Texts in Contexts Reflections on Literatures in English Written in India and Beyond

"The concept of world literature was first formulated by the famous German writer Goethe.By world literature one means literature written across the world and also scattered over different geographical boundaries of the world. In the present day context the relevance of world literature has become more prominent because of globalization and the rapid increase of technological industry. Still nobody can deny the universality of the branch of literature as it uplifts, ennobles and enlarges human soul. But when earlier critics were talking about literature there was only the liberal humanist point of view. But only later on, particularly with the dawn of the twentieth century the concept of world literature came to be regarded as a significant entity. Literature means broadening of human mind, soul and understanding. Nobody can forget the famous lines of T.S. Eliot ""Where is the life we have lost in living ? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge ? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information ? The cycle of Haven in the twentieth century Bring us further from God and nearer to dust."" In the Post-War and Post Holocaust European world of the twentieth century literature worked not only as a witness but also as a consoling factor. The articles that are included in the present book do not follow any specific criteria of judgement or coherent logic; rather they encompass a huge domain of different texts which happen to be the favourite happy hunting ground of the author. The author has shed light on a few canonical Western and Indian texts and also on certain relatively unknown texts and writers. However the book does not claim to be a companion volume on world literature as a whole, rather it happens to be the author's engagement with his favourite writings and writers over the years. If the readers the like the book the author's labour and dedication will be fruitful."