Feluda was written by Satyajit Ray, one of West Bengal’s most famous sons and was regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of world cinema. Both his writing and directing were deeply influenced by Bengali culture and were primarily about connecting with the masses. His cre- ative voice was so distinct that it shined through both studio interference and collective processes.
Targeted mainly at children and young adults, his various literary works remain an integral part of Bengali culture and have heavily influenced the generations of Bengali writers that have followed. A main theme ran through most of his central characters that they were immediately likeable and to a certain extent Bengali at heart. Be it the slightly eccentric Professor Shonku
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These add to how relatable the stories are and also allow Ray to vary the locations of the stories widely without moving them into unfamiliar territories. Ray’s choice of location in certain cases affects the outcomes of the story, if the story occurs in an ancestral home it probably has to do with a family feud (Tintoretto’s Jesus and Joy Baba Felunath) or if the story takes place in an unfamiliar town it probably has to do with some one Feluda know there or is staying with (Shakuntala’s necklace and The Emperor’s …show more content…
The whimsicality of Jatayu, the youth and innocence of Topshe, the villainy of Meghraj and the intensity and brilliance of Feluda all come together in Ray’s world to make a story that spans generations and has become an integral part of Bengali culture. What is most striking about Ray’s version of the investigator is that he isn’t an im- possible character, Feluda loves sweets, scolds his younger cousin and acts the part of a Bengali gentleman in a way that endears to him to young readers who look up to him as an elder
Change can be painful. This is true especially when it comes to a human’s journey of growing up and forming one’s own identity. In The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri, the novel follows the protagonist, Gogol, as he grows up and struggles with balancing his Bengali identity with Western culture. The reader discovers that on his path to developing independence he chooses to push his family away, which ends up having negative effects, but he believes that he is doing the right thing. Therefore, in The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri uses irony to argue that it is human nature to want to separate oneself from one’s family and childhood in order to establish a
Then one day sitting shattered in the coffee house he encountered an old man Mr.Adirubayswamy who guided by telling him the story of Piscine Molitir Patel(also known as Pi Patel). And the plot abruptly changes to another person as the first person of the plot telling his own story which showcases a technique of flashback by Pi Patel, moreover after certain chapters in some of them the author describes the superficial aspects of Pi Patel which is again a transition of the narrator and make readers feel his omnipresence depicting the authorial presence “He’s an excellent cook. “His overheated house is always smelling of something delicious”(Chapter6) and “His house is a temple. In the entrance hall hangs a framed picture of Ganesha, he of the elephant
The makeup of our everyday lives is influenced immensely by the culture we are a part of. In Bengali culture, a person is usually given two names, a pet name and a proper name. Families who move from Calcutta often struggle to assimilate to American life and maintain their cultural heritage. In the novel, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Gogol’s changing of his name along with his romantic relationships with Ruth and Maxine show his initial rejection of Bengali identity and culture. This essay will give an explanation into the ways in which Gogol rejected his culture, first by changing his name, but also through his close relationships with American girls.
In the introduction of the book, he goes through his own life and what he has gone through to get where he is in the present. He is a journalist turned novelist, and met many people and challenges on his way. The introduction is very technical with not much of a storyline like most fiction novels. In many instances, he alludes to the face of India as being happy and prosperous in opposition to the normal lives that most Indian people lead.
Jhumpa Lahiri’s “The Namesake” examines an immigrant bengali family that has moved from India to America, and tries to hold their bengali culture while trying to accept American lifestyles. Ashima and Gogol each struggle with their cultural identity throughout Lahiri’s novel. The pressure of western society and the crisis of losing one’s culture and identity is demonstrated through the characterization and Gogol and Ashima’s relationships while living in America.
