Literature Review

After reading Literature for 5 Years, today the time comes to reflect my learning and understanding that grows with Literature. It is the time to look back and see how much literature affects me and bring change in myself.

                      

What is Literature ?

Literature is a ocean that one cannot define its vastness but still I have try to put my experiences of reading literature into limited words. There are so many definitions of Literature like ‘it is the mirror of the society’ which I also believe when I am in graduation but after completing master’ study I gain deeper sense of the literature.

‘Literature is the thermometer which measured the health of the society.’

Literature is a way to know about particular culture, society or time span like Tom John which reflects the society of that time. It is the zeitgeist of time that every writer tries to reflect.

     

    
    How Literature Shape me ? 

     Literature is for self help which cure people as we find that there are many self help books which inspire people and guide them to come out from any problem as in One Night @ the Call Center, there is the God’s message about four important things that everybody should do in life to became successful that are Imagination, intelligence, self‐confidence and Failure this all have also help me a lot in my learning process where I never lose my self confidence whatever others are speaking/thinking about me. Harry Potter which is not only children’s literature but give many messages to us and portraying the dark realities of life about class conflicts. A dialogue of Dumbledore about Choice inspire me a lot that is,

‘It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities’

This line says abilities are same in all people but it’s up to us that what we chose good/evil.

The Sense of an Ending taught me to doubt everything even my memory that what I remember from my past is not whole truth. History created in same manner that what bits and pieces that remembered from events is written. In Post Truth era, doubting the things is important skill which comes from this text with example of Tony Webster’s Story. Adiga’s dark and real image about India where he criticize many aspects like Education system as another Jungle which is real picture of school in  While studying the various theories of literature, I come to know about the Queer theory which talks about the marginal genders like Lesbian, Gay or Third Gender which considers as taboo subject  to discuss in society but I expand my understanding about this on which I have done research work which give me the new insight to look towards these people otherwise before proper understanding of their representation in literature as well as movies and how they are treated by society, I have same opinion like other people have for these people but after reading about them deeply I can understand their agony of living life in conservative society and I start looking them as normal human beings and I also explain my family members to treat them as normal human beings as Literature’s primary function is to spread humanity and remove all discrimination which divide people in different groups like rich/poor, black/white etc.

Literature changes my perceptions about life and other people. It gives deeper implication of things. It awakes to check/recheck/narrate the things or events. Literature is about self understanding not for the understanding of the world, you can go inside yourself and know what you want and who you are? If we read literature, we became 30 years more mature than actual age as at age of 20 we think like a person of age of 50. I have experience same thing that Literature make me mature at very Young age as I got the deeper meaning of living life and face many problems and troubles as a girl but I became stronger to stand on my feet. When I am in graduation our sir used to say that who are facing challenges and problems at very young age they became mature.

Existentialism is my quit interesting topic as it gave me the deeper understanding of my existence in this world that for which purpose I am living. Let me share my experience when this topic taught in the classroom, before a day I met with some problems and lost my hope and out of the sorrow or as a part of cathartic feelings I wrote one FB post which reflects my agony on next day this topic taught by Dilipsir and he always used to say that never show your sorrow to the people because they feel happy by reading it. I got hope and new sight to look and treat with the problems that coming towards me and I learn fight for my right.

વિશ્વ વિશ્વ છે. પણ વ્યક્તિમાત્રને થાય છે --હું હું છું. હું ભલે દુનિયામાં છું, પણ મારી પોતાની એક દુનિયા છે. (Suman Shah)

“ચૉઇસ”-ના એ ચાર સવાલ પાસેથી મારા સ્વાતન્ત્ર્યનું સ્વરૂપ “જવાબદારી” બની જાય છે –“રીસ્પૉન્સિબિલિટી”. સમજાવા લાગે છે કે“સ્વાતન્ત્ર્ય” અને “જવાબદારી” એક જ સિક્કાની બે બાજુઓ છે. સ્વતન્ત્ર રહીને પણ જવાબદાર રહેવાય. જવાબદાર રહેવાથી પણ સ્વતન્ત્ર રહેવાય... (ક્રમશ:)(Suman Shah)

     

These lines by Suman Shah have touch my heart and change my perception to looking towards life and also taught me the way to free life along with all the responsibilities that everyone has to perform in life. Through this I can that Literature adds rhythm to life and give me new life.

