Anne Carson and her Fellow Champions of Linguistic Rebellion 💜

Breathing New Life into Ancient Epics | The Art of Linguistic Rebellion

On Nobel Laureate Anne Carson & Her Fellow Rule-Breakers 😊

Well, just a couple of days ago, during the morning Coffee-break time, while sipping the nectar of the gods - alright, just coffee 😊 - in the Staff Tiffin Room, MCC, with colleagues drawn from all Departments - on some light-hearted banter-mode - the conversation inevitably drifted to the Nobel Prizes! Dr. Livingstone, HoD & Professor of German, MCC, with curiosity writ large on him, (he had done his BA in English in MCC) 😊 asked me to hazard a wild guess on who was my personal top pick for the upcoming Nobel Prize in Literature?

Without a second’s thought, I blurted out two names: Amitav Ghosh and Ben Okri! Prof. Livi was already quite familiar with Ghosh, and so I happily gave him a quick, impromptu introduction to Okri, Ben Okri!

And quite soon after that conversation, Prof. Sundhar shared with me the actual, exciting news - Anne Carson, a professor of classics, comparative literature, and creative writing at several universities across Canada, had won the Nobel Prize for Literature, 2026.

The Swedish Academy has stated that Carson was awarded the prize –

“For her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”

They have recognised her unique ability to reimagine classical Greek and Roman texts - such as the works of Sappho, Sophocles, and Euripides - by blending poetry and prose in entirely innovative ways.

As the chair of the Nobel Literature Committee has noted, “Carson is celebrated for bringing ancient stories to modern audiences and expanding our very understanding of what literature can be”.

Well, Carson’s win got me thinking bigtime!

And hence this blogpost! 😊

I wish to highlight three great writers of the past century, and three from our present one, who have similarly entered into a daring dialogue with the classical tradition to create profound new forms for their own times! And the keywords? 😊 linguistic parodies, linguistic inventiveness and linguistic subversion!

First – Let’s start with the 20th century!

In Ulysses - his magnum opus and a cornerstone of modernist literature - James Joyce mirrors Homer’s ancient Greek epic, The Odyssey. Spanning 18 distinct episodes, and each written in a unique style, Joyce succeeded in mapping Homer’s sprawling epic onto a single day (16 June 1904) in Dublin.

By beautifully interspersing the narrative with linguistic parodies, Joyce redefines the architecture of the modern novel even while remaining in an obsessive, constant dialogue with the Greek epic tradition.

Like Joyce, Derek Walcott, the renowned Nobel Laureate of Literature from Saint Lucia, West Indies, indulges in linguistic subversion and subtle linguistic parody in his masterpiece Omeros, wherein he relocates the Iliad and Odyssey to the Caribbean Sea, by weaving French-based Creole (Patois) and everyday St. Lucian vernacular into the rigid, formal structure of Dante’s terza rima.

As we all know, historically, the epic form was reserved for the “high” language of the colonial masters, while Creole was marginalised as a “broken” tongue. By beautifully placing the unique St. Lucian idiom inside decasyllabic and hexameter lines, Walcott forces the colonizer’s poetic framework to accommodate the rhythms of the Caribbean. The result is a breathtaking new form of postcolonial epic poetry that forces the European classical tradition to share space with African and Caribbean history.

Likewise, if Walcott uses linguistic subversion to decolonise the epic, Atwood uses linguistic parody and linguistic inventiveness to dismantle its “patriarchal” authority. The Penelopiad is a brilliant retelling (aka feminist revisionism) of The Odyssey from the perspective of Penelope, who speaks to us directly from the underworld, challenging the male-dominated ancient epic.

By recounting their brutal rapes and executions through the sing-song, bouncy metre of a children’s rhyme, Atwood creates a deeply unsettling parody of sorts - the way society often sanitises or glosses over violence against marginalised women.

Moreover, by turning their trauma into bawdy sea-chanties or sailor songs, the maids mock the very idea of “heroic” poetry, reducing Odysseus’s grand adventures to cheap, performative entertainment. (Bathos, as in Pope’s Rape of the Lock, probably?)