He says, “Despite all the books I read, I’m still surprised I became a writer” (1998, p. 3). He transitioned his love for reading into a career of making works that others can enjoy. He uses his time devoted to teaching Indian children the art of creative writing. Harkening back to his childhood, he was never taught to write poetry, short stories, and novels (Alexie, 1998, p. 3). He wants them to experience the joy of putting pen to paper and creating something, anything that may be enjoyed. He goes on to say, “Books…Books…I am
The main character is a girl named Usha, who was young when she moved to the United States. She grew up abiding to Bengali culture and lifestyle in Massachusetts. As she gradually matures to an adult and her own person, it's shown that Usha struggles to find a balance between the American culture that she's surrounded by and the Bengali culture that fits the mold of her family.
First, this novel showcases acts of caring for family and friends, during a rough time for all the Indians bringing them closer into one community. The protagonist Sabine displays acts of caring among her friends and family. For instance, near the end of the novel, Sabine helps her mother’s friend, Lalita, despite having a sour relationship with her. Sabine saves Lalita from being arrested by lying to a military officer, thus making Sabine a more confident and brave person. Sabine faces her fear of the military and gains the power she
“The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” is a short story in which Sherman Alexie, the author, writes about the expectations of Indian children and how he defeated them. Alexie’s thesis is about how reading was his key to overcoming the expectation of failure and that helping influence young Indians to read and write can save them from their prescribed fate as well. Primarily expressive writing is used to convey this message but literary writing is also used as a secondary purpose. Narration and description are the patterns utilized in Alexie’s writing as well.
Bharathi Mukherjee’s later novels Jasmine(1989), The Holder of the World(1993) and Leave It to Me(1997) comprised her last creative phase conveniently termed here as the phase of immigration. By now she has travelled a long distance in terms of thematic perception and character portrayal. Beginning with an expatriate’s uprooted identity in the early 70’s, her creative faculty explored the transitional dilemma of characters in early 80’s, whose acculturation bids were occasionally thwarted by the complexity of cultural plurality in the adopted land. However, after the publication of The Middleman(1998), the process of cultural acclimatization appears to be complete and the characters betray the confidence of an immigrant, almost a naturalized citizen, in facing the challenges of human life.
Most of his books are memories and recollections from his childhood were creativity he findings about himself, his family, and his place in society and his own society, and a greater role as a teacher and as an educator to his students. He desires to be the influence of a significant sector of
For example, both of these stories involve the characters having gothic perceptions and depressing point of views. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor described how Fortunato made his life spiral out of control and seem like he was in a living hell. Charlotte felt the same way with the wallpaper, She thought the people on the wallpaper were real and she went crazy over the fact that they seemed to live a happier life than she did. The characters of this story made the tone and plot of the story feel like you are in it.
In conclusion The irony shown in this book about corruption, oppression of the poor, reality of India vs. the images foreigners have of India help portray our understanding of this novel. The corruption shown in the book is the teacher stealing the student’s money and the school inspector getting a question that he asked wrong. The reality of India vs. the images foreigners have of India is shown in the book there was framing involved and no doctors in government hospitals. last but not least is the oppression of the poor is
Bharati Mukherjee is one of the accomplished diasporic writers. Her writing focuses mainly on women’s suppression, struggle to overcome the problems and attempt to attain identification. Bharati Mukherjee also depicts the cultural conflicts between the East and the West. When a person enters into a new culture from the old one, the conflict arises between the two cultures in the alien land. This paper explores how the female character, Jasmine is portrayed as protagonist in Bharati Mukherjee’s Jasmine. Bharati Mukherjee portrays Indian woman as protagonist in all her novels and the character takes brave decision to emigrate which is the first major step of heroism. The character is portrayed with the capable of facing adventures and creates own happiness and identity, unyielding by conventionality. In Jasmine (1989),
E.M. Forster’s classic novel “A Passage to India” tells the story of a young doctor, Dr. Aziz, and his interactions with the British citizens who are residing in India during the time of the British Raj. Throughout the novel, the reader gets many different viewpoints on the people and the culture of India during this point in history. The reader sees through the eyes of the Indian people primarily through the character of Dr. Aziz, and the perceptions of the British through the characters of Mr. Fielding, Adela Quested, and Mrs. Moore. Through the different characters, and their differing viewpoints, the reader can see that Forster was creating a work that expressed a criticism that he held of the behavior of the British towards their Indian subjects.