110 assignment (Semester-2)

Subject :-  Modernism movement.

Name: Himanshi Parmar 

paper: 110 A : History of English Literature - From 1900 to 2000

Roll no: 08

Enrollment no : 4069206420210025

Email id: himanshiparmar3004@gmail.com

Batch : 2021-2023(M.A sem 2) 

submitted to: S. B. Gardi Department of English, maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji bhavnagar University

Definition / meaning and Origin of Modernism :-

According to Collins dictionary,

"Modernism was a movement in the arts in the first half of the twentieth century that rejected traditional values and techniques, and emphasized the importance of individual experience".

Modernism can describe thought, behavior, or values that reflect current times, but it can also be used to describe an art and literature movement of the 19th and 20th centuries that intentionally split from earlier conservative traditions. The poet Ezra Pound was considered as a key figure in modernism, and his famous slogan "Make it new!" sums up the values of modernism, which rejected traditional forms and styles for more experimental techniques. Modernism is a period in literary history which started around the early 1900s and continued until the early 1940s. Modernist writers in general rebelled against clear-cut storytelling and formulaic verse from the 19th century. Instead, many of them told fragmented stories which reflected the fragmented state of society during and after World War I.

Many of the writers used free verse in their work and tried to include the culture of various countries. Some writers also wrote in the style of stream of consciousness to describe flow of thoughts and numerous points of views. Modernism movement has its origin in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Mainly the movement arose in Europe and North America. The movement generally did self-conscious break with traditional ways of writing in poetry and prose because they saw it as boring as well as binding. If we try to find reasons behind the rise of modernism, the horror and fear of world war one must come first. Especially world war one became a key reason for modernism in literature and art. Why so! The answer is after the war, the world seems meaningless, the World war was itself meaningless.there was no purpose, no aim of anything which serves right argument in a fever of World War. And to show this meaninglessness in work of art, poets and writers started a new movement called the Modernist movement. Not only in literature but in all the art forms like painting, sculpture, writing etc. 

Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman are thought to be the mother and father of the movement because they had the most direct influence on early Modernists. Some time after their deaths, the Imagist poets began to gain importance. The University of Toledo’s Canaday Center has a rich collection of poetry and critical work from that era. Here are some important characteristics to understand modernism more clearly.

Characteristics :-

1 - Nihilism :-

The first characteristic associated with modernism is nihilism, the rejection of all religious and moral principles as the only means of obtaining social progress. In  other words, the modernists repudiated the moral codes of the society in which they were living in. The reason that they did so was not necessarily because they did not believe in God, although there was a great majority of them who were atheists, or that they experienced great doubt about the meaninglessness of life.

2 - Influenced by some thinkers :-

The movement called modernism not only arose in literature but  before that it was already existing in various fields, like psychology, sociology, science, philosophy etc. And modern writers were influenced by all of them and began the new movement. The main figures who influenced them are, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx and others. The main work of these thinkers is to raise questions against the rationality of the human mind.

2 - International break with tradition :-

The movement started as a revolution against the traditional way of writing. The traditional subjects of writing were mostly taken from the myth and religious books which were always in favour of religion and spirituality but modernist writers break that traditional way and started writing about the reality and horror of the world. They don't care whether their works give delight or pleasure or not. They just try to let out what they are feeling in the problematic world.This break of tradition includes a strong reaction against established religious, political, and social views.

3 - Inner self and Consciousness :-

 Inner self and Consciousness are at the center of Modernism. And might be that's why the new writing technique called stream of consciousness came into existence. Which focuses on the inner thoughts of the writer and a stream of thoughts without any syntax, figures of speech, structure of writing, metaphors, and spelling correction. Nothing is more important than the stream of thoughts. 

4 - Modernism care for nature and structure of history :-

Modernists are focusing on history and nature. As we know that modernism is all about breaking tradition. And to break the tradition, it is important to know the old traditions which one can only know if he knows history well. And for that purpose modernism is looking back to history.

Modernism also focuses on Nature and believing in the divine power of nature. They believe that the world is full of chaos and meaninglessness and the only way to escape from here is to look into nature. And they believe that everything is the origin of nature and will end in that only.

5 - Unreliable narrator and structure of work :-

Modernist works mainly don't follow any structure of writing. For example, It does not follow any grammatical rules, syntax structure, spelling errors but just gives importance to thoughts and the ideas of writers. Mainly in modernist works we find unreliable narrators and lack of plot arrangement. For example in F. Scotte. Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. In that a young boy named Nick is a narrator. But he is highly considered as unreliable because sometimes he was actually not presented. Also if we see Orlando : A Biography by Virginia Woolf, or Wasteland of T. S. Eliot's. We find no proper structure in plot, no appropriate characterization and themes. Mainly these kinds of works are written to show the extreme thought process of the writer's mind and the stream of consciousness.

6 - No truthfulness :-

In the works of modern time, there is no such thing as absolute truth, all the things are relative. Imagination is the soul of any literary works it is highly believed in. But modernist writers used to write about extreme imagination.

 modernism influenced by :-

Charles Darwin, who forwarded a theory of evolution and natural selection.

Sigmund Freud, who pioneered psychoanalysis and revolutionized the way people thought about the brain. Similar techniques are found in literature as a form of stream of consciousness.

