THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS

Hareshwar Roy,

    Jonathan Swift is one of the best satirist of English literature. He belongs to the 18th century England. He is always remembered for his ‘A Tale of a Tub’, ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ and ‘The Battle of the Books’. All these satires earned wide acclaim. In these three satires, he vehemently satirised the follies and vices of the life of the time. The political, religious and literary controversies are treated as major themes in these satires. His satires are full of imagination, inventiveness and rhetorical skill.
    ‘The Battle of the Books’ is written on the famous controversies on the relative matters of the ancient writers. In this controversy Swift took the side of Sir William Temple, his patron. Temple favoured the merits of the ancients. Bentley and Wotton challenged Temple's views. The battle started. In this battle the author favoures the ancient writers.
    Swift has given this controversy a shape of satire. This controversy is the major theme of ‘The Battle of the Books’. This beautiful satire deals with five incidents. The first of the five incidents form the main body of the satire. This incident deals with the dispute between the ancients and the moderns for the write to live on the highest peak of Parnassus. This has been treated in allegorical manner. The second part of this incident takes a serious turn. In a corner of the St. James Library the battle among the books takes place. This incident has been treated in mock- heroic manner.
     The second incident concerns the episode of the spider and the bee. The spider is the symbol of the moderns and the bee represents the ancients. With the help of this fable Swift wants to say that like spiders the moderns put forth dirt. Like bees the ancients spread honey and sweetness. Thus here Swift has proved the superiority of the ancients. Later on the satirist presents the picture of the battlefield. Both the groups stand against each other. The battle starts. These groups use all sorts of weapons. On the one side there are Pollas, Homer, Pindar, Euclid, Aristotle and Plato. Bacon, Dryden and some others are on the other side. At last the ancients win the battle.
    Thus ‘The Battle of the Books’ is full of criticism and satire. But it is rarely bitter. It is fluent and witty. Swift has regarded the moderns as spiders and the ancients as bees.

Location: B-37, City Homes Colony, Jawahar Nagar Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India
Currently Dr. Roy is working as Professor of English at Govt. P.G. College Satna, Madhya Pradesh. He is the author of the following books: (1) Diasporic Articulation in the Novels of M.G. Vassanji (2) A Study of M.G. Vassanji 's Novels (3) Varieties of Indianity in the Works of M.G. Vassanji & Rohinton Mistry (4)Diaspora & Indian Diaspora: A Brief Study (5) Short Notes of English Literature - I (6) Short Notes of English Literature - II (7) हमार पहचान ह भोजपुरी - भोजपुरी कविता संकलन (8) हमरा प्यार हो गइल - भोजपुरी गज़ल संकलन (9) भोजपुरी कविताएँ

Comments

  1. imlanguagesTuesday, March 23, 2021

    You composed this post cautiously which is beneficial for us. I got some different information from your article and I will suggest reading this article who needs this info. Thanks for sharing it.Dissertation proofreading

    ReplyDelete
  2. Faizan ShaikhMonday, August 02, 2021

    Top leadership books Wow, cool post. I'd like to write like this too - taking time and real hard work to make a great article... but I put things off too much and never seem to get started. Thanks though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. bookmrkThursday, August 05, 2021

    I wanted to thank you for this great Information and knowledge, I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have you bookmarked your web site to check out the latest stuff you post. Your blog is eye-catching. I get pleasure from it. Thanks for sharing this beautiful piece of writing with me, get more information at online bookstore for more Bookmrk ventures private limited related information and knowledge.

    ReplyDelete
  4. randyortonSunday, January 16, 2022

    book series in order I would like to say that this blog really convinced me to do it! Thanks, very good post.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

JOHN DONNE AS A METAPHYSICAL POET

Hareshwar Roy,
INTRODUCTION: John Donne is the leader and founder of the Metaphysical school of poetry. His poetry is a revolt against the popular current. First of all Dryden used the term ' Metaphysical' for Donne's poetry. He said,' Donne affects the metaphysics'. Later on Dr. Johnson called Donne and his followers 'the metaphysical poets'. Since then the word metaphysical has been used for Donne and his followers. WHAT IS METAPHYSICAL POETRY: The term metaphysics means something supernatural and transcendental. Its sense is 'what is beyond physical'. It is concerned with fundamental problems of life and death and soul even after death. The term metaphysical poetry means poetry dealing with metaphysical subjects. These subjects are - nature of universe, movements of stars and planets and the whole relationship of man to God. MAIN CHARACTERISTICS: We should cast a glance at the main characteristics of metaphysical poetry before we proceed to examine Donne a
Read more