Coming back to the present century –

Well, here’s presenting three of my absolute favourites who have redefined the rules through their craft - twisting conventions and blending languages to offer us fresh perspectives on foundational texts.

Firstly – Divakaruni –

In her magnum opus titled, The Palace of Illusions, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni retells the Mahabharata from Draupadi’s perspective, exploring the desires, doubts, and lived experiences of “the unsaid”, so often overlooked in traditional iterations. Divakaruni gives a familiar epic a vibrant new voice through its female protagonist. However, much unlike Carson or Joyce, Divakaruni doesn’t radically experiment with typography or linguistic structures. Instead, the stylistic shift lies in what her language prioritises. 

While traditional, male-centric retellings of the epic heavily employ the language of statecraft, martial prowess, and high-winding philosophy, Divakaruni’s vocabulary focuses on the domestic sphere. She emphasises the language of the women’s quarters, internal emotional landscapes, palace gossip, and interpersonal tensions. (Reminds you of Susan Sellers, doesn’t it? 😊)

Secondly, we have Geetanjali Shree -

In her 2018 book titled, Tomb of Sand - the first work of Indian literature (and the first novel in any South Asian language) to win the International Booker Prize in 2022, Shree portrays an 80-year-old woman beginning a new life after her husband’s death. The novel breaks away from a straight plot, utilising shifting perspectives, unexpected detours, and linguistic wordplay to make the storytelling itself as unconventional as the story.

Whether through her elegant linguistic rebellion (echoing what the Swedish Academy praised in Anne Carson) or her polyphonic storytelling, Shree’s approach to linguistic playfulness is miles away from Divakaruni’s.

To Shree, language is not merely a vehicle for the plot; language is the main character. She employs a joyous, anarchic approach to vocabulary. The text is filled with alliteration, internal rhymes, and phonetic word-association games that seamlessly cross between Hindi, Urdu, and English sensibilities. By refusing to write “straight and serious” prose about a traumatic subject like the Partition, she boldly challenges the rigid conventions of historical fiction.

Sample this – where she literally plays with the phonetic morphing of the word “no” as the mother lies in bed -

No, Ma, no, the children insisted, look outside, the sun is shining, get up, pick up the cane, it’s hanging right here, try some roasted rice, it has peas in it.

Maybe she has loose motions, give her a digestive powder!

No, I will noooot. No, nyo, nyooo, Ma mewls. She’s tired, poor thing, alone and defeated, lift her up, get her involved; entertain her!

Sympathy flows from them immeasurable as the waters of the Ganga, washing over Ma’s back. Noooot nooooow, Ma tries to scream. But her voice comes out a whimper!

Moreover, the novel constantly plays with English colloquialisms that are a part of the traditional Hindi family structures, such as when the mother’s title shifts from the Hindi Amma to the Urdu Baji alongside the English Baby –

Listen, Baby, said Rosie, looking at Beti. Your Amma is sixteen all over again. Even the air injures her fine skin. Did you hear, Baby?

Of course she heard. That Ma ji had turned into Baji. Where was I? Where am I? The language changes from one thing to another and I don’t have ears to hear it? How can Ma ji become Baji? Should I start calling her Chamma, instead of Amma?

Finally, to Amitav Ghosh –

His historical novel titled, Sea of Poppies is yet another amazing testament to this credo – of linguistic inventiveness and creating new forms for contemporary literature.

As a diverse cast of characters sails across the Indian Ocean in 1838, Ghosh brings their world to life through dialects, regional expressions, and sailors’ slang. By blending English with indigenous Indian dialects, he crafts a linguistic ecosystem that allows his characters to leap off the page.

Sample this from the novel –

So tiresome to have to run outside every time you have to drop a chitty in the dawk

There isn't a rootie in the choola, is there?