Karl Marx, who analyzed class inequalities.and discuss about social problems. In modernism they revolt against the old norms of social, political and religious.

Friedrich Nietzsche, who turned the world on its head when he proclaimed that “God is dead.” and modernists are believing in one's own self and self satisfaction and thought of the individual's mind.

Important writers of Modernist Movement :-

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald :-

F. Scott Fitzgerald born on September 24, 1896 and died on December 21, 1940. He was a great American novelist, essayist, short story writer and screenwriter. Considered as a great modernist writer.During his lifetime, he published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories. Although he achieved temporary popular success and fortune in the 1920s, Fitzgerald received critical acclaim only after his death and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. His most famous works are,

1- The Beautiful and Damned (1922).

2- This Side of Paradise (1920).

3- The Great Gatsby (1925)

4 -  Tender Is the Night (1934)

Robert Lee Frost :- 

Robert Lee Frost was born on March 26, 1874 and died on January 29, 1963. He was an American poet and His works were initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Mainly he was Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. Frost is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He became one of America's rare "public literary figures, almost an artistic institution". He was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetic works. On July 22, 1961, Frost was named poet laureate of Vermont. Critic Harold Bloom argued that Frost was one of "the major American poets". His famous works are,

1- Home Burial.

2 - Mending Wall.

3- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.

4- Spring Pools.

5- A Servant to Servants.

Samuel Beckett :-

His full name is Samuel Barclay Beckett. Born on 13 April 1906 and died on 22 December 1989. He was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator.He wrote in both French and English.Beckett was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his writing, which in new forms for the novel and drama in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation". He was the first person to be elected Saoi of Aosdána in 1984. His famous works are,

1- Waiting for Godot.

2- More Pricks than Kicks (1934),short-story collection.

3- Happy Days (1961).

4 - Krapp's Last Tape (1958)

Conclusion :-

Thus to conclude we are able to say that modernism is one of the major literary movements that emerged during the late 19th century and early 20th century. In which writers break all the traditional ways and write in quite new form.which we can consider as a reaction against world war one. Here I have discussed the meaning, definition and origin of modernism, Characteristics of modernism, modernism influenced by what! and discussion on some of the key figures from the modernist movement.

References :-

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/modernism

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/modernism#:~:text=(m%C9%92d%C9%99%CA%B3n%C9%AAz%C9%99m%20),the%20importance%20of%20individual%20experience

https://www.utoledo.edu/library/canaday/guidepages/Modernism2.html#:~:text=The%20movement%20started%20in%20London,their%20work%20to%20Poetry%20magazine

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_modernist_writers

109 Assignment (Semester-2)

Subject :- I. A. Richards : The Figurative Language.

Name: Himanshi Parmar 

paper: 22402 Paper 109: Literary Theory & Criticism and Indian Aesthetics.

Roll no: 08

Enrollment no : 4069206420210025

Email id: himanshiparmar3004@gmail.com

Batch : 2021-2023(M.A sem 2) 

submitted to: S. B. Gardi Department of English, maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji bhavnagar University

Introduction :-

Figurative Language is a way of writing by using surreal imaginations and does not use realistic meaning. Figurative language is also a common technique in narrative writing, where the author strives to make emotional connections with the reader.  It is part of new criticism. So to understand figurative Language, it is very important to understand New criticism.

New criticism :-

I.A.Richards and T. S. Eliot is considered as a father of new criticism.  John crowe Ransom wrote a book on I. A. Richards, in that he mentioned that,  Discussion of the New criticism must start with mr. Richards.Ivor  Armstrong Richards wrote three major essays named, 1]  The Meaning of Meaning – 1923, 2]  The Principles of Literary Criticism – 1924, 3]  The Practical Criticism – 1929. In which he wrote about the new criticism, and the concept of figurative language.New Criticism was a formalist movement in literary theory that dominated American literary criticism in the middle decades of the 20th century.It was opposed to the critical practice of bringing historical or biographical data to bear on the interpretation of a work. Approach of New Criticism is the New Critical approach of close analytic reading of the text, a technique as old as Aristotle’s Poetics.English poet T.S. Eliot wrote about new criticism with his critical essays “Tradition and the Individual Talent” (1917) and “Hamlet and His Problems” (1919). All the New critics like Ivor Armstrong Richards, T. S. Eliot, John Crowe Ransom and William Empson are believed in a work of art. It means the structure and how it is created. This is seen in figurative language. 

Figurative language.

Basically, figurative language is anytime you stretch the actual meaning of words for effect, whether to sound artistic, make a joke, or communicate more clearly and engagingly. Figurative language is a common technique in narrative writing, where the author strives to make emotional connections with the reader. figurative language helps make writing and speeches more engaging and amusing. The reader or listener has to think about the words a little more, as if deciphering a riddle, which means they’re actively participating.Another use of figurative language is to help simplify complex ideas. I. A. Richards in his essay 'Practical criticism, described for kinds of meanings in figurative language.

Four kinds of meanings :-

Language is a very important medium of communication. Writers use this language to communicate so study of Language is all important. But language is made up of words and so studying words is very important. According to I. A. Richardson, all the words carry four kinds of meaning,

1- Sense

2- feelings

3-Tone

4- Intention

Here is the detailed note on it.

