetzee as she is concerned towards the well being of the animals. Piyali Roy in The Hungry Tide is also concerned about the animals but she views nature from the perspective of First world nations.
Search for female self: A comparative study of jasmine and that long silence
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Kaur, Rajpur; Singh, Amandeep
Bharati Mukherjee and Shashi Deshpande are two prominent Indian writers who portray the plight of Indian women - their hopes, joys, aspirations as well as frustrations and fears. Shashi Deshpande is an Indian writer living in India. Bharati Mukherjee is an Indian writer, but settled in a foreign country. In this study, comparative analysis of the writings of these two writers has been done so as to analyse the struggle of women towards their emancipation. The writings of these women are woman-centred and their characters belong to the urban, middle-class, traditional families. Both the texts Jasmine and That Long Silence under study portray that the historical as well as cultural locations of the writers as well as the protagonists change their attitude towards life. Both the writers have common cultural background as they belong to the same country but their locations bring about changes in their attitude towards life.
Revisiting history and the question of idenity: a comparative study of the shadow lines and tamas
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Kaur, Pardeep; Sen, Rajinder Kumar
Identity is the central issue in contemporary literary discourses. The reason behind such centrality lies in the identity crisis faced by individuals or groups due to political and historical movements. In the postmodern world, history is regarded as a process wherein the writing of history has become more central than the history itself. Literature is one of the tools through which history of a particular time gets representation and such representation of an era gives voice to the common people who are ignored in the metanarrative of national history. The aim of present research, a comparative study of Amitav Ghosh's The Shadow Lines and Bhisham Sahni's Tamas is to understand the nature of history and identity. Amitav Ghosh, the postmodernist Indian English writer has huge body of work to his credit; varying in travel essays, novels and historical non-fiction. The present novel deals with the issues of fragmented identities and histories based upon fragmented memories. Bhisham Sahni, a progressive Hindi writer and humanist gives realistic representation to the mid twentieth century India in his novel highlighting constructed divisions among different sections of the society and partition of the country as a consequence. The idea of 'voice to the voiceless' is materialised through relocating the subalterns in history. The comparative analysis has been carried out with an objective to trace the similar impact of dominant discourses upon human subjects. In both the novels, the passive subaltern is suffering and is ignored in official history. It is not about what is in history rather it is about what is missing in history
Tribal concerns in literature: A comparative study of things fall apart and the ancestor
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Chopra, Sayar Singh; Kumar, Rajinder
'Tribe' means a group of people living at a particular place from times immemorial. Tribes are named differently at different places according to their geographical positioning, their social stratification in the society and so on which makes them distinctive from others. Tribes are rich in their culture, customs and folk tradition etc. There are few authors all over the world who writing tribal literature and their social life is rich in their creative works. The foremost objective of this research is to analyze the tribes issue in literature as a discourse in societal, customs, traditional, rituals within the reference of the writings of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Gopinath Mohanty's The Ancestor . Chinua Achebe (African novelist) and Gopinath Mohanty (Indian novelist) are two significant novelists who have made a bold attempt in raising of Canon in tribal literature. Both Achebe and Mohanty represent to their traditional or historically transformed images, rituals and social structures of their own common, but diversified culture. A thematic approach from tribal concerns perspective has been adopted for this study.
Diasporic Spaces: A Comparative Study of Selected Diasporic Fiction
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Shah, Samees Ahmed; Singh, Amandeep
This study is an attempt to do the comparative analysis of three novels by three Indian English women writers, The Namesake, Jasmine and Born Confused by Jhumpa Lahiri, Bharati Mukherjee and Tanuja Desai Hidier respectively. Starting with diaspora, its phases and its types, it focuses on the making of diasporic spaces amid diaspora. It also shows the characters' struggle to make their home and space in a foreign land. Every character is shown as having his/her own perception of home, space and world of belonging. All three novels are an important part of Modern Diasporic Indian English Literature. Study of 'diaspora space' shows how individual identity is shaped and where differences are created, and it also shows how identities are formulated and constructed by physical, mental and social attitudes. Individual identities and his/her relation with homeland have undergone considerable change in recent decades. It has lost its fixity and migrants are in a process of becoming global citizens. The study of the three novels taken up for comparison suggests that all the characters try their best to penetrate their roots deep into the American soil, but everyone is not fully successful in doing so. All diasporic people struggle to create a separate space in host country but everyone struggles in his/her own way. Analysing diaspora space and other identity issues relating to diaspora helps in understanding of how and where identity is shaped and differences are made and remade.
