Chapter II. Critical Introduction to the Critical Essays of Suresh Joshi

Transcription

1 Chapter II Critical Introduction to the Critical Essays of Suresh Joshi

2 I have translated the two collections of essays entitled Kinchit (Something) and Chintayami Mansa (Thinking Deeply) from the two volumes published by Gujarati Sahitya Academi, entitled Suresh Joshi nu Sahitya Vishwa: Vivechan 1 & 2 (The World of Suresh Joshi: Criticism Vol. 1 & 2) respectively. These two collections contain some groundbreaking ideas in Gujarati criticism. With Suresh Joshi s contribution, Gujarati criticism made a distinct departure from the traditional methods of critical evaluation. He looked at the process of creative writing in the light of Formalistic approach. Kinchit The first essay in the collection of essays titled Kinchit, Kavya no Aaswad (Relish of Poetry) takes us to the key issues of how we simplistically interpret poetry, looking for the philosophy of the poet or trying to understand its meter in total isolation with its impact on the poem. He refers to the statement by American poet MacLeish that the professors who teach poetry are the biggest enemy of poetry. He takes a few lines from Gujarati poetry and examines them in the light of the meter used and the way meaning is to be gleaned from those lines. He insists that if criticism and poetry interact in a fruitful way, it will be beneficial to both. He stressed the need to make an effort to find out how much we have perfected the style of our poetry and the competence of our writing. He is hopeful that if we make efforts in this direction, the poets following the beaten track for ages will venture

3 into the direction of the newer expressions, and our teaching of literature will improve. Once the hurdles are out of the way of relishing poetry, the possibility of an active and lively interaction between the writer and the reader will arise and the sensibilities of an entire society will be enriched Pratikrachana (Symbol Forming) is an extensive discussion on the use of symbols. He also opines that the poet should take language beyond the beaten paths and keep exploring new horizons. He takes recourse to examples from writers like Vishnuprasad Trivedi to Baudelaire and expounds the significance of using symbols for conveying a certain sense. He also underscores the idea that symbols don t have any fixed meaning as such. A creative artist must keep exploring new meanings from symbols and that is precisely what an artist is supposed to do. He gives examples of symbols like cross and lotus which have touched larger masses of people. He points out that some poets are content to restrict their achievements to creation of three-four symbols whereas a poet is supposed to work ceaselessly towards creating newer symbols and newer shades of meaning. This essay is rich in the way he explains the creative process of symbol-forming and the artist s attitude to symbols. It becomes evident that he is quite clear about the fact that an artist should be extremely conscious of the intricacies as well as opportunities inherent in a symbol.

4 Vidyapithman Sahitya nu Shikshan (Teaching of Literature in University) is an analysis of the prevalent scenario of literature teaching at university and its ills. He stresses the fact that literature teaching is in a dire state, given the kind of syllabi is in place and the teaching method are employed. He also brings out the unfair treatment given to criticism as examination-oriented reading takes place of the selected texts of the syllabi and sometimes even that is sacrificed. He critiques the whole ambience of literature teaching pointing out various issues related to teachers and students and how they eventually reflect upon the state of affairs in literature and criticism. His essay is also remarkable, for it is a critique of the whole institution called university. Nevertheless, it is not a mere cynical outburst against the system as it happens in the case of many other critics; he gives out clear and actionable ideas to transform university culture in general and literature teaching in particular. In Kinchit, Suresh Joshi takes his readers back to the fundamental critical concerns by asking the question, what is the objective of a work of art? It is not that it is an entirely new question to ask. He emphasises that whenever we ask these basic issues and face it with an open mind, the nature and import of the question crystallize. He points out the age old response readers give after reading a story; the reader or the critic asks a question: what does the author want to say through this story? He gives his own example and opines that he himself is never in a position to say what he wants to say through his stories. He clarifies through his own experiences as a creative writer that

5 there is no deep mystery but one can t put a finger on something and say that this is what I want to say. These are some of his observations and insight about the elusive nature of meaning and the intricacies of interpretation inherence due to that. The caveat he voices is that we should not be in a hurry to end the discussion on a text and certainly not end up by simplistic interpretation, resulting into a single meaning. He also discusses the way simple and ordinary things around us have the possibilities lying in them, waiting for an artist to explore them. He goes on to give an example of a chair and how who sits on the chair makes the whole difference to our perception of the image of a person sitting on the chair. Then he relates it to Van Gogh s painting Yellow Chair and recalls the response Paul Gaugin had given about it, saying, No one ever painted a chair like that before! (as quoted by Suresh Joshi in Suresh Joshi nu Sahitya Vishwa, Vol 5, page 55) He has no two opinions about how a writer should go about using language. He firmly believed that the writer has to free the language from its traditional context and give it a distinctly new form. He avers that the issue of how the writer should use the medium itself deserves rigorous contemplation. He aptly remarks that we have come a long way from the dictum, Literature is the reflection of life. He explains that literature helps us exceed beyond our ordinary existence and witness the human experience in its entirety. To be able to acquaint ourselves with those experiences through writing is the