1- sense :-

We speak to say something and when we listen we expect something to be said. We use words to direct our hearers’ attention upon some state of affairs, to present to them some items for consideration and to excite in them some thoughts about these items’. In short, what we speak to convey to our listeners for their consideration can be called ‘sense’. This is the most important thing in all scientific utterances where verification is possible.

2- feeling :-

The attitude towards what we convey is known as ‘feeling’. In other words, we have bias or accentuation of interest towards what we say. We use language to express these feelings. Similarly, we have these feelings even when we receive them. This happens even if the speaker is conscious of it or not. In exceptional cases, say in mathematics, no feeling enters. The speaker’s attitude to the subject is known as ‘feeling’.

3 - Tone :-

The speaker has an attitude to his listener. ‘He chooses or arranges his words differently as his audience varies, in automatic or deliberate recognition of his relation to them. The tone of his utterance reflects his awareness of this relation, his sense of how he stands towards those he is addressing. Thus ‘tone’ refers to the attitude to the listener.

4 - Intention :-

Finally, apart from what he says (sense), his attitude to what he is talking about (feeling), and his attitude to his listener (tone), there is the speaker’s intention, his aim (conscious or unconscious) - the effect he is endeavouring to promote. The speaker’s purpose modifies his speech. Frequently, the speaker’s intention operates through and satisfies itself in a combination of other functions. ‘It may govern the stress laid upon points in an argument. It controls the ‘plot’ in the larger sense of the word. It has special importance in dramatic and semi-dramatic literature. Thus the influence of his intention upon the language he uses is additional to the other three influences.

Two use of Languages :-

Richards discussed two kinds of Language in his essay on figurative language.the essay is titled as a Principles of literary criticism". In those two uses of language described in chapter number 34. The two types are this,

1- Scientific Language

2- Emotive language

1] Scientific Language :-

It is only in recent years that serious attention is given to the language as a science. In the scientific use of language, we are usually matter of fact. All the activities covered by this use require undistorted references and absence of fiction. When language is used for scientific purposes, it is matter of fact and requires undistorted references and absence of fiction.In the scientific use of language, the references should be correct and the relation of references should be logical. This kind of reading is all about practical reading and proofs and scientific tests. For example if someone says, you have a mood face. It is incorrect according to scientific reading. Because it is not scientifically correct, how someone's face should be like their mood! It will raise a question. But it will be correct if we do literary reading.

2- Emotive Language :-

In the emotive use of language, any truth or logical arrangement is not necessary; it may work as an obstacle. The attitudes due to references should have their emotional interconnection and this has often no connection with logical relations of the facts referred to. Only the emotions matter and decide whether this writing is appropriate or not. The same example we can take here is that you have a moon face. Scientifically it seems surreal but when one can read it literally or emotively, it is considered appropriate. Because the sense and the literary meaning of this sentence is "your face is beautiful like the moon". The difference is the writer not directly said that but indirectly mentioned that,  to create poetic delight and literary essence.

Misunderstandings in Figurative Language.

Richards described four kinds of misunderstanding in figurative Language. Here it is,

1- misunderstanding the sense of poetry.

2- Over - literal reading.

3- Defective scholarship.

4- A difference in meaning of words in poetry and prose.

1- misunderstanding of sense of poetry :-

Sometimes figurative language creates misunderstanding of the sense of poetry. For example one word is use in different meaning in poetry, prose, stories, novels. And when one can read that one word and don't know about its difference in two different genres then it creates misunderstanding of sense. Each reader read the text according to their own understanding and ability to think. It is not necessary that the text convey the same message which writers wants to convey. So sometimes writers want to convey something else and readers take it as something else and at that time misunderstanding of sense takes place.

2 - Over literal reading :-

Over literal reading of any text also creates misunderstanding sometimes. It is similar to scientific reading of any book. When one can not understand the literary delight and only focus on structure, grammar, spelling and the possibility of what is written. Then it creates misunderstanding of over literal reading. For example Someone says, horses of my imagination flying on open sky. It is taken as that might be the horses really flying in the sky, but it is not possible. So it seems like inappropriate sentence. But if we understand the literal meaning then we find that it is about great imagination.

3- Defective Scholarship :-

This misunderstanding mostly happens because of grammatical problems and inappropriate metaphors and phrases. Mostly it is happened among readers while they are reading native writers of some another language which they are not used to with. Sometimes writers unknowingly use metaphors and phrases which do not really match with the lines or concept and that creates misunderstanding of defective scholarship.

4 - A difference in meaning of words in poetry and prose :-

Prose is more realistic and straightforward than poetry. Poetry is full of phrases, personifications, metaphors, historical and mythical references, which differentiate both poetry and prose. If readers are not aware about this difference then possibilities are there that one can interpret the text or poetry in the wrong way. That is also mentioned I. A. Richards as a misunderstanding in figurative language.