The Cherry Tree (Text) by Ruskin Bond: A Complete Study

Hareshwar Roy,
  The Cherry Tree:  Ruskin Bond One day, when Rakesh was six, he walked from the Mussoorie bazaar eating cherries. They were a little sweet, a little sour; small, bright red cherries, which had come all the way from the Kashmir valley.Here in the Himalayan foothills where Rakesh lived, there were not many fruit trees. The soil was stony, and the dry cold winds stunted the growth of most plants. But on the more sheltered slopes there were forests of oak and deodar. Rakesh lived with his grandfather on the outskirts of Mussoorie, just where the forest began. Rakesh was on his way home from school when he bought the cherries. He paid fifty paisa for the bunch. It took him about half an hour to walk home, and by the time he reached the cottage there were only three cherries left. ‘Have a cherry, grandfather,’ he said, as soon as he saw grandfather in the garden. Grand father took one cherry and Rakesh promptly ate the other two. He kept the last seed in his mouth for some time, rolling it
Read more

Waiting for Godot: An Absurd Play by Beckett

Hareshwar Roy,
Image
↑ Grab this Headline Animator Samuel Beckett is a revolutionary playwright. He is an iconoclast and an image breaker. He has shattered conventions and pioneered a new kind of drama. His drama is above categories of tragedy and comedy. It is called absurd drama. His plays show the situation in which we are. They expose us in our existential predicament. Waiting for Godot  is an absurd drama. In fact, absurd drama presents human life and human situation as absurd. This type of drama is free from traditional plot, story or division into acts and scenes. Here we get few characters. They have symbolic significance. Dialogues are very short and crisp. Nothing significant happens on the stage. It prefers existential themes. Things are not explained but they are merely hinted at. One can find all these features in  Waiting for Godot . Lack of action is one of the major characteristics of an absurd play. There is nothing significant in the play. So is the case with  Waiting for G
Read more

The Axe by R.K.Narayan: Text & Summary

Hareshwar Roy,
An astrologer passing through the village foretold that Velan would live in a three-storeyed house surrounded by many acres of garden. At this everybody gathered round young Velan and made fun of him. For Koppal did not have a more ragged and godforsaken family than Velan’s. His father had mortgaged every bit of property he had, and worked, with his whole family, on other people’s lands in return for a few annas a week . . . A three-storeyed house for Velan indeed! . . . But the scoffers would have congratulated the astrologer if they had seen Velan about thirty or forty years later. He became the sole occupant of Kumar Baugh—that palatial house on the outskirts of Malgudi town.   When he was eighteen Velan left home. His father slapped his face one day for coming late with the midday-meal, and he did that in the presence of others in the field. Velan put down the basket, glared at his father and left the place. He just walked out of the village, and walked on and on till h
Read more

THE WAY OF THE WORLD AS A COMEDY OF MANNERS

Hareshwar Roy,
William Congreve is the best and finest writer of the comedy of manners. We may say that he has invented a new art of comedy. His ' The Way of the World' is considered as a work of art and as a pure comedy of manners. It is the apotheosis of the comedy of manners. It is a remarkable demonstration of Congreve's technical skill as a playwright. Here we find an ironic commentary on the ways of society of the time.The comedy of manners is a genuine reflection of the temper of the upper classes of the nation. It deals the external details of life, the fashion of the time, its manners, its speech and its interest. The dramatists confine themselves to the drawing rooms, the coffee houses, the clubs, the gambling centers, the streets and gardens of London. The characters represent the people of fashion. The plots of comedy of manners are mainly love intrigues. They are remarkable for neat, precise, witty, balanced and lucid prose style. 'The Way of the World' has all the
Read more

LONGINUS: SOURCES OF SUBLIMITY

Hareshwar Roy,
INTRODUCTION: Longinus is one of the greatest Greek critics. His position is only next to Aristotle. His 'On the Sublime' is an immortal critical document of great worth and significance. It deals wit h the principle of sublimity in the world of writing. Here Longinus discusses the meaning, the nature and the sources of sublime. He distinguishes the true sublime from the false sublime. He advises how to overcome the vices of sublime. His suggestions are of permanent and paramount value. WHAT IS SUBLIMITY: Sublimity is a certain loftiness, distinction and consummation of excellence in language, expression and composition. It is the echo of a great soul. It raises style above the ordinary. Some persons are of the view that sublimity is a gift of nature. They think that it has nothing to do with art. But one should not forget that nature needs the help of art to control its wild impulses. In fact, both nature and art contribute to sublimity in literature. According to L
Read more