6 privileged delight of art. He puts it in simple but unambiguous terms that the function of art is not to give out the grammar of values. Kavi ane Rangbhumi (The Poet and the Theatre) is a foray into examining the constructs of drama and theatre. He traces the trajectory of drama since the times of Kalidas and takes us to the poetic dramas of his day. He analyzes the prevalent dramatic scenario and stresses the need for better poetic plays. He strives to draw our attention towards whether a poet can be useful in the process of reviving the theatre. He points out that the literary plays and theatre are too far away in the Gujarati literary and critical scenario. In the end, he says that a poetic play in the true sense is yet to be written in Gujarati. In Kavya no Anuvad (Translation of Poetry), he also addresses the issues pertaining to the translation of poetry and its scope. He begins the discussion with the key question of whether poetry can be translated and points out that some people firmly believe that it cannot be accomplished. He also explains that words in a language aren t just linguistic objects but they are made up of the poet s consciousness and hence to transfer them to a different language and consequently a different ambience is fraught with dangers. He emphasises that by merely translating word by word, one cannot transfer the experience to another language. Hence, translation for him calls for a very deep understanding of the poet s consciousness and the two languages in question. He

7 insists that one should try to realize the possibilities of the language in which one is translating. He is categorical in stating that translations of poetry have been carried out till date and would go on but there should be no two opinions about the nature of the complexities involved in translation. This essay is significant from the point of view of translation as a construct and the issues concerning the same. He deftly uses the issue of translation of poetry as a trope to break open the whole issue of translation and the state of translation in Gujarat. He aptly sums up by saying that every poet should take up translation of great poetry as a part of the process of his development as a poet. In Gujarati Bhasha Sahitya (Gujarati Language and Literature), he gives his characteristic perspective on the relationship of Gujarati with Sanskrit and Gujarati literature in general. This essay seeks to give his insights on the legendary poets and writers like Narmad, Kant, Manilal etc. He also discusses the influence of English and the influence of Gandhiji and Ravindranath Tagore on the Gujarati literature. This essay is significant because he gives us the whole trajectory of Gujarati literature and criticism in Gujarat in one essay. He traces the influence of Sanskrit in the themes and language of early Gujarati writers. He also brings to the fore how the influence of English is also noticeable in Gujarati writers and poets. He rounds it off with a word on the state of criticism in Gujarat by pointing out that critics have yet to develop the critical acumen required in the face of the challenges which face us. Research also does not escape his attention as he points out that we have not yet gone beyond analysing the classics and

8 that too in the same old fashion. In all, this essay is significant as it offers the history with their critical evaluation and future directions of and for Gujarati literature and criticism. Yojakstra Durlabh (The Creative Artist Eludes Us) is an essay on the state of decline of novel in Gujarati literature and its possible reasons. He clearly states that Gujarati novel is lifeless and writers have to now take stock of the situation and change the approach to novel writing. He is critical of the attitude on the part of the writer which focuses on mere storytelling and limits novel to storytelling in the end. He is of the opinion that the story is just a trope around which the novelist has to create his universe. He has little respect for novelists who blindly imitated Govardhanram, the Gujarati novelist, and this imitation went on for ages. Hence he remarks that all protagonists of Gujarati novels have inherited the passivity of Govardhanram s Saraswatichandra, the protagonist of the novel, Saraswatichandra. He criticizes the critics for the state of affairs as regards Gujarati novel. He states emphatically that every new text by a good writer has a new universe in it. This novelty is the key to good writing. He sums up by saying that every age requires a new talent who can lend a new direction to the age and we are waiting for such a talent to dawn on the Gujarati literary skyscape.

9 Kavita no Prachar (Expanse of Poetry) opens with a reference to a Read Poetry campaign in Calcutta. He states that the idea of propaganda for reading poetry might sound ridiculous at first but it brings to the fore that tragic reality that poetry and literature are in dire need of some desperate measures in a world which is hell bent on chasing materialistic goals. He quotes a number of critics, poets and thinkers like Herbert Read, Erich Heller, and Vladimir Wield to name a few, to bring out the state of poetry in the context of his times. He also discusses the various components of poetry and points out how poetry also needs to change. He also attributes some part of indifference to poetry to the circumstances and ambience in which we are living. He also points out that good readers have a role to play as they should not let wrong standards become the order of the day and should always be on the lookout for great poetry. In Kala ni Bhavak pase Apeksha (Expectations of Art towards Relisher), Suresh Joshi critiques the whole process of receiving a text. He begins the discussion by referring to the kind of readers who read in order to find the justification or support for their ideas. He points out that some readers merely tally their ideas with the ideas of a writer and see whether the writer upholds his ideas or not. He is critical of the tendency on the part of readers/society which puts pressure on a writer to give out a moral message and subscribe to a certain moral line. This is a limiting factor for the creativity of the writer. Not only that, but it distracts so many writers who dish out writings as the

