Page 214 - DENG501_LITERARY_CRITICISM_AND_THEORIES

Literary Criticism and Theories

Notes Significance in the History of Realism (Toward a Historic Typology of the Novel)' (henceforth
referred to as BSHR) constitute the basis for the theoretical framework that is developed in
my dissertation on 19th century Belgian historical novels. One of the case-studies from this
dissertation is presented here, albeit in a considerably abridged form.
• Bakhtin begins by briefly charting the course of the attempt to analysis and define the novel,
and the resulting failure, because of the failure to explore the "stylistic specificum, of the
novel as a genre." Bakhtin then provides a few examples of the use of imagery and metaphor
within a novel, and how these elements different from their use in poetics. Bakhtin points
out a distinctive characteristic of the novel "the image of the another's language and outlook
on the world…, simultaneously represented and representing, is extremely typical of the
novel."
• "From the Prehistory of Novelistic Discourse" is a less traditional essay in which Bakhtin
reveals how various different texts from the past have ultimately come together to form the
modern novel.

18.6 Key-Words
1. Polyglossia : Basically polyglossia situations involve two contrasting varieties (high
and low) but in general it refers to communities that regularly use more
than two languages.
2. Lexical borrowing : It results from the lack of vocabulary and it involves borrowing single
words - mainly nouns. When speaking a second language, people will
often use a term from their first language because they don't know the
appropriate word in their second language. They also my borrow words
from another language to express a concept or describe an object for
which there is no obvious word available in the language they are using.

18.7 Review Questions

1. What is the Concept of Chronotopes? Discuss.
2. Discuss the Concept of Polyphony.
3. Examine Bakhtin’s, “from the prehistory of Novelistic Discourse”.
Answers: Self-Assessment
1. (i)(a) (ii)(c) (iii)(c) (iv)(a)

18.8 Further Readings

1. Hutcheon, Linda A poetics of postmodernism, London: Routledge, 1988.
2. Kennedy, X.J., Dana Gioia, Mark Bauerlein, Handbook of Literary Terms:
Literature, Language, Theory, 1st edition, New Delhi: Pearson, 2007.
3. Lodge, David (ed.) Twentieth Century Literary Criticism, London: Longman,
1972.
4. Rice, Philip and Patricia Waugh (eds.) A Modern Literary Theory: A Reader, 3rd
edition, London: Arnold, 1999.
5. Sethuraman, V.S. and Ramaswamy (eds.) The English Critical Tradition, Volume
II, New Delhi, Macmillan, 1977.
6. Seturaman, V.S. (ed.) Contemporary Criticism: An Anthology, New Delhi:
Macmillan, 2008.

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