Thursday 16 December 2010

Day- II of the Poetry-Film Festival @ MCC

Poetry Recital in Progress @ Sel Hall Guest Room
Day II of the Poetry Film fest at MCC, saw two renowned poets reciting from their anthology of poems. The program started at 11.45 am and saw some forty enthusiastic students who cheered, encouraged and also quizzed the poets.

Menka Shivdasani, founder member of the Poetry Circle, which began in Mumbai in 1986, read out some of her best-loved poems sonorously. Her first book of poems, 'Nirvana at Ten Rupees, was published by XAL-Praxis in 1990, and was described by Bruce King as "one of the best first books of poetry to appear during the 1990s". One of the best poems in her recital, was the one titled, "Schoolgirl No More" which goes like this:

Excerpts from the Lecture of Prof.K.Latha @ MCC..:

Prof.K.Latha gave an enlightening lecture on Indian literature in English – from end 19 century onwards, detailing on a whole generation of important and globally known writers who preceded Independence - Tagore, Aurobindo, Sarojini Naidu, Toru Dutt, Michael Madhusudana Dutt, etc.
She touched upon Bruce King, who maps uncharted territory, provides ideas toward a poetics of Indian poetry in English, in his pioneering book "Modern Indian Poetry in English", where he asserts that Indian poetry in English has been heading towards a canon. ["a canon of Indian English poetry has been forming.."]

Wednesday 15 December 2010

Students in rapt attention @ a NET Preparatory Lecture by Prof.Latha @ Martin Hall, today

Poetry Film Fest @ MCC..:

Excerpts from the Poetry Film Festival @ Martin Hall, today

Tuesday 14 December 2010

Director Priya, alumnus, Dept of English, interacting with students @ Sel Hall

Guest Lecture V - Invite..:

Dear Students of English Literature,

You are invited for a Guest Lecture, as part of your preparations for the UGC-NET exams, on "A Panoramic View of Indian Literature in English," by Prof.Ms.K.Latha, Asst Professor of English, Stella Maris College, at 3 pm on Wednesday, 15 December 2010 at Martin Hall Auditorium. All ye students with a love for literature are cordially invited.
Regards and all best wishes,
Rufus


Tuesday 7 December 2010

THE ZEBRA POETRY FILM FESTIVAL @ MCC

The English Association, Madras Christian College,
&
Prakriti Foundation, Chennai, in collaboration with the Goethe Institue Max Mueller Bhavan
proudly present
THE ZEBRA POETRY FILM FESTIVAL at Madras Christian College
which will be held in
Martin Hall Auditorium
on 15 December 2010 at 11:45 am

All Film and Poetry Enthusiasts are Welcome..!

Monday 6 December 2010

"Roman Fever" - Critical Appreciation


“Roman Fever” – Edith Wharton – A Critical Appreciation

Edith Wharton was born near Washington Square to wealthy and distinguished parents rooted in colonial times. She was educated privately at home and abroad acquiring an early command of foreign languages and an easy familiarity with English and continental society. Her first writings were poems published anonymously in 1880. At 23, she married Edward Wharton of Boston. They lived, at first, in New York city, then successively in New Port, Rhode Island and Lennox, Massachusetts, with frequent visits to Europe. In 1907 she settled permanently in France.

Her ethical sense, her poetic sensibility and compression were evident in her first collection of stories – The Greater Inclination (1899). Her other works include – The Valley of Decision (1902), The Descent of man (1904), The House of Mirth (1905), Ethan Frome (1911), The Fruit of the Free (1915) and The Tales of Men and Ghosts (1910). The Tales of Men and Ghosts contains some of her best stories of the supernatural. During the war years she gave much of her energy to the organisation of relief activities. Fighting France (1915) and The Main (1918) are war novels. After the war Edith Wharton returned to New York. The Age of Innocence (1920), her greatest novel, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and has remained a landmark.

Edith Wharton’s stories were centered upon the changing society of New York city during her own lifetime. She viewed this genteel, formalised society with a woman’s eye; and being primarily a satirist, she was interested in the dynamics of the society itself.

The setting of the short story “Roman Fever” is important, simply because it symbolises the emotional state of the two principal characters – Mrs. Alida Slade and Mrs. Grace Ansley. The setting revives memories for “two American ladies of ripe but well-cared for middle age.” They have come back to Rome for a holiday in the company of their younger daughters.