Conclusion :-

Thus to conclude, we can say that figurative language is the most important part of new criticism. It is very important for close reading of any literary text. And to understand the literary texts, I. A. Richards gave some points which indicate how to analyze text. The points are the meaning of language like sense, Intention, Feeling, Tone. Then  two uses of language, Scientific and Emotive use. And four kinds of misunderstanding while we read any texts.  Like misunderstanding the sense of poetry, Over - literal reading, Defective scholarship, A difference in meaning of words in poetry and prose. And by reading and understanding this we are able to get an idea about what is figurative language and how it works.

References :-

https://www.myexamsolution.com/2018/10/the-new-criticism-by-ia-richards.html?m=1

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/figurative-language/

https://www.britannica.com/art/New-Criticism

https://www.literatureworms.com/2020/07/four-kinds-of-meaning-by-i-richards.html?m=1#

https://literariness.org/2016/03/18/ia-richards-concept-of-the-two-uses-of-language/

108 assignment (Semester-2)

Subject :- Important Themes and symbols in Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night.

Name: Himanshi Parmar 

paper: 22401 Paper 108: The American Literature.

Roll no: 08

Enrollment no : 4069206420210025

Email id: himanshiparmar3004@gmail.com

Batch : 2021-2023(M.A sem 2) 

submitted to: S. B. Gardi Department of English, maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji bhavnagar University

Introduction :-

Long day's journey into night is a well known American play written by Eugene O’Neill in 1939 - 41. The play is widely considered as one of the finest play of the 20th century. It was first published posthumously in 1956. The play also received many awards like, 1] Tony Award for Best Play. 2] Pulitzer Prize in 1957, And others. This play 'Long day's Journey Into Night' is also considered as a semi - autobiographical play based on the playwright's own life. And that is the reason that O'Neill did not permit the publisher to publish this play until 25 years after His death. But soon after his death, his wife permitted him to publish the play and it got worldwide fame.

There are so many themes and symbols O' Neill used in his play and give it immortality and a special touch. The themes he used are, 1] Denial and Self - delusion, 2] The Haunting presence of the past, 3] The destructive power of addiction, 4] Loss of Faith,5] Forgiveness, 6] Isolation, 7] Breakdown of communication etc. Some symbols are also used in play like, 1] Fog, 2] Alcohol, 3] Wedding Dress ect. Here is the detailed information about all. But before that let me briefly discuss the storyline of the play.

Summary of the play :-

The play Long Day's Journey into Night is about the Tyrone family and is set in their summer house in 1912. The story begins just after lunch time, in the morning. Mary, the mother of Jamie and Edmund and a wife of James Tyron, was just returned to her family recently after receiving treatment in a sanatorium for morphine addiction.  At the same time period started coughing so widely and later we came to know that he has tuberculosis. We also came to know that Mary is still addicted to morphine. And Mary and Jamie try to suspect Edmund's condition of tuberculosis from Mary.

The main story is just about the addiction of both the characters. But the other addictions are also there, for example James, Jamie and Edmund are also addicted to Alcohol. The family constantly revisit the old fights and blame each other for what happened in the past and because of what condition they are suffering now. They have Lots of problems in their life like economical problems, health issues, mental instability and the regret and guilt of the past. And they are ruining their present by looking back to the past events. Most of the parts of play are repetitious and about quarrel between Father - Son, Husband - Wife, Brother - Brother etc.

Themes in Long Day's Journey Into Night :- 

1] Denial and Self - delusion :-

All four Tyrone members are living in self - delusion and denying their own faults and blaming others for their condition and illness. They all are Blaming others for what is happening with them and behaving as a victim. For example, Jamie blames his father James for His mother's addiction and tells him that just because he hires a cheap doctor during her pregnancy, is the reason she became addicted to morphine. Because that doctor gave her painkillers which have the majority of morphine in it.

   Similarly Mary is also blaming James that he is not able to give them a good, satisfied life, and not even provided them a good fortune and that's the reason they have no other house axcepting Summer home. Jamie also blames her mother Mary that the mess in their family is somewhere because of her also because she is not able to see anything out of morphine and that leads their family in chaos.

2] The Haunting presence of the past :-

In this find Mary is the one who is constantly going back into her past and counting faults of her and others. Other members are also returning into their past but Mary is one of the main among them. Mary says that,

"The past is the present, isn't it? It's the future too". - Mary Tyrone.

Mary dwells into the past, and remembers that she once wanted to be a nun, but then she fell in love with James and married him but in the end she got no satisfaction from him and no happiness at all. Somewhere she has that regret that is why she chose relations instead of separation from the world. Because the more we are attached to something, the more pain we feel.

Mary also makes the audience or readers aware about the past of James Tyrone. Who failed to give them good fortune and peace to her. Jamie also remembers the past event that her mother got addicted to morphine because James didn't appoint a good doctor for her. 

3] The destructive power of addiction :-

  The whole Tyrone family is addicted to something and something. For example,

Mary -  Morphine

James - Alcohol 

Jamie - Women and Alcohol 

Edmund - Alcohol.

The addiction is their reaction or we can say escapism from the reality of their past and present. They are trying to control their thoughts and past by living into illusions,  but in reality we find that it is not Tyrones who are controlling their pasts but it is addiction who is controlling all of them. The main reason for their addiction is that they are not able to accept their presents and their guilt of the past. And ruining their life under addiction.

