Lit.Guruji

                    The Indian Jugglers                                    - William Hazlitt William Hazlitt (10 April 1778 – 18 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered as one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. William Hazlitt  was eager to inquire into human life with all its variety. He was keenly interested in a vast variety of things-books of all kinds, politics, sports, stage etc. He conveyed his enjoyment and observation to the readers through his essays. William Hazlitt in his essay the  Indian Jugglers  talks about the stunning performance of an Indian Juggler. In this essay he praises the Juggler’s mechanical mastery, his “skill surmounting difficulty, and beauty triumphing over skill,” . Hazlitt is perplexed to see an odd and inexplicable mixture of simple and miracu

                         Autobiography  The   author writes the story of his own life and achievements. The aim of an autobiography is  *to present his personality  * the authors period. Autobiography can never be complete. Dr.Johnson prefered Autobiography to Biography. The inner psyche will be known only by the autobiographer. As Longfellow claims "Autobiography is a product of first hand experience". It is a truer form of writing.  Autobiographies are written by famous people.  Writing an autobiography allows the author to share the real story and put it into the larger context of their life and times. An autobiographer faces certain difficulties. Great care has to be taken in making any comments on people who may be alive when the book appears.  An artistic difficulty that a autobiographer was to omit the details of daily life that are common to everyone, and must concentrate on what was striking or exceptional. 

                    The One-Act Play The   One-Act Plays were quite brief. Several little plays got. Combined to form a full-length drama. The interlude of the later 15th C was also a brief. It vanished for a while and reappeared in 18th Century. It reached its peak during 19th Century. At a later period the standard programme at a London theatre consisted of full-length play proceded by a One-Act piece called a "curtain raiser". But people were not interested in short play. But the form didnot get vanished. Technique The One-Act Play is not a full-length play in miniature. It is a form by itself. It imposes severe restrictions on the playwright. It is a form by itself with "laws" of its own. One-Act Play is easier to write than the full-length play. Brevity is the soul of the One-Act Play. It has a single main episode and is either a pure comedy or pure tragedy. Simplicity of design and immediate impact are the qualities on which it depends for its succ

                                   Essay Definitions for Essay: Dr. Johnson defined essay as "a loose Sally of the mind, an irregular, indigested piece, not a regular and orderly performance".  The Oxford English Dictionary explains it as " a composition of moderate length on any particular subject".  Saintsbury describes it as "work of prose of art". Hugh Walker divides essay in to two types, *Essay Par Excellence - the writers of highest degree is one type. *Composition - these writers are comparatively short and in being more or less incomplete. The true essay according to W.H. Hudson "is essentially personal". Origin : Roman writers Cicero and Seneca wrote Epistles . These Epistles were considered as essays and not letter. Bacon says the word essay is ancient, for Seneca's "Epistles".  Types of Essay: Personal Essay: Montaigne, the French writer of the 16th century wrote personal essays. He employed the term &qu

                  Dramatic Monologue Dramatic Monologue is a poetic form. It is cast in the form of a speech addressed to a silent listener. It's aim is character study or "psycho-analysis". Robert Browning is an exponent in using this technique. Tennyson also used in his poem Ulysses and Tithonus .  A poem in which an imagined speaker addresses a silent listener, usually not the reader. Examples include Robert Browning's “My Last Duchess,” T.S. Eliot's “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.  Dramatic Monologue is part drama and part poetry. It could be recited on the stage before the audience. But it differs from drama because it lacks complete action. It is completely addressed to a passive listener.  Browning's Contribution: Browning's finest poetry is in the form of dramatic monologue. He has uttered his own thoughts. His masterpiece The Ring and the Book is a series of ten lengthy monologues. The story of a famous trail in Italian histo

                        The Ottava Rima The Ottava Rima is an Italian stanza form. It was introduced into England by Sir Thomas Wyatt in the 16th century. It is a stanza of eight lines iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme is ab abb cc. It is a narrative measure similar to Chaucerian Stanza. Byron used it for satire in The Vision of Judgement and for mock-heroic effects in Don Juan . Shelley and Keats used it for pure narrative in The Pot of Basil and The Witch of Atlas.  The isolated couplet of the Ottava Rima ( ab abb cc  ) provides a convenient opportunity for transitions of mood.

    The Chaucerian Stanza or Rhyme Royal A stanza of seven lines in iambic pentameter rhyming ab abb cc. Rhyme: a b a bb cc - The first with third. a b a bb cc - The second with fourth and fifth. ab abb cc - Couplet standing alone  Rhyme Royal form was borrowed from Italy. It was first used by Chaucer. The name Rhyme Royal is first adopted by King James I of Scotland in his King's Quair. Chaucer has used rhyme Royal in his works,               * Troilus and Cressida               * The Parliament of Fowls               * Second Nun's Tale. Rhyme Royal was adopted by Shakespeare for The Rape of Lucrece. 

                          Heroic Couplet The Heroic Couplet consists of two iambic pentameters (lines of ten syllables). Eg : We think/our fa/thers fools,/so wise/we grow, Our wi/ser sons/ no doubt,/will think/us so. It is called "heroic" because 10 syllable iambic verse, whether it rhymes or not, is the usual form of epic verse in English celebrating heroic exploits.  Characteristics of Heroic Couplet 1. There is a pause at the end of the first line, indicated by a comma.  2. There is a pause at the end of the couplet, indicated by full stop. 3 .The couplet is closed. 4 .The rhyme is single e.g. "grow" and "so". 5 .Ten syllables. Usage of Heroic Couplet The usage of Heroic Couplet varied from time to time and from poet to poet. It was most correctly used by pope. The Heroic Couplet was first used in England by Chaucer . He employed in his Canterbury Tales.  The Elizabethans used it with equal skill in their poetry and drama. For eg. Shakespear

                            How to Win?                                          - Shiv Kera Shiv Kera is one of the famous motivational speaker and he energize the audience by delivering matters in simplified manner. In his prose piece " How to Win? " Kera motivates the readers to build positive self-esteem.  Self-esteem is the way we feel about ourselves. The author volunteered to teach attitude and self-esteem programmes for his jail friends. The  behavioural changes in a person will showcase the process of learning.  The narrator asked the first jail inmate about the effect of motivational programme. The jail mate replied that he read Bible, and further claimed that he was going to try to be a contributing member of the society. The narrator asked him to get rid of the word "try".  Another jail mate approached Shiv and asked "what do you get paid to do all this". The narrator's purpose was not money. He has come there for his own s

                            Dark Room                                       - R.K. Narayan R.K. Narayan is a leading Indian writer. His novel "The Dark Room" is published in the year 1938. This novel talks about the life of a timid, submissive, sacrificial and suffering woman Savitri. She is the mother for two daughters (Sumathi and Kamala)  and one son (Babu). She is scorned and abused by her bossy husband Ramani.  Ramani works for the Engladia Insurance Company, Malgudi. He is very domineering and cynical in his ways. He is a irritable person. He keeps his house gloomy and his wife, Savitri, his children and servants in a state of terror.  Savitri is a true symbol of traditional Indian woman. She is very beautiful and remains silent. She is deeply devoted to her husband. In the 15yrs of their married life, Savitri has received only abuses and rebukes. Ramani treats his kids in a bossy manner.  Savitri often feels hurt and dejected and she puts herself in a dark