(chithi = letter; daak = post/mail) (roti in the stove/oven)

The sailors on the Ibis - known as lascars – who come from across the Indian Ocean (East Africa, Malaya, Bengal, China, and Arabia) communicate to each other using “Lascari,” a wildly inventive nautical pidgin that blends English, Hindustani, Malay, and Chinese. Serang Ali, the charismatic leader of the lascars, is the primary voice of this dialect. When he scolds the young American mate, Zachary Reid, he says –

What for Malum Zikri make big dam bobbery’n so muchee bukbuk and big-big hookuming? Malum Zikri still learn-pijjin. No sabbi ship-pijjin.

bobbery (fuss/noise), bukbuk (chatter/nonsense), and hookum (order or command). 

These writers, alongside Anne Carson, prove that ancient verses, foundational epics, and traditional narratives are not static relics meant for museum shelves. By fusing them with modern slang, shifting perspectives, and unconventional formats, they ensure that the stories of the past continue to breathe, evolve, and resonate in the present.

True-proves to a tee what T.S. Eliot has termed as “pastness of the past, but also of its presence.”

It is only meet to wrap up this blogpost with the brilliant words of Italo Calvino, who perfectly captured the very essence of this literary continuum -

“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.”

Through the bold linguistic inventiveness of a Joyce, a Walcott, an Atwood, a Carson, a Ghosh or a Shree, we can be entirely certain that these ancient texts will continue to speak to us in a thousand myriad ways!

Happy reading, everyone! 😊

PS: You may want to read on Nobel Laureate in Literature Mo Yan, on our 24 Jan 2013 blogpost HERE

On Bob Dylan, the controversy-surrounded Nobel Laurate in Literature, on our 6 Dec 2019 blogpost HERE

And... We Almost Spotted A Snake in Campus Today! ❤️

From Derrida to the Sun Dial: Reading the “Living Texts” of MCC

Embodied Nature Journalling

#classactivity

This morning at 8:30 a.m., the entire II MA class settled in, fully expecting a dense Derridean lecture from their professor (this blogger) on Christopher Norris’s essay, “Jacques Derrida: Language Against Itself.” But their Professor seemed to have other plans for them.

Stepping into the classroom, I made an unexpected, surprise announcement -

Dear II MA English Class,

In a few minutes from now, we intend to go on a silent walk of sorts – an embodied nature journalling - up to the Sun Dial in MCC!

Building on yesterday’s discussions on human-centric narratives in Motha Rathiri, today we are going to engage ourselves in a non-human-centric, “embodied nature journalling” of sorts!

I want you to view the route from this classroom to the Sun Dial as a cinematic set. Observe it as a living ecosystem and watch for the complex network of non-human narratives unfolding along the way. Step outside the anthropocentric viewpoint and celebrate the rich biodiversity of our campus, treating its flora and fauna as our primary subjects of study,

I exhorted them.

And to guide their observation, I gave them a simple framework - the ABCDs of our campus ecosystem –

Ant (and Termite) Trails 

As we began our Embodied Nature Journalling, we traced termite trails forming rich, intricate patterns across the earth and paused to discuss the architectural and ecological logic behind their mounds.

Bees, Birds, and Butterflies 

Prompting the students to shift their gaze from the ground to the sky, we were rewarded with the sighting of the vivid blue-tailed bee-eaters. A few butterflies also made an appearance, dancing lightly through the morning foliage.

Canopies 

Looking up through the overlapping branches of the campus trees, we studied how a canopy dictates the micro-environment directly below it. We made a pitstop beneath the famed tamarind tree near the boxing ring. I guided the students around the trunk and posed two questions for them to ponder: Why does nothing ever grow under the shade of a tamarind tree? and Is the tamarind actually native to India?

Decomposition 

Finally, we observed fallen leaves, decaying logs, and clusters of oval deer pellets scattered along the path’s margins. Looking closely at the micro-scavengers - dung beetles and flies - we watched them actively dismantle the organic matter. It was a fascinating realisation: while humans dismiss this as “waste” to be hidden away, the soil of the scrub jungle treats it as highly valuable currency. The decomposition process literally fertilises the trees and shrubs across the campus.

