The Dialectic of Historicity in Modernist Fiction: a Study Based on Select Works of O V Vijayan and M Mukundan

The Dialectic of Historicity in Modernist Fiction: a Study Based on Select Works of O V Vijayan and M Mukundan
Author: Swapna Gopinath
Publisher: Partridge Publishing
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2017-12-15
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1543700713

Modernism when viewed through the spectacles of Marxian aesthetics emerges as a problematic artistic movement, especially when placed within the context of social structures that define the cultural practices at any given point in time. The much discussed debate within the Marxist canon regarding the dialectic relationship between society and art in the context of modernism had stalwarts of Marxist criticism deliberating this relationship between art and society. From Europe, modernism spread to other parts of the world, including India where it captured the imagination of the writers of regional languages as well. In Kerala, with its staunch Marxian perspectives and its supporters including a faithful political network of leaders and followers, modernism invited heated debates of a similar nature. A debate was triggered off challenging the ideological frameworks of modernist aesthetics with a large part of the intelligentsia actively participating in it. Kerala Kaumudi magazine published these arguments as a series, leading to further discussions in the cultural and political discourses that shaped the sensibility of the times. This book is an attempt to explore this relationship with these debates and discussions as referral points. To substantiate the arguments, four texts that emerged as iconic texts are studied - O V Vijayan's The Legends of Khasak (1969)and The Saga of Dharmapuri (1985)and M Mukundan's On the Banks of Mayyazhi (1974) and God's Mischief (1989).

Horizon Above and Beyond

Horizon Above and Beyond
Author: Tharun Kurian Alex
Publisher: Partridge Publishing
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2016-05-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1482872277

This compilation, Horizon Above and Beyond, is the outcome of the hard efforts of past two years. Unlike other projects or approaches that attempt to pool out literature and language from each other, the following text has attempted not to catalog either the text or the contents into any particular class of subjects of concern and, thus, keeping it broad and wide. It sheds the limelight onto the research works done by the scholars of various disciplines. The technical aspect of language, such as linguistics and translation, along with literary criticism and the researches on novels, poems, short stories, films, religion, etc., are brought under a single haven, thereby extending the subjectivity of research on language and literature. Similarly the rigidity, fluidity, and hypocrisy of the various social institutions are also put into scrutiny respectively in different areas. Therefore, instead of choosing the works that are purely literary, those tinted with the flavor of other styles and outlooks are muddled together here.

Labyrinths of Language

Labyrinths of Language
Author: Franson Manjali
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2022-10-04
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1000780740

Thirteen essays in the book explore and investigate diverse contemporary philosophically current themes and issues. The title is derived from Wittgenstein's statement that 'anguage is a labyrinth of paths,' and it studiously avoids any conclusive claim on its central motif. What people, both users and theorists, do with language, rather than what it is, is the running theme. The book critically presents the views of a wide range of philosophically and analytically oriented authors including, de Saussure, Levinas, Lévi-Strauss, Wittgenstein, Derrida, Bakhtin, Benjamin, Kafka, Heidegger, Blanchot, Jean-Luc Nancy, Barthes and Deleuze. Only two essays diverge from the main concern with language: the one on the discourse of death, and another on the philosophy of image. One essay involves an analysis of the cultural and political discourse in a contemporary Malayalam novel. The concluding essay attempts to develop a postcolonial field of language studies, with reference to the works of the 18th century British jurist and linguist Sir William Jones and the subsequent philological tradition, whose political consequences are only beginning to be understood.

Space and Language in Architectural Education

Space and Language in Architectural Education
Author: Kasia Nawratek
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2022-05-02
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 100061932X

Architects habitually disregard disciplinary boundaries of their profession in search for synergies and inspiration. The realm of language, although not considered to be architects’ natural environment, opens opportunities to further stretch and expand the architectural imagination and the set of tools used in the design process. When used in the context of architectural pedagogy, the exploration of the relationship between space and language opens the discussion further to include the reflection on the design studio structure, the learning process in creative subjects and the ethical dimension of architectural education. This book offers a glimpse into architectural pedagogies exploring the relationship between space and language, using literary methods and linguistic experiments. The examples discuss a wide range of approaches from international perspective, exploring opportunities and challenges of engaging literary methods and linguistic experiments in architectural education. The theme of Catalysts discusses the use of literary methods in architectural pedagogy, where literary texts are used to jumpstart and support the design process, resulting in deeply contextual approaches capable of subverting embedded hierarchies of the design studio. Tensions explore the gap between the world and its description, employing linguistic experiments and literary methods to enrich and expand the architectural vocabulary to include the experience of space in its infinite complexity. This book will be useful for innovators in architectural education and those seeking to expand their teaching practice to incorporate literary methods, and to creatives interested in making teaching a part of their practice. It may also appeal to students from design-based disciplines with an established design studio culture, demonstrating how to use narrative, poetry and literature to expand and feed your imagination.

Deccan in Transition, 1600 to 1800

Deccan in Transition, 1600 to 1800
Author: Umesh Ashok Kadam
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2023-03-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000853039

This book presents the socio-cultural and historical trajectories of the Deccan plateau as well as the coastal areas of the current states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa. It studies the art of diplomacy by discussing the diplomatic relations between the Marathas and various European companies, as well as the indigenous regional states. The author also probes into the Maratha naval policy, the evolution of a composite Deccani culture and the cultural flux that was taking place within the Maratha country. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the volume examines how caste and gender relations operated, how the idea of dissent was generated as well as the socio-political impact of various linguistic, ethnic and religious groups. Through a study of monuments, sculpture and paintings prevalent in the region, the book also discusses the developments in art and architecture in the Deccan. Rich in archival sources, this book is a must read for scholars and researchers of Indian history, colonial history, South Asian history, Maratha history and history in general.