prof tutun - 11/08/09

11-08

TM – Comparative Theory.

What is comparative literature?

Comparative is the method through which literature in its broader sense is studied. This approach is based on philological and historical enquiry. It proposes to trace the philology and history of literature. As such it defies definition and is not confined to the printed word.

The enquiry hence traces the influence, relationships, interaction, juxtapositions and inter-textuality of literatures.

How can one define comp. lit?

Comp lit is Trans – literary, - language and – culture. Hence it denotes plurality. It goes beyond boundaries. It is based on the knowledge of sociology and cultural studies. Therefore it is multi-disciplinary. By nature it defies disciplines.

One may study comparative literature through - a. literary history, b. social history, c. cultural history.

Hence, often historiography happens in the study of comparative literature.

Shared history –

In the late 18^th century the French – German relationship was sore. There were internecine wars. The political climate was tense. Hence there was a need to open up different avenues for negotiation. Comparative literature was one such avenue opened up by the Germans in particular.

Johann Herder wrote a book called the trans-national history of literature. A trans-national perspective was supported to a parochial and a narrow minded approach to nation and literature. Madame de stael too thought beyond the nation. She was the first woman to do that. The Schlegel brothers (1815) called for a cosmopolitan spirit in approaching literature. However, it was johann von Goethe who came up with the notion of ‘welt literatur’. It was an attempt to view literature in a new way.

This text was published in 1945. The political context was tense. A request to have a cosmo-politan outlook was promoted. However, the concept itself was euro-centric.

Goethe speaks of ‘relations’ and ‘influences’ between humans and nations. However, his opinion and desire for a trans-national spirit as well as german involvement in this movement is paradoxical. He suggests certain methods to know about other cultures. His insistence on the social awareness of another nation was primal. His concept of the world as a homeland was precursor to globalization.

His claimed for a free exchange of ideas – circulation in particular – where access ironically is through one language. Perhaps, ideally it was a good proposition. However, practically world literature can be possible only as a circulation of the mode and idea.

MTA - 10/08

Date – 10^th august.

Class – contemporary theory and criticism.

Dr. Ansari

Classical criticism believed in three literary theories.

a. Imitation theory.

b. Expressive theory.

c. Sublime theory.

Greek classical criticism believed in the imitation theory. It propagated poetry imitates and reflects the REALITY. Hence, Plato was against poets and poetry in his ‘Republic’. There were two attacks.

Plato:

a. Poetry is twice removed from reality because reality is an imitation of the ideal REAL and art is just an imitation of the imitated reality. Hence, he accuses poetry to be ‘twice removed from Reality’. To him reality is just a manifestation of the ‘Idea’ - That idea being the Real. Plato was hence called as an Idealist.

b. His second accusation was poetry excites passions. This excitation is due to an imitated illusion – a lie. Hence, he accuses poets as liars. He was against emotions in his republic. He wanted rationality and reason to rule his ‘republic’.

Aristotle:

Aristotle’s defense on poetry is a response to Plato’s accusations.

a. His first argument was poetry pierces into the ideal by tearing apart the veil of illusion. Hence art is much closer to the ideal Real.

b. As poetry does the function of ‘katharsis’ – purgation, it drains out the emotions and makes man devoid of emotion. Aristotle defended the poets and poetry.

New Criticism:

New criticism deviated from the basic premise that art is an imitation and meaning of art is not just a sublime ideal. It proposed the study of the existence of art independent of its creator and spectator. It called for an ontological study of literature. It proposed three different fallacies inherent in any art work.

a. the author’s ‘intentional fallacy’

b. the reader’s ‘affective fallacy’

c. meaning’s ‘mimetic fallacy’

Archibald mcliesh borrows a phrase from ‘ars poetica’ to define this philosophical standpoint – ‘a poem should not mean but must be’.

The new critics believed that poem is an icon – a replica. They termed it as a ‘well wrought urn’.

They believed in the close reading of a poem and in language of poetry. To them, the language of poetry is one of irony, paradox, ambiguity and tension.

The proponents were IA richards, cleanth brookes, empson,F.R.Leavis.

I.A Richards proposed two kinds of language - The cognitive, factual and the aesthetic, emotive theories of language use. They referred to either

A. Referential truth.

B. Aesthetical truth.

The Russian formalists believed that it is form that matters and proposed that form is the content thereby resolving the platonian - aristotlian debate in a sense.

They proposed that the work of art is a device and the language of poetry is one of estrangement, defamiliarization and distortion.