On the whole, a deeply rewarding day in every way.

Photo Courtesy: Ms. Divyashree V

PS: You may want to read about a Tree Walk on 28 January 2012, for the II MA English Class, with Dr. Narasimhan, HERE on our blog. 

And the Blogpost on The Meditation in the Trails on 20th February 2020, HERE on our blog. 

And the Forest Bathing we had last year, on 23 August 2025, for the II MA English Class HERE on our blog.

“Movies are like a machine that generates empathy” ❤️

Unpacking Modha Rathiri

A Truly Dialogic Ambience in Class Today

#classactivity

Today, we had a rewarding time of discussions in the II MA English class, where the boundaries of traditional literary analysis were beautifully expanded into the realm of visual media – films in particular!

Ms. Lois Joe took the floor to deliver a profoundly impactful review of the film Modha Rathiri, directed by Mr. Raja Karuppasamy. She elegantly presented the film’s finer nuances, its visual framing, close-up shots, and the impactful soundtrack.

[Earlier, in a previous class, I had asked the entire class to watch the film on an OTT platform prior to the session, in order to ensure a truly dialogic classroom environment. The resulting discussions were indeed a testament to the insightful approaches and critical empathy of the class]

Thanks to the diligent and meticulous transcription by Ms. Sarah Saju Oommen, the sheer brilliance of that classroom debate has been captured for posterity!

Here are the excerpts from our collective exploration of Modha Rathiri -

On Social Realities and Caste Dynamics

The students were quick to ground the film in contemporary socio-political realities. Joshua drew a poignant parallel between the film’s underlying social concerns and real-world tragedies, specifically referencing the horrific realities of honour killings faced by Dalit couples like Kevin and Keziah, as well as the 2017 lynching of Madhu.

Joel appreciated the director’s restraint, noting that the film tackles the heavy, entrenched issue of caste not through visceral violence, but with a nuanced, lighter tone that allows the message to simmer.

Natasha focused her attention on the pivotal bike scene, arguing that it served as a lens exposing the deeper, harsher realities of a stratified society, while Irene astutely observed how the narrative interrogates the quintessential Indian mentality of viewing marriage as a blanket solution to systemic and personal crises.

Interrogating the Institution of Marriage and Boundaries

Moving inward to interpersonal dynamics, the class dissected the film’s portrayal of domesticity.

Rakshaya pointed out that the film boldly questions the institution of marriage itself rather than lazily presenting it as a guaranteed happy resolution. This was echoed by Angelin Veronika, who felt the stark realism of the narrative shone brightest when contrasting the often-competing dynamics of love and financial survival.

The character of Marudhu became a focal point of admiration for his subversion of toxic tropes. Swarna noted how Marudhu creates a crucial safe space for Muthu from the very beginning, making him an enduring standout. Lydia specifically praised the depiction of Marudhu respecting his wife’s physical boundaries, a vital detail in portraying healthy marital respect. Deepika loved the grounded portrayal of family dynamics, particularly celebrating the conclusion where the characters finally choose each other - not out of societal obligation, but for themselves.

Cinematic Craft, Language, and Imagery

The technical and linguistic triumphs of the film did not go unnoticed by the class. David expressed deep appreciation for the sheer complexity of the film’s writing. Looking at visual storytelling, Mithun championed the movie’s commitment to “showing, not telling.” Comparing it to another contemporary Tamil film, Kottukkaali, he insightfully argued that the title Modha Rathiri is apt because it unveils the characters’ mental nakedness rather than their physical vulnerability.

Furthermore, Marvel noted that the craftsmanship here proves Tamil cinema is currently undergoing a renaissance, offering compelling narratives well beyond the era dominated by conventional mass-hero vehicles.

