Back in the Reckoning and how!

It’s official now. English Literature has rightfully regained her regal ranking as the royal choice for applicants to the arts and the humanities courses. For the first time in many years, MCC witnessed an epoch-making event when, the admissions office, ‘admitted’ that, this year, application sales for BA English Literature far exceeded the demand that usually lays in store for the BCom Course. Once regarded as the hot pick among Chennaiites, the coveted BCom course in MCC had for long held monopoly as far as demand was concerned. Indeed, applications this year showed a remarkable trend. There were as many as 35 students who had scored above 1110/1200 and were all eyes on taking up English Literature.

One of the most established and widely recognised courses in the realm of academics, the English Literature course per se has evolved a lot over the decades, and today, it holds a preeminent position among the arts and humanities. There are quite a few interesting reasons as to why English Literature is and has always been a great course for study.

First of all, the efficiency of the course lies in its elasticity. I wish I don’t sound out of place when I pull off T.S.Eliot’s term ‘compatability’ to come to my rescue here, in order to augment my point better. Dictionaries the world over have a more or less similar definition for the word ‘compatible’, meaning, the capability to exist or perform in harmonious, agreeable, congenial combination, with efficient integration. Indeed, English Literature has the capacity to absorb the various literary schools and philosophical movements into its rich repertoire and thereby engage the students with a wide variety of texts (both literary and non-literary), in a lively and supportive learning environment.

My goal in studying literature is to learn as much as I can about the human condition, and what it really means to be human, in all aspects”, says David Lick, a graduate student. This statement indeed strikes a chord in me deep down. Indeed, the study of the human condition is one of the most integral aspects of English Literature. Philosophers, right from Aristotle have clearly augmented this view point, and ethics, for them, is the principal concern of the human condition. Ethical virtues, for Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, were emotional and social skills which are central to a well-lived life. Aristotle’s ethical treatises are witness to this.

Indeed, incisive insights into the human condition make English Literature a great course for study.

Secondly, [… to be contd…]

Winds of change for the better need to be welcomed! And, indeed, we are extremely happy to note that English Literature is back in the reckoning!