e-contents Radhanagari College

 (e-content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar) Aristotle’s concept of ‘Ideal Tragic Hero’ Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)   wrote the  Poetics  nearly a century after the greatest Greek tragedians had already died. The  Poetics  contains much valuable information about the origins , methods , and purposes of tragedy. In addition, Aristotle's work had an overwhelming influence on the development of drama long after it was compiled. The ideas and principles of the  Poetics  are reflected in the drama of the Roman Empire and dominated the composition of tragedy in western Europe during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The action of tragedy is generally dominated by the hero or the heroine. A tragic hero of the Aristotelian description is a man who enjoys prosperity and renown, but he is found involved in misfortune and suffering out of some great flaw in him or a fatal error in his judgement. Aristotle gives the example of Oedipus an...

 (E-content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar) Function of CRITICISM 1.    Judgement: In its strict sense, criticism means judgement. The literary critic, therefore, is primarily an expert who uses his special faculty and training to examine the merits and defects of a piece of literary art or the work of a given author and pronounce a verdict upon it.   The primary function of a literary critic is to arrive at and pronounce a meaningful judgement of value. I. A. Richards says: “To set up as a critic is to set up as a judge of values.” Literary criticism, says Rene Wellek, “is judgement of books, reviewing and finally the definition of taste, of the tradition, of what is a classic.” 2.    Evaluation: When a critic attempts to judge the value of a work of art or literature, he can be said to have evaluated the work. T. G. Williams says: “The function of a literary critic is ...

 (E-content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar) Nature of Criticism The term criticism derives from the Greek term ‘kritikos’, which was used in the 4 th century B.C. It means “a judgement of literature”. In the 2 nd century A.D. its place was taken by the term ‘criticus’, aimed at the interpretation of texts of writers in Greek or Latin. In English, Dryden used it in the modern sense in his preface to ‘The State of Innocence’ (1677). He writes: “Criticism, as it was first instituted by Aristotle, was meant a standard of judging well.” Today, the term literary criticism aims at the study of works of literature with emphasis on their evaluation . To some people criticism appears to be secondary, parasitic and inferior to creation. It is stated that the creative artist is personal and subjective, whereas a critic is impersonal, dispassionate, and detached. Though the creative and critical faculties are logically distinct, psychologically they are i...

 (e-Content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar) The Sun Rising -John Donne John Donne was best known for his metaphysical poetry . His poems revolve around the themes of love and appreciation . Love has never-ending power, and it is not bound to any restrictions of nature. In ‘The Sun Rising’ he uses different images like sun, windows, curtains, country ants, and so on. The poet maintains his traditional way of putting the first line very striking and odd to capture the attention of readers.  He is addressing directly to the sun. Love and friendship are not bound with the motion of the sun. He praises the beauty of his beloved. The poem is divided into three stanzas. Each stanza has ten lines . In the first stanza, the tone of the poet is striking and angry. The poet addresses the sun by saying; you are a fool, busy and uncontrollable. When we (lovers) on bed why you disturbed us through your rays and peep into my room. He raises a question here. Do you want lovers...

 (e-Content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar) Sweet Warrior by Edmund Spenser About the poet: Edmund Spenser (एडमंड स्पेन्सर) is an important English poet. He belonged to the 16 th century England. At that time, Queen Elizabeth was ruling over England. So the period in history is known as the Elizabethan period (एलीझाबेदन पिरीयड) . Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe (ख्रिस्टोफर मार्लो) , Ben Jonson, and Philip Sidney are the major writers of the Elizabethan period. Edmund Spenser is considered as the first important poet of the modern English language. Spenserian stanza (स्पेन्सेरीयन स्टँझा) (स्टँझा: कडवे) and Spenserian sonnet ( स्पेन्सेरीयन सॉनेट) (सॉनेट: सुनीत/१४ ओळींची कविता) are the unique gifts given by Spenser to the English language. The Faerie Queene (फेअरी क्वीन) is his longer poem dedicated to Queen Elizabeth. Amoretti (अॅमोरेटी) is his famous sonnet sequence and Epithalamion (एपिथॅलेमिअन) is an ode (ओड: कवितेचा एक प्रकार) . Spenser’...

 (e-Content developed by Dr N. A. Jarandikar) Sonnet to the Moon -       Sir Philip Sidney Sir Philip Sidney    was born in 1554 and died in 1586. He was an English poet, scholar, soldier, and courtier. He is remembered as one of the main literary figures of the Elizabethan age. His most notable works include:  Astrophel and Stella and The Defence of Poesy . ‘Sonnet 31’  is featured in  Astrophil and Stella . It is a sonnet sequence that has 108 sonnets and 11 songs .  Astrophil and Stella  was probably written in the 1580s and it narrates the story of Astrophil and his hopeless passion for Stella. Particularly,  ‘Sonnet 31’  conveys Astrophil’s thoughts while seeing the moon at night. The poem is a  Petrarchan sonnet . It has 14 lines and it is written in  iambic pentameter .  ‘Sonnet 31’  can be divided in an  octet  and a sestet and it has an ABBA ABB...

 (e-Content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar) Full Many A Glorious Morning "Sonnet 33" is part of a group of Shakespeare's  sonnets  sometimes known as the "Fair Youth" sequence . The sonnet sequence consists of poems addressed to a beautiful and beloved young nobleman. The poem is dedicated to a mysterious "Mr. W.H." (whose identity remains uncertain to this day). The speaker of this sonnet is suffering from some serious disillusionment: the young man he loves has betrayed him. But the speaker is also doing his best to forgive his beloved friend. Even the almighty sun, the speaker reflects, is sometimes marred by clouds—so why should I be surprised that his lover, the sunshine of his life, has proven less than perfect, too? This complex, conflicted poem expresses both mature forgiveness and bitter disappointment . The poet says he has been fortunate to see beautiful mornings where the sun rises over the mountaintops making them even more beautif...

 (e-Content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar) Aristotle’s concept of ‘Tragedy’ Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)   wrote the  Poetics  nearly a century after the greatest Greek tragedians had already died. The  Poetics  contains much valuable information about the origins , methods , and purposes of tragedy. In addition, Aristotle's work had an overwhelming influence on the development of drama long after it was compiled. The ideas and principles of the  Poetics  are reflected in the drama of the Roman Empire and dominated the composition of tragedy in western Europe during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. In the  Poetics , Aristotle compares tragedy to comedy and epic. He mentions that tragedy, like all poetry, is a kind of imitation ( mimesis ). However, according to him tragedy has a serious purpose and uses direct action rather than narrative to achieve its ends. Aristotle defines  tragedy  in  Book VI ...