Jael offered a brilliant observation on the film’s use of pathetic fallacy, noting how the scorching heat in the opening acts perfectly mirrors the suffocating chaos and confusion of the characters. Once the conflict resolves, the atmosphere shifts, and the shining sun allows the characters to finally breathe and radiate. Angelin Ebenezer celebrated the spontaneous quality of the film’s language, praising the use of authentic regional dialect that grounded the characters in a specific, lived-in reality.

Character Arcs and Emotional Resonance

The ambiguities and emotional crests of the film resonated deeply on a personal level. Samitha lingered on the narrative’s open threads, noting the ambiguity surrounding Nirmala’s death - suggesting it may not have been a suicide - while also appreciating the vulnerability in Marudhu’s past confession. Vishnupriya agreed that Marudhu’s backstory lent necessary weight to the characters’ emotional landscapes, while also keenly observing that Muthu’s lack of a genuine smile throughout the film highlighted the forced nature of her early reactions.

Rangineetha appreciated the organic flow dictated by the film’s social factors, pointing to the practical, hard-hitting realisation scene between Nitish and Muthu. Keerthi found a profound connection to the marriage sequence; watching Muthu dance, she felt a distinct female resonance, comparing it to the deep empathy men often feel for Nani’s mental frustration in Jersey.

The discussion itself proved to be a transformative experience for many. Divyashri, who had watched the film previously, openly shared that she was unaware of its deeper nuances until this very classroom dialogue opened new interpretive doors. For her, the simple, tender dialogue – “Don’t worry, go to sleep, things would get better” - forged a lasting emotional anchor.

As Fenulah observed with her appreciation for the evocative final scene, it was clear that the film had left an indelible mark.

As the late film critic Roger Ebert had once so profoundly noted,

Empathy is the most essential quality of civilisation. And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. If it’s a great movie, it lets you understand a little bit more about what it’s like to be a different gender, a different race, a different age, a different economic class, a different nationality, a different profession, different hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears.

This quote was true-proved today in class! And how!!

On the whole, a very rewarding day in every way!

PS: Representative Image by Uncle Gemini :-)

Cordially Inviting You... | International Conference ❤️

International Conference | Call for Papers

Join us for the International Conference on LITERATURE, LANGUAGE, DIGITAL HUMANITIES, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: NEW FRONTIERS IN RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATION (LLDHAI).

This event is jointly organised by Mother Terasa College of Engineering and Technology, Arasu Engineering College, and VHNSN College.

Event Details

Date: 13th October 2026

Time: 9:30 am onwards

Venue: Mother Terasa College of Engineering and Technology, Mettusalai, Illuppur, Pudukkottai District, Tamil Nadu

Special Focus Areas

Language, Literature, and Communication

Education, Engineering, and IT

Artificial Intelligence

Important Dates

Abstract Submission Deadline: 11th October 2026

Full Paper Submission Deadline: 25th October 2026

Publication & Registration Info

Original and unpublished research papers will be published in the International Peer-Reviewed Journal "NISARGA" (ISSN: 3107-9407).

The publication charge is ₹1500.

Participants from outside Tamil Nadu are permitted to participate and present papers online.

All co-authors should register separately.

Contact for Queries & Submissions

Email: balakrishnanjohn2026@gmail.com

Dr. K. Ravikumar: 7094925224

Mr. M. Balakrishnan: 9629284850

For full details on registration fees, payment instructions, formatting guidelines, and committee members, please refer to the official brochure HERE.

Navigating Multimodal Pedagogies @ MTN College | FDP ❤️

Exploring Multimodal Textuality

Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College (Autonomous), Madurai

MTNC’s Faculty Development Programme

A Report

6th October 2026

It is always a rewarding experience to engage with faculty members from across India and the globe on the evolving paradigms of literary studies. That joy is only doubled when collaborating with the PG & Research Centre of English at Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College (Autonomous), Madurai. Returning to MTNC under the dynamic and visionary leadership of my beloved brother and Annan, Principal Dr. Rama Subbiah, always brings me an immense sense of pride and happiness.