“What different things Rome stands for to each generation of Travellers,” says Mrs.Slade. “To our grandmothers, Roman fever, to our mothers, sentimental dangers – to our daughters, no more dangers than the middle of Main Street.” The setting, Rome, with its bewitching skies that turn gold in the afternoon and purple at sunset once again affect the two matrons, latterly widowed. Sitting on the lofty terrace of their Roman Restaurant they are visibly stirred by the “Spring effulgence of the Roman skies”. They contemplate the view in silence with a “diffused serenity,” each lost in her thoughts.

Saturday 4 December 2010

Dr.Geetha, giving illustrations, in her lecture on African American Literature

Guest Lecture in Progress @ Selaiyur Hall..:

Dr.Geetha, delivering her talk on African American Literature
Dr.Geetha, gave a bird's eye-view of African American Literature, she starting with the Black-White symbolism, where white stood for everything that is good, beautiful and pure, wheareas black came to stand for all that is bad, evil, night, ugliness and hell. She elaborated on Noah's curse, and the European yardstick which states that any nation that has a written tradition of literature is considered to be civilised, and since African literature was primarily oral, they were considered uncivilised. Indeed, they were also called as the 'missing link' between man and the apes, and as 'noble savage' who needed to be civilised.

Tracing the oppression of the Africans from the time of the Slave markets, where a white landlord  was assessed for his riches based on the number of slaves that he owned, she delved into the two stereotypes created by Darwin's evolutionary theory.... to be contd...

Friday 3 December 2010

Guest Lecture - Reg..:

Dear Students of English Literature,
You are invited to participate in the Guest Lecture by an eminent scholar Dr.Geetha, on African American Literature, on Saturday, 04 December 2010 from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Selaiyur Hall Indoor Theatre.
All ye students with a love of literature please do attend and be benefitted.
Regards and all best wishes,
Rufus

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Intra-Department Literary Quiz - A Report

The Intra-Department Quiz Competition took off to a flying start this morning at around 11:50 am. The programme started with the invocation by Dr.Ann Thomas, followed by the customary welcome address. 

Prof.Abitha opened the first round with a sensational quiz on World Classics, and Prof.David gave the students a challenge with his rounds on British Literature. Dr.Ganesh led the interesting round on Indian Writing in English, followed by Prof.DC who quizzed the students on American Literature and Quotations.

The Video round in session...
Next in line was the Video Round on famous English Classics, conducted by Dr.Ganesh, wherein ten great classics were screened, (in the newly bought projector screen!) and students answered them with elan. 

The last round - Rapid Fire, was conducted by Prof.Rufus, wherein five questions were asked in quick succession to each of the six teams, and in this round the II MA team pulled up a surprise, winning hands down the I Prize, thus pocketing Rs.200 each, [although there was a neck-and-neck-tie between II BA English and II MAs till the previous round].

The II BA team won the second prize, bagging Rs.150 each,

and the III BA team won the third prize, bagging Rs.100 each.

Meet the fabulous Teams and their spectacular Stars - 

I BA English: Kaveri Murthy, Arya Kamal and Sruthi
II BA English:Venkateswaran, Janakaseeni, Surabhi Jain
III BA English: Joanna Daniel, Anand, Meenu Mary Jain
I MA English: Shloka, Udhayaraj, Bersiya Grace
II MA English: Vinita Teresa, Mahendran, Parvathy Nair
MPhil: Steffy Rachel, Ann Mary Mathew (Subhashini for cheering them up!)

A special note of thanks goes to Prof.Chitra, for her immense help in the video round, Prof.Dinesh, for Audio arrangement, Ms.Georgina, the Chairperson of the Eng Assn, and Ms.Punnya Rajendran, Secretary of the Eng.Assn, for their effective organisating skills, Anuj Dev Leslie, for effective photography coverage, Ajin Abraham, Cerin Simon and Anand, K, for taking care of the lights&sound, our dear Dr.Stephen for giving us all the freedom to use the Indoor theatre, Dr.Felix Moses, our beloved Head of the Department who graced the occasion, our ever beloved Dr.Ganesh, who has been leading the Association through example, aplomb and grace. 

All our lovable colleagues in the Department deserve a warm note of thanks for their support and guidance. 

All our dear students deserve a special note of thanks for their impeccable behaviour throughout the programme, encouraging and cheering their respective teams with gusto. Kudos guys!