Feminism catch attention of most of the people but very less among them can apply into their real life or in patriarchal set up. I am lucky that I can apply it in my life and family as in my family; there is an authority in my mother’s hand. First at home, as elder then my brother I have to perform my responsibilities but along with that I have done a job in a School with studies as a sense of an economic independence. Second at department, I performed my responsibilities as a GS to manage events and functions, preparations for guest lectures, keep record of all attendance and many more alone. These all deep philosophies are one or other way give the hint to deal with many aspects of life.

Literature help me to read the mind/psychology of human beings as there are many characters in literary texts who behave in certain manner or in particular situation which give us idea that what they want, same in real life there are many people who behave in strange manner but we can understand reason behind it.

I can free myself from the chain of society and can be the free thinker rather than what other thinks with the reading of the literature. It helps me to come in the category of People from the Sheeple as my thinking process became different from what layman thinks that literature taught me. Robert Frost’s lines

The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

These lines taught me to move forward in life as there are so many other promises or responsibilities to be done by us in future so we can’t stay at one lovely place but should continuously keep on going and to pass every step of life. It may happen that in life there are so many happy moments and we want to remain there which is impossible because Life is the Journey and we can’t stop our journey in between.  

From To the Lighthouse, I motivated by the Lily Briscoe’s character as she is the free thinking lady who gives more important to her Art rather than to marriage as she said to Mrs. Ramsay that Marriage is not a success for women. As she gains her artistic vision at the end on the novel. Her character is more radical and free than that of Mrs.Ramsay, Virginia Woolf’s style of writing is difficult to understand but still new one and interesting to read which takes us into the mind of every character and reality of human relations as of Jack’s and Mr. Ramsay’s relation shown  where Jack hates his father so much which also at some level can be found in the real life relations.

How I can forget ‘Waiting For Godot’, without which the Modern Literature is uncompleted, I have read this absurd play  earlier also when I am in graduation but not with the aspects of deep understanding about things that are hidden in that play like setting is of destruction after World Wars, Godot stands for God and religious aspects come and main important thing  is Waiting  which is we are also doing but don’t know for what we are waiting. (WAITING IS ENDLESS) This play throws very strong questions of our existence in this world. As famous line, ‘Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It’s awful’ which reflects real thing that there is nothing in life, it’s boring. Other deep philosophical line, ‘Let’s go.” “We can’t.” “Why not?” “We’re waiting for Godot.’  Which satirizes on the people who are still waiting for salvation/Moksh or any God comes and blesses them which are illusion of the people not reality. 

Literature makes me keen observer rather than judgmental, it make me habituate to deconstruct the things that come to me and cross check it. The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter menacing me but I like the last message given by Petey in the play is wonderful that "Stan!, Don't let others to tell you what to do" which is very important to every individual artist/ people also that be the free thinker never influence by anyone and don’t let others to interfere in your life.

After reading literature, my situation is like that of the Magistrate of Waiting for the Barbarians who can’t see the injustice/torture that happen with Nomads but he is not be able to do anything because he has not  that much authority in his hand, similarly after knowing the right things and deep knowledge and understandings of wrongs of society I don’t be able to do anything because I have no any authority to do any change in that as society operates by the Power. After read literature, it’s difficult for me to adjust in conservative society but I can do my best to do change in society.

As it is said that Literature MUST BE THE AXE FOR THE FROZEN SEA INSIDE US" which broke our all wrong perceptions. Literature is like a Dry Coconut which is hard from outside that disturbs us and difficult to understand but once we get right thing which literature wants to convey to us, it became soft as inside area of coconut.

In short, Literature shape me, mold me and change me completely as compare to I was before reading literature.