4] Loss of Faith :-

If we see we find that Mary and James both belong from Catholicism. And now have very less faith in god. Similarly Jamie and Edmund already lost their faith in god. All the Tyrones don't even have faith in themselves, that it is very hard for them to believe in god. They are highly pessimistics. Instead of trying or believing in god they left their life on fate and started accepting what is happening with them. They initially lost their faith in god. 

5] Forgiveness :-

The family is living under hatred and jealousy and is not able to forgive each other for what happened in the past. In this case only Edmund is vise enough to understand that forgiveness is very important for mental peace.and only he is able to forget everything and move ahead to see a better present and future for him and his family. But all other tyrones are still stuck in the past and carrying all the hatreds and jealousy with them and ruining their own present as well as future. 

 6] Isolation :-

Although the four Tyrones live under the same roof this summer, there is a deep sense of isolation. Family meals, a central activity of family bonding, are absent from the play. Lunch happens between acts, and dinner falls apart as everyone in the family goes his separate way. Mary is isolated in a different way as she is the only woman in the family, so because of her gender she feels isolated.

Symbols in the Long Day's Journey Into Night.

1] Fog :-

fog we find all around the tyrone family house, it is symbolizing Mary's state of mind after taking morphine. It reflects the fear in Mary that she is under the chaos and problems because of it's addiction to morphine. Tyrone predicted that the fog is gone for good, but he later has to admit it is returning just as Mary's addiction is resurfacing. At the first time Mary doesn't like fog but as the play moves on she starts liking the fog and in fact loves fog now. Which shows her fear of looking into reality and fog is symbolised as a vagueness on it which she loves.

Also fog symbolises Edmund's denial of his fears about being seriously ill. He says that fog creates an atmosphere "where truth is untrue and life can hide from itself." Jamie and Edmund refer to Mary's addiction as a "fog" as well.

2] Alcohol :-

We find all the three men in Tyrone's family are addicted to alcohol. Here O'Neill used alcohol as a symbol of destruction. But still it must be noted that alcohol is showing less destructive than Mary's morphine addiction. All three men have different reasons for their addiction. James takes alcohol to forget the regret that he didn't succeed in fulfilling his parental duties. Also we find both the sons Edmund and Jamie keep asking for some money so that they can drink full. And James provides them without asking for reasons because he also believes that his sons also need addiction to forget about his mother's morphine addiction. But ultimately it is ruining their lives.

3] Mary's Wedding Dress :-

In the last act of the play, Mary wears her wedding dress again and walks down the stairs. Her wedding dress is symbolizing her hope for future and clarification of past that is why she once was chosen to Marry Tyrone instead of being nun.As Mary says in her last line, when she fell in love with Tyrone she was "so happy for a time." The dress symbolizes this happiness, now neglected and forgotten. 

Conclusion :-

Thus to conclude we are able to say that the play Long Day's Journey Into Night looks like it is a simple, tragedy play. Which only talks about tragedy and addiction of family with the title Tyrone family. But in a deeper way the play is more than this. It has lots of symbols, themes, autobiographical elements etc. Which created a kind of great sense of understanding and raised its importance.

References :-

“Long Day's Journey into Night.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Feb. 2022, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Day's_Journey_into_Night. 

O'Neill, Eugene. “Long Day's Journey into Night Symbols: Course Hero.” Long Day's Journey into Night Symbols | Course Hero, Andrew Grauer, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Long-Days-Journey-into-Night/symbols/. 

https://yeshab68.blogspot.com/2022/01/long-days-journey-into-night-eugene.html

107 assignment (Semester-2)

Subject :- The theatre of absurd with reference to Waiting for Godot.

Name: Himanshi Parmar 

paper: 22400 Paper 107: The Twentieth Century Literature: From World War II to the End of the Century.

Roll no: 08

Enrollment no : 4069206420210025

Email id: himanshiparmar3004@gmail.com

Batch : 2021-2023(M.A sem 2) 

submitted to: S. B. Gardi Department of English, maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji bhavnagar University

Definition/ meaning / Origin :-

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the term as, 

‘Theater that seeks to represent the absurdity of human existence in a meaningless universe by bizarre or fantastic means.’

The word absurd means strange. The word 'Absurd' also refers to a literary genre and style which focuses on the meaninglessness of life. And questioning over human existence and humanity's attempts to make sense of it.

The term theatre of absurd is simply used for a literary movement made up of many diverse plays, most of which were written between 1940 and 1960. The term theatre of absurd originated in Paris and then spread to New York city during the mid twentieth century. The gener was inspired by philosophy and was first mentioned in an essay of a great philosopher Albert Camus titled 'The Myth of Sisyphus'. In that essay Camus discussed human existence and the meaninglessness of the world.

   The term theatre of Absurd was first coined by Critic Martin Esslin in 1965. In his book "Absurd Drama". In which he says that Absurd plays are not only about plot, characters, development, realism and traditional technique of writing plays. But instead of that Theatre of absurd focuses on the state of mind of its characters as they’re trapped in illogical and incomprehensible situations.Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, Jean Genet, Arthur Adamov, Harold Pinter are some of the key figures of theatre of Absurd.

Characteristics of the theatre of Absurd :-

   Here are some of the characteristics. But it must be noted here that all these characteristics cannot necessarily be found in all the absurdist plays because it is not necessary that the playwright must have used all. The characteristics are,

1 - Questions of Existence.

