Thinking Activity on Northrop Frye's Archetypal criticism

Herman Northrop Frye CC FRCS(July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic
 and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century.Frye gained international fame with his first book, Fearful symmetry(1947), which led to the reinterpretation of the poetry of William Blake. His lasting reputation rests principally on the theory of literary criticism that he developed in Anatomy of criticism (1957), one of the most important works of literary theory published in the twentieth century. The American critic Harold Bloom commented at the time of its publication that Anatomyestablished Frye as "the foremost living student of Western literature." Frye's contributions to cultural and social criticism spanned a long career during which he earned widespread recognition and received many honours.

(1) What is Archetypal criticism ? What does the Archetypal critic do? 

Ans : Archetypal criticism the term denotes recurrent designes, patterns of action, character types, themes and images which are identificable in a wide variety of works of literature,as well as in myths,dreams and even social rituals. 


(2) what is Frye trying prove by giving an analogy of " physics to Nature " and " criticism to literature " ?

Ans : The physics is basically study of Nature. But the students of physics never say that they study nature ,they all say that they physics.Anyone cannot able to teach or learn literature. But what we learn is criticism. But though we say that we learn literature. The way nature works for physics in the same manner criticism works for literature. 


(3) share your views of criticism as an organised body of knowledge. Mention relation of literature with history and philosophy. 

Ans : when we learn something we take an example of history and philosophy .History is the event of past and philosophy is the idea. So, history and philosophy helps us to connected present idea and history and philosophy always remain together with literature. "Literature is the central division of Humanities. "


(4) Briefly explain inductive method with illustration of Shakespeare's Hamlet's grave Digger's scene. 

Ans : inductive method is journey which leads from specific to general. As we read some specific literary work and comes to a general conclusion , in this way we extend from specific outcome to general outcome . The best example of this method is grave digging scene from Hamlet. It is a specific scene  and From that scene  we come to some general conclusion. In that scene there were two grave diggers and they seemed in  quite in harmony with their work. They were talking with one another and singing a song during the grave digging time. They were also mocking on dead Ophelia and commented that whether she allowed to buried  or not .it became their general work so they  have no emotion for dead one. 


(5) Briefly explain deductive method with reference to an analogy to music, painting, rhythm and pattern - Give example of the outcome of deductive method. 

Ans : Deductive method, it is form general to particular also. Some arts move like music and painting. In both cases the organizing principle is  recurrence ,which is called rhythm,when it is temporal and then it is spatial. We speak of rhythm of music and the pattern of painting .
Music - Inductive method 
Rhythm - Deductive method 

(6) Refer to the India seasonal grid (below)  If you can, please read small Gujarati or Hindi poem from the archetypal approach and apply Indian seasonal grid in the interpretations. 

Ans : 

  Aaya basant hansata gaata,
 rang-birangi phool khilaata. 
 jhoom rahi hai har daali daali,
 kook rahi koyal matwaali. 
 Gun gun gun gun bhanwara gaata,
 titali raani se batiyaata.
 Khush ho bachche patang udaate,
 wo-kaata ka shor machaate.
 sardi kehati ab hai 

This poem is about spring season. Here we  see when spring season comes flower becomes full of life and people enjoys this season and sing a song. With this moment branches of trees also dance. Small children also enjoy flying kites.

• Sunday Reading:- 

Here , I am going to more talk about Northrop Frye's talk on Religion and rituals. It is a part of thinking activity of Sunday reading.


• Dharma ; Religion:- 

• As it is already mentioned in article that in India there isn't any kind of term named Dharma and Dharma is not religion. We are much familiar with our country India and it's religion. Most of the citizens are much connected with religion.

India was a land of dharma but Europeans reduced it to Hinduism, Islam. And we accepted it.

• We have inherited the term religion from the Judeo-Christian tradition and applied it indiscriminately to different Indian philosophies, myths, rituals, and practices. But there is really no one term for religion in India. There never has been. The term dharma does not mean religion. It simply means duty.so,it means duty then it should every kind of duty like social, economic, individual, Everyone should have obey their duty but,it doesn't mean they are going to blindly follow the religion. Infact, in current time its happening,that all are blindly follow the rules and rituals of religion. On the name of religion they are misrepresenting the Dharma. As it is mentioned that in triangle that Religion , literature and science had triangle,they don't have good relations. After learning literature I am able to understand what is religion and how to deal with it . I want to give one example that with misunderstanding of bill on CAA the people are doing strike and what not . On the name of religion many are going against this CAA . 

Here my opinion is that first we have to understand the particular matter,we have to search for it, we should know the real truth and then we should decide. This current time is not for you trust on anybody and take decision. Here you have to fight for your right.with the help of criticism we are learning literature very well. It gives us many vision or perspective on particular thing and we have space to think and put our ideas. Northrop Frye also talking about Archetypal Criticism, history and philosophy which gives very deep understanding on religion and literature. I think only literature gives us space to study the religion and science widely.The religion which binds our horizon and force us to follow without questioning, if we have questions and we want to ask ,yet we can't ask. So, religion was kind of cage or prison that we have our independence still we don't have right to question on Guru . What is the most important is Narration and process. In the past  from all story we find many such myth. But all Narration are not real they have many perspective to look. There are many stories which deal with philosophical and real ideas. Moroever,the science which broke many myth, theory and discover new theory hence it is differ from religion. As Northrop Frye said that " Poetry is the criticism of life "and every creative writer has first critical. So , in a way without criticism , literature has emptyness itself. Literature teach us lesson which had been useful for our lifetime.

References:- 

https://theprint.in/opinion/india-was-a-land-of-dharma-but-europeans-reduced-it-to-hinduism-islam-and-we-accepted-it/341923/

Thank you........ 

