What is the difference between story and plot? What is the difference between plot summary and plot interpretation? How do you analyze the relationship between the main plot and a subplot? What are the purposes of literary elements and literary techniques? What are the writer’s literary devices and reader’s literary devices? How do you recognize and appreciate ways in which writer use language, structure and style to achieve his intended effects on the reader? How do you shift from mere appreciation of a literary text to critical literary appreciation? How do you engage in literary analysis & what is the purpose? What is the difference between topic and theme and how do you arrive at the theme? How do you compare the theme and the moral message? How do you develop an interpretation of a work of literature (drama, poetry and prose) and what is the purpose? How do you present critical appreciations or your individual responses to literary texts composed in different forms and in different periods and cultures? How do you know your individual response is valid? What are the differences between Critical Literary Appreciation, Literary Criticism, and Literary Theory? Why should there be a Literary theory at all?
Poppy fields, Opium, Taliban, Mujahadeen, Russians and Americans Following is an extraction from Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie The Russians were in Afghanistan and consuqently many Afghans had fled to Pakistan, and were even to be found at forward camp number 22 in the “free”-Azad-sector of Kashmir. In spite of the enormous numbers of refugees occupying huge, town-sized camps […]
Read moreOpium: Bombay (Mumbai) to Canton (Guangzhou)Following text is a gleaning from River of Smoke by Amitav GhoshLater there would be much discussion on whether the Anahita was struck by the same storm that had hit the Ibis. Such information as was available then made it impossible to come to any reliable determination on this: what was certain was that the […]
Read moreOpium addictionJi, Sethji, said Neel. He ran his eye over the lines and said: It seems that these are excerpts from a memorandum written by a high-ranking Chinese official and sent to the Emperor.Yes, said Baharam. Go on. What does he say?Opium is a poisonous drug, brought from foreign countries. To the question, what are its virtues, the answer is: […]
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Arjuna and Krishna “O Arjuna,”, “in this world I have taught a twofold way of life; the way of knowledge for men who engage in contemplation, & the way of works for men of actions. One cannot maintain even one’s physical life without action. Therefore, do your allotted work regardless of results, for men attain the highest good by doing […]
Read moreThe Daffodils [“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” ] When we were in the woods beyond Gowbarrow park we saw a few daffodils close to the water side, we fancied that the lake had floated the seed ashore & that the little colony had so sprung up — But as we went along there were more & yet more & […]
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Colonialists in British Ceylon; Robert Knox & The Bible; Joseph Stalin & The American church I IMAGE: Warrior King Rajasinghe the Second, (1629 – 1687), the third king of the kingdom of Kandy, Sri Lanka, who held a melange of Europeans captive (open air -closed kingdom prisoners) within the natural fortress of Kandy surrounded by hills and looped by River Mahawel Ganga; no way out. I have never […]
Read moreCITY & GUILDS ENGLISH, England ON YOUR ACCENT Which of these opinions about good pronunciation is closest to yours? (a) Good pronunciation must be free of any local or regional accent. (b) A slight regional accent is acceptable but a foreign accent is not. (c) An accent, regional or foreign, doesn’t matter as long as the speaker’s pronunciation is easy to […]
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21 DECEMBER 2012. Being written by bunpeiris Call it Armageddon, Apocalypse Now, The End of the World, The Day After, The Heart of Darkness, Mad Max Clockwork Orange Bushido Days or even 21 December 2012 or whatever term you dare to name the ultimate natural, man-made or alien-inflicted (once upon a time in the future, they would wage war against us for our water […]
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CHINA’S ELDER BROTHER: INDIA Marginal Comments by bunpeiris are followed up with gleanings Once upon a time India was a great land that made timeless contributions to the Heritage of the World that no other land, since then has ever matched up, far from exceeding: India was the birth place, cradle and home of sages, philosophers and scholars since time […]
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BUDDHA’S LIGHT TEA On this Vesākha (Pali; Sanskrit: Vaiśākha, Sinhala: Wesak or Vesak) day (another anniversary of birth, enlightenment and the final extinction of Gautama Buddha, it brings me, living in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, a Theravada Buddhist (though not a good one at it), immense joy to present you all guys and dolls with one of those accessible and appealing […]
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BLACK TEA: HEALING POWERS The tea plantations in the salubrious Central Highlands of Sri Lanka [High Grown Tea] produces the finest Black Tea in the world that still goes by the British Colonial brand name of Ceylon Tea, in spite of the ancient tropical island has now been called Sri Lanka, i.e. the Sanskrit prefix of “Sri” meaning resplendent being […]
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Mojo and Suzanne A Novel Written by bunpeiris “For never was a story of more woe than this of Suzanne and her Mojo.” An absolutely stunning angel in a swaying short skirt and a Cashmere sweater floated into the lobby just as a butterfly would. She seemed incredibly light on her feet. I couldn’t take my eyes off. Our eyes […]
Read moreHow the British Exploited Sri Lanka By J.B. Müller The Sri Lankan Diaspora overseas (mainly in Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the USA) eagerly and indiscriminately absorbs everything appearing about their Motherland in the international print and electronic media. All what is done is done in the naïve belief that there isn’t a spin on the news and that it […]
Read moreWhy Do We Study Literature Banquet Speech John Steinbeck’s speech at the Nobel Banquet at the City Hall in Stockholm, December 10, 1962 Listen to an Audio Recording of John Steinbeck’s Speech at the Nobel Banquet Literature was not promulgated by a pale and emasculated critical priesthood singing their litanies in empty churches – nor is it a game for […]
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B.A. in English from University of London B. A. in English from University of London External Programmes Are you a voracious reader of works of literature? Do you have a “Sense of English Language” coupled with a “Bent on Literarture”? Would you love to become a teacher of literature? Would you love to engage your learners in discussions instead of one man […]
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