Today marked the second day of the college’s Seven-Day Faculty Development Programme, centred on the highly pertinent and overarching theme titled, “After Theory: Mapping the Post-2000 Turn in Literary Studies.” I had the privilege of joining the programme as the featured speaker for Day Two, broadcast live via Zoom from 6.15 pm onwards.

My session titled, “Text, Texture and Textism: Multimodal Textuality for the Literature Classroom,” provided a wonderful platform to expand upon our ongoing explorations into multiliteracies and multimodal pedagogies. The discussion allowed us to unpack how the shifting, multi-sensory ‘textures’ of modern texts actively demand innovative reading frameworks and responsive teaching strategies in contemporary higher education.

The evening’s academic session was thoughtfully steered by our moderator, Prof. P.R. Muthumeena, Assistant Professor of English at MTNC.

I am deeply grateful to the organisers for curating such a vital space to map the future trajectories of literary theory and practice.

A special word of appreciation goes to Dr. R. Dhanalakshmi, the vibrant Head of the Department, and to Dr. D. Vimala, the Organising Secretary, for their steadfast commitment and dedication in making today’s event a grand success.

In fact, this afternoon itself, we had a mock-zoom meet to check on the audio/video/lighting functionalities, with Principal Subbu Annan himself joining the mock-zoom session to personally check if everything worked fine for the evening’s programme.

It was a distinct joy to spot so many familiar faces among the virtual participants. The Q&A session that followed brought forth a wealth of insightful, highly pertinent questions, sparking a dialogue so engaging that it stretched for more than thirty minutes before we finally decided to call it a day.

On the whole, a profoundly rewarding day in every way!

When Diplomacy Fails, Print Attacks | How British Magazines Weaponised a Diplomatic Failure ❤️

Shaping the East | British Magazines and the Amherst Embassy

Insights from A Special Lecture by Dr. Daniel Sanjiv Roberts

5th October 2026 | 10.30 am

The PG & Research Department of English (Aided) and the Office of International Programmes at Madras Christian College (Autonomous) jointly organised a guest lecture today, at 10.30 am in the Chemistry Seminar Hall.

Dr. Daniel Sanjiv Roberts, who is presently Reader in English at Queen’s University, Belfast, UK was the main speaker of the event.

Interestingly, Dr. Sanjiv was the classmate of Dr. Arul Kumaran (Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Canada), and Dr. Dipankar Mukherjee, the co-founder and Artistic Director of the famous Pangea World Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during their good-old MCC days.

Dr. Daniel Sanjiv Roberts spoke on the topic, “British Magazines and the Amherst Embassy: Literary and Metropolitan Responses”, focusing on the literary response to the Amherst Embassy and Chinese culture that featured such vituperative and virulent political commentary in early 19th-century British print culture. His lecture also focused on how eminent writers and influential magazines of the era utilised the diplomatic friction to shape the British public’s aesthetic and political perception of the East.

Excerpts from his Talk -

The Amherst Embassy and Its Historical Context

In 1816, Britain sent the Amherst Embassy, its second diplomatic mission to China, seeking trade concessions. The mission was widely regarded as a failure in its time. Lord Amherst, the British ambassador, refused to perform the required ceremonial bow, known as the “kowtow,” for the Chinese Emperor. As a result of this diplomatic friction, the British gifts were rejected, and the diplomatic ship, the Alceste, was wrecked during its return voyage.

This event occurred while Britain held a post-Waterloo status as a premier imperial power, yet faced severe domestic economic challenges, including mass unemployment and poverty. To offset trade imbalances caused by the British consumption of Chinese tea, Britain was increasingly growing opium in India for illegal export into China.

The Role of British Magazines and Reviewers

The failure of the Amherst Embassy prompted significant reappraisal in British print culture, shifting focus toward longer, analytical articles in quarterly magazines rather than basic newspaper reportage.

Literary Representations of China

British writers used the embassy’s failure to cultivate a specific aesthetic and political view of China, domesticating Chinese culture into “chinoiserie” (Chinese objects), while simultaneously mocking its governance.