Thinking Activity on I.A.Richard's figurative language

I.A.Richard's Figurative language.                         

Ivor Armstrong Richards (26 February 1893 – 7 September 1979), known as I. A. Richards, was an English educator,  and rhetorician whose work contributed to the foundations of the New Criticism, a formalistmovement in literary theory,  which emphasized the close reading of a literary text, especially poetry, in an effort to discover how a work of literature functions as a self-contained, self-referential aesthetic object. 


I have made an effort to analyse a lyric song.

         Song : Gulabi Aankhen lyrics. 

           Gulaabi aankhen jo teri dekhi

Sharaabi yeh dil ho gayaa

Sambhaalo mujhko o mere yaaron

Sambhalna mushkil ho gayaa

Dil mein mere khwaab tere

Tasveeren jaise hon deewaar pe

Tujhpe fida main kyoon hua

Aata hai gussa mujhe pyaar pe

Main lut gaya maan k dil ka kaha

Main kahin ka na raha

Kya kahoon main dilruba

Bura yeh jaadu teri aankhon ka

Yeh mera kaatil ho gaya

Gulaabi aankhen jo teri dekhi

Sharaabi yeh dil ho gaya

sambhalo mujhko o mere yaaron

sambhalna mushkil ho gaya

Maine sada chaaha yehi

Daaman bacha loon haseenon se main

Teri kasam khwaabon mein bhi

Bachta phira naazneenon se main

Tauba magar mil gayi tujhse nazar

mil gaya dard e jigar

Sun zara o bekhabar

Zara sa haske jo dekha tune

Main tera bismal ho gaya

Gulaabi aankhen jo teri dekhi

Sharaabi yeh dil ho gaya

Sambhaalo mujhko o mere yaaron

Sambhalna mushkil ho gaya

        Analysis  : 

      Gulaabi aankhen jo teri dekhi

Sharaabi yeh dil ho gayaa
Sambhaalo mujhko o mere yaaron
Sambhalna mushkil ho gayaa

In the first stanza adjective GULABI is used for the eyes and for heart sharaabi 

adjective is used. For the poet this imagery is so strong that he cannot remain balanced.This is an example of metapher which compares poets poetic imagination with the present situation.Our eye are no pink coloured.And heart is not sharaabi.

It is impossible that the image of someone lies in our hearts it is just like the image which is lies on the wall.

As per I.A.RICHARDS figurative language , the song is analyssed "GULABI AKHE" are used as metaphrers.

Thank you..........                                                          

  

Thinking activity on T. S. Eliot

 

      Thomas Stearns Eliot, was one of the twentieth century's major poets was also an essayist, publisher ,playwright and literary and social critic. Born on St. Louis, Missouri ,in the United States, to a prominent Boston Brahmin family, he moved to England in 1914 at the age of 25, setting, working and marrying there. He became a British subject in 1927 at the age of 39, renouncing his American passport.


(1) How would you like to explain Eliot's concept of Tradition?  Do you agree with it? 

Ans : yes,  I  agree with Eliot's concept of tradition. Eliot takes the tradition in a positive way as well as in a larger sense.  Tradition is not inherited but it must be acquired with great labor.  So we can say that he put emphasizes on mingling the past and present with historical sense. The tradition means the work of writer and their writing style. Every writer contributes his talent in his tradition. It is the tradition with which we compare our present writer and find newness in present work.it is simple that we come to know about the new because there is something that we call past.


(2) what do you understand by Historical sense ? 

Ans : The historical sense means as Eliot presented in his essay.

" The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence ".
       
         The writer should be aware of the past and how the mistakes of the past should not repeat be in the contemporary time. Which means that it involves perception of the presence of the past not only it's pastness. It it is not only to know about historical fact but mainly it's about that in which way people were living in the past and how that past is presented in the contemporary time.


" The historical sense, which is a sense of the timeless as well as of the temporal and of the timeless and of the temporal together. Is what makes a writer traditional. 

    Which means that with the help of historical sense a writer can create the work which has timeless and temporal both together.


(3)  what is the relationship between " Tradition " and " The individual Talent " , According to the poet T. S. Eliot? 

Ans : According to T.S.Eliot ,individual Talent is a part of tradition. They are inseparable. A creative artist while creating his work not only considers literature of his own time but also the classical.

(4) Explain : " some can absorb knowledge , the more tardy must sweat for it.  Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum. "

Ans :In this quote Eliot explain that to be a good poet one must have the common sense.  It is not necessary for a poet to read all the literary history of the past but one has to have Shakespeare who is not a university student or very educated fellow ,but he easily understood everything which the university wits and his contemporary could not.

(5) Explain : " Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry. "

Ans : This quote means we should disconnect a poet from poetry to pass a fair judgement. A poem should be judge by its words not by the history of the poet.

(6) How would you like to Explain Eliot's theory of depersonalization ? You can explain with the help of chemical reaction in presence of catalyst agent, platinum. 

Ans : Eliot explains the theory of depersonalization with the help of science which makes it quite interesting as well as easy to understand.  He describes the process of making sulfuric acid.  This sulfuric acid is made from sulfur dioxide and water but entire process can't take place in the absence of platinum. In this process platinum is essential element.

(7) Explain :" poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotions it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. "

Ans : According to T. S.Eliot, a poet writes poetry not to release his emotions , but he wants to escape from his emotion. He doesn't want to face it. He wants to escape from his personality from its real self rather than expressing his personality.

(8) write two points on which one can write critique on T.S.Eliot as a critic. 

Ans : As per my understanding one can write critique on following two points.....
 
    1. Eliot's concept of Tradition
    2. " poetry is not a turning loose of emotion. But as escape from emotions ,it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality.


Thank you ...........