Shaina Agrawal

World literature celebrates Chinua Achebe because of his breakthrough from the colonial writing and writing candidly about a culture deemed "barbaric." When I say barbaric, you can think of the minority cultures of our country (India). People who do not speak the same tongue as we do, follow practices that do not align with the demands of the various institutions and do not bow at the will of the authority. Spivak says that language is used as a medium for exploitation by the so-called civil. Humans are reduced to flesh by the authorities and harmed in the garb of Naxalism and terrorism (read Breast Stories for context) What you will find in the book are similar things, except here is the culture of the Igbo people beautifully penned by Achebe. He does not only write about the good in the culture but also its flaws. It appears that Achebe did not miss any aspect, language, gender roles, relationships and family, religion, and this drastic shift once the church establishes itself. One simple reason that I can you for grabbing this 152 pages book is that it will tell you how was the English able to colonise like wildfire (yes, by calling themselves the civil ones). Instagram username - shainaniigans

Characters and characters and characters, I lost track of who is who after a certain number of pages. There is a guy & a girl; both love each other. The girl gets married to the other rich guy, but she loves the poor guy. Poor guy marries the sister of the rich guy, but he still loves the girl who said she loves him but marries the rich guy. The ghost of the girl haunts the poor guy. A dramatic daily soap. Why would I rate novel 2? Because putting the characters aside, Bronte presents class conflict (people being treated as per their social class) with all its essence by continuously changing the social status of the protagonist Heathcliff. The gothic elements felt helpful to keep on reading the book until they took more than necessary dramatic turns. There is a gloomy atmosphere, separated lovers, old castles, ghosts, and so on. The complicated nature of the novel works both ways. Considering that I didn't like it, I will say, I am sure had Bronte written more books, I would have liked her, the work needs polishing. Whereas you can say (the ones who liked this novel) that it is hard to believe it was Bronte's first novel, I wish she wrote more books. In any case, both of us would have cherished her books; alas, this is her only work available. (Instagram - that.english.major)

“They calls me yellow Like yellow be my name But if yellow is a name Why ain’t black th e same Well, if I say Hey black girl Lord, she try to ruin my game.” A sad book that ends with a happy note. A sad book that makes you smile and feel strengthful. A sad book that you must read. The novel throws light on many things and it does so brilliantly, race, gender inequalities, domestic abuse, education of women, sexuality, the white standards of beauty, the notion of God, and so on. It specifically focuses on Black women and Black community, for the feminist movement was not inclusive of colored women and denoted only the middle class White women at its start and thus emerged the theory of Womanism. The development of Celie’s character, the protagonist with whose letter to God the novel begins, brings a wide-wide smile. The reason behind the smile isn’t only her development, but the fact that all of it came because women stood for one another. Walker makes her women strong and diverse. They have physical strength, they are beautiful, they can fight back, they are emotional, and most of all, they don't need men to make them feel loved. In a nutshell, I loved the book and I think you should read it too, if you haven’t already. (Instagram - that.english.major)

Do you find waiting for your flight to be a dull affair? Well, the book's premise is that, but it is a lot more. Changing Planes is a window to a plethora of civilizations that can co-exist and feel like different dimensions. It is a collection of short, captivating stories. Each story is about an entirely different plane from the other, examining everything from its economy and culture to its people. The stories left me with plenty of things to ponder upon, like, what if we can see each other's dreams, what is soft-toys eat books, what if those who sleep less are more intelligent, what if we are immortal, what if I can fly, what if I share a DNA with corn and loads of hooking what-ifs. Almost all the planes are strikingly pertinent to our reality. They have such fine details that it does not feel like fiction. I am definitely going to read more works by Guin.

If something ever led you to think, was Shakespeare even that great? Maybe he was not, but the timing of his plays was definitely in his favor. It is said that had Marlowe not died early, Shakespeare would not have earned the name and fame, for Marlowe was way more potential. Sadly, Marlowe died young, but he did set the stage for Shakespeare. There is no better play to feel the essence of the renaissance than Dr. Faustus. Marlowe himself has the reputation of being the 'stormy child of renaissance,' and Dr. Faustus is said to be his spiritual autobiography. For those of you unaware, the renaissance, meaning rebirth, was a literary period favoring classical literature and philosophies. The main idea of the age was attaining knowledge (a shift from religion); both Marlowe and Dr. Faustus were scholars yearning for knowledge like Icarus. The play, as you must have understood, is about a scholar who is bored with all other subjects and so chooses to study necromancy. The devil offers him all the knowledge of the world. However, the devil asks for Faustus's soul in return, which Faustus is more than willing to give. Due to this, at last, Dr. Faustus had to face damnation. Marlowe mocks Pope and what not through this play; however, he keeps with the spirit of his theatre audience (religious) and lets Faustus die for his ambitions. (Instagram - that.english.major)

In moments where you lack the strength or the self-confidence, the story will fill you with plenty. Hemingway heavily borrowed his storylines from his own life. The Old Man and the Sea is no different; it records Hemmingway's experience of fishing in the Gulf Stream. The protagonist, Santiago (the old man), is based on a blue-eyed Cuban named Gregorio Fuentes. Apart from Santiago, the story has a little kid - Manolin, hope, will, determination, luck, nature, and life. As the story progresses, it becomes about you and me. Aren't all of us alone in the sea? Hoping and simultaneously losing hope? All of us preparing for that dash of luck? All of us negating negative thoughts? The beauty of the story, for me, lies in the relationship that Manolin shares with Santiago and vice versa. When Santiago is alone in the vast sea, he thinks of Manolin as his home; he reasons with himself that he needs to go back because the boy must be waiting! Manolin, on the other hand, cries when Santiago returns! He brings him his usual coffee and asks Santiago to go fishing with him, to which Santiago replies that he does not have the luck anymore; Manolin says he doesn't care. I think the kid keeps hope alive in the old man. I would have loved to read more about them. Interestingly, most readers (including me) find many symbols in the book; Hemingway claimed that the story does not have any. (Instagram - that.english.major)

“Language! Of course. Wasn’t that the primary weapon of imperialism? Forceful introduction into a different culture and thought path through the medium of language. Else, how would the brainwash be possible?” Nabaneeta Dev Sen - a writer with a stature, especially in Bengali literature; it feels a little odd to have not taken much from this book, but the quote above. The book tries to narrate the immigrant experiences, the Naxalbari movement, Communism, Socialism, and a pinch of sad-lost romance or lover. I am not aware of what the Bengali readers like t read or the developments of the Bengali literature, but even if I did, I have to say that it was dull reading. The story lacked depth, or maybe the essence was lost in the translation; I cannot say for sure. I was hoping the book to be something refreshing; it was nowhere near that, sadly. (Instagram - that.english.major)