In his essay titled, “Old China,” Charles Lamb approached the topic through a highly domesticated lens. Lamb focused his reflections on examining a China teacup. He used this object to explore the relatively new British practice of drinking tea. His essay highlights how tea and Chinese objects had become familiarised as standard domestic fascination and formed part of English habits during the Romantic period.

Thomas De Quincey’s Confessions of an English Opium-Eater introduced complex, nightmarish connotations regarding the East and the opium trade. De Quincey’s writings explicitly described the Chinese as an “antediluvian” and inanimate race, reflecting the era’s highly prejudiced and racist perspectives.

Reviewers and authors alike ensured that they depicted the Chinese diplomatic ceremonies as farcical and ridiculous spectacles, likening them to circus acts, pantomimes, or tumbling shows. Moreover, China was repeatedly characterised by British writers as a static, ancient, and fossilised civilisation that stood in stark contrast to progressive British imperialism.

John Barrow’s Attack

John Barrow, the Second Secretary to the Admiralty, played a major political and literary role in shaping public opinion. Barrow had participated in the earlier Macartney Embassy of 1793, and he used his platform to conceive, promote, and review the literature surrounding the Amherst mission.

Having personally conceived and promoted the Amherst Embassy, and having previously travelled on the 1793 Macartney Embassy, Barrow channelled his direct annoyance over the mission’s failure into his literary critiques.

When reviewing a translated Chinese drama titled An Heir in His Old Age, Barrow completely bypassed the text’s aesthetic value, using the review instead to launch a political assault on Chinese culture. He explicitly characterised the Chinese state as a “mean and insolent government”. He argued that Chinese diplomatic ceremonies and court entertainments were deliberately “puerile”. Barrow compared these stage representations to a “broad farce,” describing them as tumbling, jugging, and ridiculous processions featuring men disguised as animals.

He claimed these farcical exhibitions were intentionally staged to mock foreign ambassadors, whom the Chinese court dismissed as “foreign barbarians”. Barrow aggressively promoted the imperial narrative of China as a rigidly static civilisation. He argued that because “time stands still in China” without any alteration or improvement, an 800-year-old play still perfectly reflected its modern society. He even extended this criticism to the broader population, describing Chinese youth as unnatural, “inanimate, formal, inactive,” and constantly attempting to mimic the gravity of old age.

The Role of Magazines and Reviews

While newspapers focused on straightforward reportage, magazines provided longer, analytical, and highly opinionated accounts of foreign affairs. It highlights that contemporary publications like Blackwood’s and the London Magazine developed entertaining literary profiles to publish personal essays and fiction regarding these geopolitical events.

The dominant critical response outlined in the lecture came from the leading conservative political magazine, The Quarterly Review.

Through The Quarterly Review, influential reviewers like John Barrow aggressively defended the British ambassador’s dignity. Barrow and The Quarterly Review simultaneously depicted the Chinese government as a static, ancient, and fossilised civilisation that forced foreign diplomats into ridiculous, farcical ceremonies.

To conclude, then, the diverse literary and journalistic reactions to the Amherst Embassy functioned as a powerful cultural defense mechanism for a frustrated imperial power. By translating a humiliating diplomatic failure into either domestic aesthetic charm, as seen in Lamb’s focus on teacups, or vicious political caricature, evident in Barrow’s and De Quincey’s xenophobic critiques, British print culture actively reconstructed the narrative of the East. These contrasting depictions worked in tandem to establish a prejudiced, Eurocentric worldview that characterised China as a stagnant, “antediluvian” society requiring Western intervention.

This concerted effort by reviewers and authors did more than merely soothe the sting of the embassy’s dismissal; it laid the crucial ideological and rhetorical groundwork that would justify Britain’s increasingly coercive economic and imperial ambitions in the decades to follow,

said Dr. Daniel Sanjiv Roberts.

Dr. Franklin Daniel, our beloved Head of the Department welcomed the gathering. Dr. Arun Kumar, our vibrant Associate Dean of International Programmes, introduced the Chief Guest of the Day. Dr. Nirmal Selvamony was our guest of honour for the event. The event was hosted exclusively for our students of the I & II MA English Literature classes. 