2 - Distrust in Language.

3 - Illogical Speeches and Meaningless Plots.

4 - Re-establishment of man’s communion with the Universe.

5 - Vagueness about Time, Place and Character.

6 - Lack of communication amid characters.

1 - Questions of Existence :-

Absurd plays raise some questions like why do we exist? What is our significance? Life is meaningless? For what purpose were we born here? Samuel Beckett, a one of the great absurdist wrote that,

"Nothing is more real than nothing " - Samuel Beckett.

Which shows nothingness in life and in the world and says that life is full of boredom. And that is the key characteristic of Absurd play.

2 - Distrust in Language :-

Language of absurd play seems like meaningless communication. Though it is a very important part of absurd play.

According to Aristotle : plot is the soul of play.

According to Samuel Beckett : Dialogues are the soul of play.

The entire play is mainly about dialogues. And its interpretation by the audience. These kinds of plays do not give any morals as the traditional plays do. But it leaves it to the audience what meaning, what interpretation they want to take from the play. The absurd play is full of dialogues which at one point seem like meaningless and boring but at another point lots of hidden meanings are there and one can understand it by their sense of presence and intelligence.

3) Illogical Speeches and Meaningless Plots :-

Illogical speeches and meaningless plots are the core of absurd play. There is no structure clearly explored in most of the absurd plays. Mostly the plays have no beginning and no ending. It seems like it ends where it started. Like if we see a play of Harold Pinter named The Birthday party, it is so confusing and has no clear indications of what is happening and why such absurd activities are running by all the characters. Stanley is the main character of the play, and the two men come to where he is living and try to beat him, take him away, sometimes treat him well and sometimes so rudely and why are they doing such absurd behaviors? That is not clearly indicated in the play. The plot is full of confusion and the speeches given by all the characters also seem so illogical, but it has deep meanings but not all are able to understand that. By illogical speeches and meaningless plots, they wish to establish a feeling of freedom to make their own worlds. Dr. Culik says,

“Rationalist thought, like language, only deals with the superficial aspects of things, Nonsense, on the other hand, opens up a glimpse of the infinite.”

4)  Re-establishment of man’s communion with the Universe :-

Sometimes through Absurd plays, playwrights try to re - establish the value of morals and ethics in life and showing what life will be if there is no value and no morals. Also it is trying to show the importance of myth and rituals in life.

5 - Vagueness about Time, Place and Character.

There is no clear indication we find in absurd play. No clarification about time, place and character. If we see The birthday party by Harold pinter, there is no indication of time. What time is it according to history? Why is that time chosen? Also the place and characters seem so unreliable. That all characters age wise are not appropriate, also not nature wise seems normal.

6 - Lack of communication amid characters :-

There is proper communication that takes place in play. All the dialogues look meaningless and babbling. It is always confusing about what they are talking about and why they are discussing the points which are not necessarily relevant with the subject of their previous talks. And also there are very few characters used in comparison to traditional plays. That thing also makes absurd play very different.

Waiting for Godot as a Absurd play :-

Waiting for Godot is considered as a great Absurd play by Samuel Beckett. The play has no story, no characterization, no beginning nor any end, unexplained themes, imitation of dreams and nightmares and above all it contains useless dialogues.

1- No story or plot :-

The play waiting for godot does not have any plot and does not follow any structure. The play starts with waiting and ends with waiting. Characters also stand and talk, doing nothing more than conversation. Vladimir and Estragon both are the main characters, just standing near the country road and waiting for an unknown person named godot. Whom they never met before and even not know anything about them. Their waiting is useless and the play ends with waiting only.

In the play, we have two parts, but if we read the first part second and second part first, it makes no difference. That is showing its absurdity. In the entire play the two men just wait for an unknown man Godot, also meet some strangers like Lucky and Pozzo and meaningless conversion with them take place. Except for that, nothing much happens. This dialogue of Samuel Beckett is very much related with this point,

 “Nothing happens, nobody comes … nobody goes, it’s awful!”.

2 - Useless Dialogues :-

Absurd play is all about useless dialogues. Waiting for Godot based on delivery of dialogues but most of them have no apparent meanings. Every dialogue is full of symbols. If we analyse the play We find that rarely one or two dialogues are written in more than a sentence. It is very short but full of hidden meanings. According to Aristotle : plot is the soul of play. And According to Samuel Beckett, Dialogues are the soul of play. And that thing he proves in the play waiting for Godot By using many of symbolic dialogues.

Also the play does not giving any meaning or moral but Beckett leave it on audience that how they interpret the play by their own sense of humor.that's why he wrote that,

"Nothing is more than nothing ". - Samuel Beckett.

3 - Unexplained Themes :-

Unclear themes also make “Waiting for Godot” a play of absurd theater. Audience do not observe any obvious theme in the play. It is a very rare theme used in the play. And if there are more themes available than that all are hidden. Moreover, it presents an individualistic vision of the writer. There is an effect of alienation in the play with respect to themes.

4 - Question of existence :-

Waiting for godot raises a question of existence. For example in the play there is two main characters Vladimir and Estragon. Both are looking like traps but who they really are not clearly mentioned. Here,we find questions on their existence and along with them the question of human existence. Why are we living? What purpose survived us in this meaningless world that always remains a question.

