MEG-14 Contemporary Indian Literature in English Translation
Block-1 Background Studies
Unit-1 The Concept of Indian Literature
Unity in Diversity.
Sanskrit and Tamil as well as Prakrit are the initial languages.
Bhakti movement in 6th to 10th century CE in Tamil. By nayanmar(shiva) and almars(vaishnav). - Came out against the life negating principles of Janisim, Buddhism and Brahmanism as well.
Bhakti Poets 1. Worship formless Gods 2. Gods with form.
Mahabharata is the longest epic in the world.
Unit-2 The Concept of Indian Literature : Modern Period
19th century
Indians came together against colonialism.
Introduction of printing press. - first printing press in 16th century by Portugese but major in Bengal in 1800. Main aim was to print bibles and prayers in the local language but it ended up giving us standardized grammar vocabulary and spelling of those languages. Also created a gulf between elites(literate) and illiterates.
English was soon to be taken as the better language. Indians wanted to learn it and many universities came into picture - Bombay Madras and Calcutta being the first ones.
1857 - first war of Indian independence was the first notable novel published in Indian language.
1845 - first poem - Gujarati Kavi - Dayabhai wrote Bapani Pipar. The 1st truly modern poet.
Drama
20th century (1900-47)
Unit-3 Comparative Studies in Indian Literature
Comparative literature is a study of more than 1 literature in relation to one another. Also a study between literature on the areas of knowledge, belief and fine arts of different backgrounds.
Matthew Arnold was the first creative writer who referred to the need for comparative literary studies in 1829. But it is as old as literary criticism.
1st book on comparative literature by HM Posnett in 1886.
American view
French view
Indian view - 1st introduced by Rabindra Nath Tagore in his essay Visva sahitya in 1906.
1- comparative western literature (diverse world of many languages)
2- comparative Indian literature (multilingual)
Indian English literature:
1- writers of Indian origin, settled in immigrant countries but keep writing in their mother tongue. Themes - memories of socio economic problems.
2- who write in the language of the migrated country
Unit-4 English Translation of Indian Literature
Translation is an act of turning words, sentences or books from one language into another or expressing the sense of something in another form of words.
Etymologically - carrying accross or bringing across.
Problem:
How faithful is the translator?
Right equivalents
Free translation or literal
Translation is a manipulative act; it is a part of an ongoing process of intercultural transfer.
Theory of appropriation- one should benefit from something, someone, somewhere else must suffer a corresponding loss.
Source language and target language.
2 problem with translation of Indian literature to English-
Linguistics
Cultural
Sometimes the poor authors are just happy to be finally translated even if it means the hagemoney of west over east is maintained.
Authors as translators.
Which English?
Indian, queen, modern British, American Canadian Australian etc
Appropriation, free translation, suppression, deletion authorial intervention, selection of type of English
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