So happy to note that, today we had two book donations by famous authors who also happen to be our illustrious alumni.

Dr. Daniel Sanjiv Roberts presented a copy of the famous book titled, Studying English Literature in Context: Critical Readings edited by Paul Poplawski, to the Department of English. His article finds a place in the book (Chapter 12, titled, ‘Transported into Asiatic Scenes’: Romanticism and the Orient.’)

Dr. Nirmal Selvamony also donated a copy of his amazing magnum opus titled, Tinai: The Indigenous Lifeway for the Anthropocene, to the Miller Memorial Library, and the copy was sponsored by our former Head of the Department of Philosophy Dr. Mathivanan. We promptly ushered them to meet with our Principal. Our Principal was very happy with the books that were gifted to the College.

On the whole, a very rewarding day, in every way!

Global Study Fair 2026 | Anderson Hall | Tips to Get the Most of the Event ❤️

 

4th Oct 2026

Dear All,

Madras Christian College cordially welcomes you to the GLOBAL STUDY FAIR 2026! tomorrow, Monday, 5th October 2026, in the Anderson Hall.

An incredible opportunity to interact directly with officials from top universities worldwide.

To get the most out of the event

1. Identify which institutions offer their specific programmes and read up on their core strengths, research facilities, and basic entry requirements. Wandering aimlessly wastes time and leads to generic conversations.

2. Bring a neat folder containing several copies of a one-page CV, recent academic transcripts (unofficial copies are fine), and a brief summary of their academic interests. This allows representatives to quickly gauge your profile and offer tailored advice.

3. Instead of asking, “Do you have a business programme?”, you should ask targeted questions about campus life, specific scholarship opportunities for international students, faculty mentorship, or support for post-study work placements.

4. Bring a notebook to jot down key details from their conversations. Always ask the representative for a business card or contact email. Sending a polite thank-you email within 48 hours that references a specific point from your chat helps build a lasting connection with the admissions office.

List of Participating Institutions

United Kingdom

University of Sheffield (UK),

Kingston University London (UK),

University of Birmingham (UK and Dubai), and

UCL (UK).

USA

Indiana University Indianapolis (USA),

Wake Forest University School of Business (USA),

Clarkson University (USA), University of Scranton (USA),

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) (USA),

Temple University (USA),

Quinnipiac University (USA), and

Illinois Tech (USA).

Ireland

University College Dublin

and

Trinity College Dublin.

France

Campus France, French Embassy in India.

Switzerland

Swiss Education Group (Switzerland).

Australia

Edith Cowan University (Australia).

India

Birmingham City University (India).

For more details, contact us via email at deanip@mcc.edu.in

Office of International Programmes

MCC

Global Study Fair 2026 @ MCC ❤️

 

3rd Oct 2026

Dear All,

Madras Christian College cordially welcomes you to the GLOBAL STUDY FAIR 2026!

An incredible opportunity to interact directly with officials from top universities worldwide.

Interact with Officials from Universities across the World.

List of Participating Institutions -

United Kingdom

University of Sheffield (UK),

Kingston University London (UK),

University of Birmingham (UK and Dubai), and

UCL (UK).

USA

Indiana University Indianapolis (USA),

Wake Forest University School of Business (USA),

Clarkson University (USA), University of Scranton (USA),

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) (USA),

Temple University (USA),

Quinnipiac University (USA), and

Illinois Tech (USA).

Ireland

University College Dublin

and

Trinity College Dublin.

France

Campus France, French Embassy in India.

Switzerland

Swiss Education Group (Switzerland).

Australia

Edith Cowan University (Australia).

India

Birmingham City University (India).

For more details, contact us via email at deanip@mcc.edu.in

Office of International Programmes

MCC

Today's Lovely Birding Delights 💚

#intothewildwithrufus #birding

And My Personal Favourites for Today! 💚

 #intothewildwithrufus #birding