 Conclusion  :-

Thus to conclude we are able to say that Absurd theatre is a revolution against the traditional way of writing plays. It is a strange and absurd play which creates boredom among the audience. But the play is full of meanings and hidden symbols. Though it has no proper beginning, ending, plot, characters, and seems meaningless , it is still very meaningful if one can interpret it in a correct way. The absurd play is all about interpretation of the audience and their vision of presence. Waiting for Godot is an absurd play.

References :-

“Theatre of the Absurd: 6 Absurdist Plays - 2022.” Edited by MasterClass staff, MasterClass, MasterClass, 28 Sept. 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/theatre-of-the-absurd#:~:text=Theatre%20of%20the%20Absurd%20is%20a%20theatre%20genre%20that%20originated,that%20absurdism%20defined%20human%20existence.

Sarkar, Somnath, et al. “Theatre of the Absurd: Definition, Examples, Characteristics, History.” All About English Literature, 14 Feb. 2022, https://www.eng-literature.com/2021/05/theatre-of-the-absurd-definition-examples-characteristics.html.

Askliterature. “‘Waiting for Godot’ as an Absurd Play: Absurd Theater Characteristics.” ASK LITERATURE, 20 Nov. 2021, https://askliterature.com/drama/samuel-beckett/waiting-for-godot/waiting-for-godot-as-an-absurd-play/. 

Assignment - Paper 106 (Semester-2)

Subject :- Symbols in the Novel 'The Great Gatsby'.

Name: Himanshi Parmar 

paper: 22400 Paper 107: The Twentieth Century Literature: From World War II to the End of the Century.

Roll no: 08

Enrollment no : 4069206420210025

Email id: himanshiparmar3004@gmail.com

Batch : 2021-2023(M.A sem 2) 

submitted to: S. B. Gardi Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

What are symbols?

According to Oxford Dictionary,

Symbols is a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g. the letter or letters standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation.

Second definition by same dictionary is,

Symbol means a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.

But in literature, the meaning of Symbols is quite different. In literature symbols means something beyond the literal meaning. Means the word is written for a very new meaning. In literary text symbols can be a character, things, words,action, or a concept. The main goal of literature is to enhance readers' experience with Literature, and to give deep meaning to what is spoken. There are many types of symbols in literature,

Types of symbols

1 - Emotions :

   Sometimes emotions often come as symbols. And this kind of emotion creates a lasting impression on readers. Emotions also attract readers' constant attention towards any literary texts.

2 - Thematic Connection :

   Symbols help to understand complex themes and also connect various themes. So it will be easy for writers to make readers understand which meaning they want to convey.

3 - Character Attributes :

   Symbols can help in understanding characters and their actions. Also sometimes their intentions and mind set.

4 - Deep Meanings :

   Through symbols, writers convey deeper meanings in their works. Symbols work as a layer sometimes, various readers can find their own meaning from those symbols.

Various Symbols in Literature : 

   

1- Rainbow –  hope and promise

2- Red rose – love and romance

3- Four-leaf clover – good luck or fortune.

4- Wedding Ring – commitment and matrimony.

5- Red, White, Blue – American patriotism.

6- Green Traffic Light –“go” or proceed.

7 - Pilgrim hat –Thanksgiving holiday.

About the novel 'The Great Gatsby' : 

   The Great Gatsby is a well known novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel was written in 1925. The novel covers many themes like racism, sexism, betrayal and tragedy. It is set in the Jazz age, on Long Island, near New York City. The novel is a love story between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, and it depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway, Cousin of Daisy and neighbor of Jay Gatsby. The Great Gatsyby consider to be a literary master work and a great American Novel.

The story begins with Nick Carraway's arrival in New York. He bought a house near newly millionaire Jay Gatsby. Nick later comes to know that Jay Gatsby is in love with her cousin Daisy who is already married to a Millionaire man named Tom Buchanan. A man having an affair with Martel. A poor married woman, his husband running a garage. Name of his husband is George who at last in the novel killed Jay Gatdby as a revenge of his wife's murder. Who is actually killed by Daisy in a car accident.

When Jay Gatsby died alone. As no one with him except Nick and Father of Gatsby. The story ends tragically, reflecting American dreams, Disasters and the messy society of that time. Nick becomes desperate and mentally ill. During the treatment in the sanatorium wrote the entire novel as a first person narration. Wrote about his own experience with all the characters.

About the writer :-

F. Scott. Fitzgerald was an American Novelist. His full name is Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He was born on September 24, 1896 and died on December 21, 1940. He not only worked as a novelist but along with that he also worked as a screenwriter. He is popular to describe Jazz Age in his work, the term Jazz Age itself popularized by him. Though he wrote many popular works he didn't get much success during his lifetime. But after his death critics widely regarded him as a great writer. He during his lifetime published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories. He wrote many novels and other works such like,

1 - This Side of Paradise (1920)

2- The Beautiful and Damned (1922)

3 - The Great Gatsby (1925)

4- The Saturday Evening Post,

5- Collier's Weekly,

6-  Esquire.