BACON AS AN ESSAYIST

Hareshwar Roy,
INTRODUCTION: Bacon, the father of English essay, is the first great English essayist who enjoys a glorious reputation. He remains for the sheer mass and weight of genius. His essays introduce a new form of composition into English literature. THREE EDIIONS OF BACON'S ESSAYS: Bacon sponsored this new literary form in English with the publication of his ten essays in 1597. It grew to thirty-eight in the edition of 1612. The number reached fifty-eight in the final issue of 1625. These essays are the results of his direct observations of men and matters. DISPERSED MEDITATIONS: Bacon charged his essays with the serious spirit and stately manners of Seneca. For him his essays were dispersed meditations and receptacle for detached thoughts. He is practical under the influence of Machiavelli. Utilitarianism is obvious in his essays. He shrewdly instructs how to lead a successful life. That's why his essays are called counsels civil and moral. BACON AND MONTAIGNE: Bacon borrowed
Read more

LAMB AS AN ESSAYIST

Hareshwar Roy,
Charles Lamb is a shining star in the sky of English essay. He is called the prince among English essayists. His essays are the finest in English prose. He brought to prose the finest qualities of Romanticism. Lamb's readers appreciate him for his wisdom, for his humanity, for his genial humour, for his profound pathos, for his sweet temperament and for his style. BEGINNING: Born in a lower class family, Lamb came in contact with Cole ridge. He started his career as a poet but could not succeed. He acquired immortal recognition as an essayist. From 1820 to 1833, essay writing was his main occupation. He wrote under the pseudonym of Elia. His first essay appeared in the London Magazine in 1820. The first volume of his essays was published in 1823 as Essays Of Elia and the second as the Last Essays Of Elia in 1833. Each essay of Lamb is a little wonder. Here we find a fine combination of wit, fancy, anecdote and reflection. According to Cazamian, he is above all an artist. PERS
Read more

Where the Mind is without Fear: Objective Type Questions

Hareshwar Roy,
Image
  (i) The poem 'Where the Mind is Without Fear' is written by: a. Rabindranath Tagore b. Sarojini Naidu c. William Wordsworth d. Toru Dutt Answer: a. Rabindranath Tagore (ii) Rabindranath Tagore is a well-known poet from: a. Orissa b. West Bengal c. Bihar d. Kerla Answer: b. West Bengal (iii) Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in the year: a. 1931 b. 1921 c. 1913 d. 1945 Answer: c. 1913 (iv) Which of the following is a very famous work by Tagore? a. Sharadhanjali b. Gitanjali c. Geetmala d. Savitri Answer: b. Gitanjali (v) What is meant by the sub clause 'Where the mind is without fear and head is held high': a. To be fearless and self respecting b. To be proud of one's high position c. To stand straight d. To be fearless and haughty Answer: a. To be fearless and self respecting (vi) According to Tagore what is meant by the sub-clause 'Where knowledge is free'? a. Where people do not have to pay for education b. Where people ha
Read more

National Education- Mahatma Gandhi by M.K. Gandhi: Multiple Choice Questions with Answers

Hareshwar Roy,
Q.01. Gandhi wanted that all schools of India should teach the technique of cloth production as: (a) It will pay for the education of our students (b) It will teach them an occupation on which they can fall back in after-life (c) It will make them self-reliant (d) All the above Ans: (d) All the above Q.02. Gandhi condemns the textbooks for: (a) Text books do not teach students what is right and what is wrong in the home life (b) Text books do not teach students to have any pride of their surroundings. (c) At the end of education students become estranged from their surroundings. (d) All the above Ans: (d) All the above Q.03. According to Gandhi, our children should be taught to: (a) Despise labour (b) Dignity of labour (c) Look upon manual labour with disfavor (d) Look with contempt to manual labour Ans: (b) Dignity of labour Q.04. Which Universal labour Gandhi wanted to promote? (a) Agriculture (b) Hand spinning (c) Hand weaving (d) All the above Ans: (d) All the above Q.05. Accor
Read more