An Ecocritical Study Of Gita Mehta's A River Sutra And Arundati Roy'S The God Of Small Things
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Singh, Sapinder; Kaur, Zameerpal
Ecocriticism is one of the most recently emerged interdisciplinary field of literary criticism. It refers to a study of literary texts involving the physical environment. The novels, A River Sutra By Gita Mehta and The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, selected for this study, focus on the depiction of landscape, rivers, non human world etc. This study analyses the role of physical environment in the plot construction of both the novels. The novels deal with beautiful depiction of landscape. A River Sutra deals with Indian culture and mythology. Likewise, The God of Small Things deals with the themes of love, morality, fear and environmental destruction. The study discusses the functions of ecocriticism to trace the interconnectedness of all beings. Both the writers have focused on the impact of biosphere on the characters in their novels. The study reveals that the writers have indeed given primary importance to the place or bioregion in their novels. This study focuses on the burning issue of environmental degradation- a severe threat to human being as well the entire ecosystem, as depicted in the novels.
Comparative study of Shiv Kumar's birha tu sultan and Jaishankar Prasad's kamayani the perspectives of the theory of alamkara
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Kaur, Rajandeep; Kaur, Zameerpal
Unlike western critical theories, Indian Poetics focus more upon aesthetic aspects rather than didactic approach to literature. Among the most discussed critical theories of Indian Poetics Alamkara has a unique and extraordinary place . The word Alamkara consists of two words 'alam' and 'kar' which means the elements that add grace or aesthetic sense to the poetry. A number of scholars contribute in the development of this theory. Bhamha (6 th century A.D.) is considered as father of Alamkara theory, who explained Alamkaras in detail in his treatise Kavyalamkara. Alamkaras are not only used in modern literature, but their presence can be seen in Vedas , and Yaska's Nirukat and Mimansa . The focus of present study is to do the comparative analysis of Punjabi and Hindi poetry with reference to Shiv Kumar's Birha Tu Sultan and Jaishankar Prasad's Kamayani in context with the theory of Alamkara to extract different types of Alamkaras used in them. Alamkaras have been used very abundantly in the poetry of both Shiv and Prasad. It is the use of Alamkara which gives a literary touch to their poetry and makes it interesting for readers. They have mastery over the use of Alamkara . The writings of Shiv and Prasad mainly focus on the theme of love and separation, pain and agony of lovers, description of nature, beauty and sufferings of female, theme of lust, theology, patriotism etc. They use historical and mythological events in their writings.
Engendered subjectiveness: Construction of queer idenity in vijay tendulkar's a friend's story and mahesh dattani's on a muggy night in mumbai
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Chandal, Priynka; Saini, Alpna
The present study deals with comparative analysis of Vijay Tendulkar's A Friend's Story and Mahesh Dattani's On a Muggy Night in Mumbai with respect to treatment of queer issues, their repression and social stigma faced by queer individuals. The focus is to find out how various social, economic and political discourses work towards repression of queer identities and reaffirming the oppressive discourse of heteronormative sexuality. Both Vijay Tendulkar and Mahesh Dattani have employed the fundamental themes of queer identity, oppressive attitude of society and psychological dilemma of queer individuals in their respective plays. In both the plays under study i.e . A Friend's Story by Vijay Tendulkar and On a Muggy Night in Mumbai by Dattani, there runs the unconventional theme of alternate sexuality which has been dealt with compassion and understanding. This study takes into account various unexplored issues related to queer identity. This study explores how these plays raise the issue of the emancipation of rights of queers and undertakes a comparative analysis of the two plays in order to discover varying attitudes towards this issue in Indian drama corresponding to the periods of the two playwrights.