7- The Last Tycoon (1941)

Symbols in The Great Gatsby :

We find some symbols in the movie. Like the symbol of Valley of Ashes, Green light, eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleberg, painting in the room of Gatsby(Bull and Bear), East and west, mention of Gatsby, and many more. Which all are symbolising something about characters, situation, future, conditions, society, or sometimes the end also. Here are the most important symbols.

1) Valley of Ashes :-

Valley of Ashes symbolising the dark side of shining New York. Or we can say America. Valley of Ashes placed between East Egg and west Egg. Both are rich areas.

 All the waste and dirt of that rich area are deposited in the Valley of Ashes. We can say that, Valley of ashes is satirizing wealthy society and people of upper class who themselves living Meritmongering life, eating healthy food, breathing pure air, and keep their place clean. But behind their pleasure, healthy - happy life, there is a Valley of ashes in which people are suffering from poverty, breathing smoke more than air, living within the dirt and Sludge. Here in the movie, George Wilson is symbolising people who are suffering like this. Along with this Valley of Ashes is also symbolizing the dark side of Industrialism. How industrialism helped the  Economics of the country and on the other side how it ruined the environment and people's health as well. Here is the video of valley of ashes.

2) Green light :-

Movie, The Great Gatsby starts with a green light stated across the lake. And we find that gatsby trying to touch it with his hand. Also we find many other important scenes in which the Green light was mentioned, just like the talk between Jay Gatsby and Tom at Tom's house. And talk between Jay and Nick at the last part of the movie. The green light is very important. Green light symbolizes the hope of Gatsby for a mission of  marriage with Daisy.and his hope for the future. In general also green colour is always taken as a positivity and as a symbol that something good will happen if there is green shed around. It's a sign of positivity. In the novel, we see green light and the ocean, which also gives an idea of America rising near the ocean. Just like most of the megacities are.

3) The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg :-

The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleberg is a Fading painting of eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes. According to George Wilson, The eyes are the eyes of God, who are judging American society and people and starring the Tyranny of wealthy people towards poor and black people. Here we also find the theme of racism.  The eyes of T. J. Eckleberg is the eyes of god and justifies each character. Also in chapter number eight Nick explores the idea of the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleberg is also representing nothingness in life. And boredom in the world.

4) Mention of Jay Gatsby :-

   From the beginning to the end of the novel we find Gatsby's mansion described many times. It is a huge mention stated into the west egg, a place where all the newly rich people are stated. Especially Those who got new money earned by the rise of industrialism. Jay Gatsby is also one of those. He has a huge mention, a full furnished, palace-like house. But his mention symbolises two major things, 1} Grandness, 2} emptiness.

It is very grand and has everything which we can call need and the pleasure like swimming pool, huge furnished bedrooms, waiting halls, Garden, parking etc. Which shows its hugeness. But there is no human being we find accepting Jay Gatsby. He is alone in the huge Villa and trying to come out from this emptiness by throwing grand parties every weekends.one more thing we find here is the contrast between new money and old money. The money which comes from the wrong way gives all the facilities to Gatdby but not happiness. His happiness is still by the side of old money holder Tom Buchanan.

5) East egg and West egg :-

East and West Eggs are two fictional villages Fitzgerald has created to represent the different ideas of the new rich and the old rich. East Egg represents the old rich. Tom and Daisy belong to East Egg. It represents the people, who are born rich and are considered classy, with an arrogant stance toward West Egg. West Egg stands for newly rich people like Gatsby. It is the world of those who make their own fortune and are not rich by birth. East symbolizes corruption, whereas West symbolizes goodness.

6) Green Color :- 

Just like the Green Light, Green color runs throughout the novel. It universally represents vitality, wealth and growth. In the novel, green stands for Gatsby’s hope and short life. It symbolizes the bulk of wealth which Gatsby earns to win Daisy back in life. It is the symbol of death too, as Michalis describes the car that kills Myrtle as a green light, though it is a yellow car. The green light thus represents the false status of dream and hope that win nothing for Gatsby.

Clock / Time

The clock in the novel symbolizes the passage of time that has passed and the moments Gatsby wants back. We find a clock in Nick's house when Daisy and Jay Gatsy meet for the first time. Jay Gatsby wins the high living standards to rewind the clock to the times, change what happened between him and Daisy.The love for each other they pine back. In chapter five “the defunct masterpiece clock” represents that Gatsby is still living in the past with Daisy, while Daisy has moved on. The end of the novel also signifies the value of time and the dilemma faced by humans, that the past is unforgettable.

Conclusion :-

Thus to conclude, we are able to say that The Great Gatsby is not a simple love story but also a deep symbolic novel. Which is trying to portray many social, economical issues like Jazz age, Industrialism, Bootlegging, Corruption in morals, Fake love, and crisis of love. Along with that the novel also talks about the contrast between Rich and Poor, like it is Rich who get everything at the end and the Newly rich who are raised into poverty get nothing. For example he was Tom who succeeded to be with Daisy not Jay Gatsby, who became newly rich. The symbols like Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleberg, Green Light, Green Color, The valley of ashes, East egg and west egg are the most significant to understand and to analyze novel. 

References :- 

LiteraryDevices Editors. “Metaphor” LiteraryDevices.net. 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.