LITERARY SPHERE

Feminist Literary Criticism: Key Figures for UGC NET English Feminist Literary Criticism A Comprehensive Overview for UGC NET English I. Background and Historical Development Feminist literary criticism emerged as a political and literary response to the male-dominated literary canon and the patriarchal structures embedded in literature, criticism, and language. It gained theoretical momentum during the second wave of feminism in the 1960s and 70s. Feminist criticism examines how literature perpetuates or challenges gender roles, highlights the absence or misrepresentation of women, and seeks to recover suppressed women's voices. It overlaps with psychoanalytic, Marxist, postcolonial, queer, and deconstructionist approaches. II. Purpose of Feminist Literary Criticism To challenge the androcentric literary canon. To recover lost works by women writers. To expose patriarchal ideologies embedded in texts. To a...

Post-World War Literary Theory MCQs Post-World War Literary Theory: 25 MCQs This set of multiple-choice questions covers key concepts, major figures, and important minor contributors in Post-World War literary theory, suitable for NET and GATE English examinations. 1. Which of the following literary theories emerged primarily as a response to Saussurean linguistics? New Criticism Marxist Criticism Structuralism Postcolonialism Correct Answer: c) Structuralism Structuralism, particularly in its early phases with figures like Lévi-Strauss and Barthes, heavily drew upon Ferdinand de Saussure's theories of language as a system of signs. 2. The concept of "différance" is central to the work of which post-structuralist thinker? Michel Foucault Jacques Derrida Jacques Lacan Julia Kristeva Correct Answer: b) Jacques Derrida "Différance...

Subaltern Studies Group: Key Thinkers and Works Prominent Members of the Subaltern Studies Group The Subaltern Studies Group emerged as a powerful intellectual force, challenging elitist and colonial historiographies of India. By focusing on the "history from below," they aimed to recover the voices and agency of those marginalized by dominant narratives—peasants, tribals, women, and the working class. Ranajit Guha Often considered the founding figure and guiding spirit of the Subaltern Studies collective, Ranajit Guha's work laid the theoretical groundwork for the group's methodology. He argued for a shift in historical inquiry from the actions of elites to the autonomous domain of subaltern politics and consciousness. Key Contributions: "Dominance without Hegemony and its Historiography" : This seminal essay, often cited as a foundati...

Northrop Frye Criticism - NET English Study Guide Northrop Frye’s Criticism – In-Depth Study Guide for NET English Northrop Frye revolutionized literary criticism by introducing a structural, archetypal framework that has remained influential. This guide offers a comprehensive summary of Frye's ideas, useful for students preparing for NET English and anyone studying literary theory. 20 Most Important Canadian Writers for UGC NET JRF English and GATE English 1. Who Was Northrop Frye? A Canadian literary theorist (1912–1991). Known for Anatomy of Criticism (1957), a foundational work in archetypal criticism. Opposed historical, biographical, Marxist, and psychological reductions of literature. Believed in a systematic, universal language of literature based on myths and symbols. 2. Frye’s Critical Framework Frye's work is centered around the idea that literature fu...

Disability Studies for UGC NET English Introduction to Disability Studies Disability Studies is an interdisciplinary field that emerged prominently in the 1980s, challenging traditional medical and charity-based understandings of disability. Instead of viewing disability merely as an individual problem to be fixed, the field emphasizes the social, political, cultural, and historical dimensions that construct and define disability. Influenced by civil rights movements, feminist theory, queer theory, and postcolonial thought, Disability Studies interrogates how societies marginalize and stigmatize individuals with physical, sensory, intellectual, or mental differences. In the context of literary and cultural studies, Disability Studies reexamines texts, media, and historical documents to uncover representations of disability and their role in shaping societal norms around ability and normalcy. The UGC NET English syllabus increasingly reflects ...