10 society or ideologies demand. Hence, writings have assumed political nature and deviated from artistic benchmarks. The poet is a spokesman of one ideology or another and has lost his identity as a poet. This is an essay which makes us contemplate upon our expectation from a text and a writer. Suresh Joshi attributes a lot of this to the state of criticism as it has allowed such tendencies to grow and turn into a reality of the day. Pather Panchali Vishe (About Pather Panchali) is a remarkable essay on the comparative study of the text and the adaptation. Suresh Joshi brings to light how one art can be complimentary to another art. It is a foray into how visual medium can be rewarding in terms of relishing a work which we have already read. Chintayami Mansa (Thinking Deeply) The first essay in Chintayami Mansa, Arthghatan (Interpretation) begins with the question whether interpretation is the appropriate term. It is an analysis of interpretation with an inquiry into symbols and metaphors. Interpretation is decidedly complex as the individual who writes the text is nothing less than a scientist of words; he experiments with words by combining them differently and employing them unusually. He revives many words by endowing them with new shades. Hence, the process of interpretation is highly demanding in the light of the creative exercise which goes into writing a text. It is a coded world and thus interpretation is an exercise into

11 decoding it. He also points out that inventing new words or language is an inevitable need of writing because a writer cannot work with the words which are used in the day to day life. He is also against the intellectualising the process of reading poetry. He also doesn t care for those who write commentaries on poetry; they simply indulge in a discovery of what does the poet want to say? and remain indifferent to what the poet has done in the poem. Hence, he asserts that only mediocre minds go about interpreting poetry. He voices a caveat that interpretation should not render relishing poetry secondary in the whole process. Sahitya ane Philsufi (Literature and Philosophy) opens with a statement that poetry is the mother of philosophy and delves into the relationship between literature and philosophy with the emphasis on exploring its ancient roots dating back to the days of Socrates and Plato. Suresh Joshi explains the relationship by quoting Merlo Ponte who said that literature and philosophy cannot remain separate or on two different ends from each other. He alludes to the fact that critics have never forgiven Plato for banishing poetry from his Republic. He also notes how certain poets and writers are great poets but poor philosophers. He does say that poets are not philosophers who are supposed to give out divine commandments. Literature creates a new sense about life in us, but for that, it does not have to become didactic. This essay is a study of the timeless debate on the relationship of literature and philosophy. It is rich in references

12 to philosophy and offers a fresh perspective on how literature should be read, with or without philosophy. Kasmai Devay Havisha Vidhema? (To Which Deity Shall We Make the Offering?) is a study of the role of literature and creative writers in the society. He is sceptical whether poetry can sustain its standards if it becomes a vehicle of propaganda. He argues that earlier poets were controlled by some muse or divine frenzy but now they are governed by the forces of society. He asserts that many writers get carried away by the temptation of social change which is to be brought about, thinking they are the only ones who can do that. He also points out that it is not that writers should not write about relevant social issues but the writer should not become the spokesperson of any ideology. The essay ends in the reconciliation that the social issues and literature cannot be antithetical to each other. The collection contains a separate discussion on Sartre entitled Sartre: Aaj na Sandarbhma (Sartre: In Today s Context). Suresh Joshi discusses Sartre in the context of the decay of values and ideas which we once held high and the emergence of a new reality of our lives and science. He discusses the relevance or the lack of any great thinker in times when today s thinker is one who writes the editorial of a newspaper and critiques the phenomena of his times as philosophers used to do. He raises a valid question as to if this erosion or trivialisation of philosophy continues, shall we have a

13 tradition of philosophy in future or will it become extinct? He also criticizes the tendency to stay afloat in the intellectual space by clinging on the latest trend in thinking and goes on to say that existentialism came in Gujarati literary and critical stratosphere much as the new intellectual fetish. He very distinctly pinpoints the uniqueness of existentialism of which Sartre was an able exponent; existentialism differs in that it drops the entire struggle to wrest some meaning out of the universe or the tendency to prove somehow that the world is a meaningful construct. This essay is a foray into the changing paradigms of life and hence of philosophy, the role of thinkers like Sartre and the relevance of the philosophy in the world. Sarjak, Sarjan ane Vivechan (Writer, Writing and Criticism) is a detailed analysis of the nature and functions of all three: writer, literature, and criticism. Suresh Joshi brings to the fore the way a work of art has always been perceived as intentional product of the artist. He recalls that Roman Inguard had presented the idea in a philosophers meet in 1956 that while we lay down the characteristics of aesthetics, it should all begin with the encounter between the artist and the work of art. But the basic premise of the essay is that it rests on the artist s creative talents as to how he gives form to the experience. It is Formalist statement on how an artefact is constructed. Vivechan no Chaitanyavadi Abhigam (The Critical Approach of the Critics of Consciousness) is an expository account of school of Critics of Consciousness and the

14 valuable observations on its fruitful application in literary criticism in the context of his times. Suresh Joshi explains the position of the critics of consciousness and states that a critic or reader has to understand the consciousness of the artist who has created the work. He also places all the major critics of consciousness namely Marcel Remo, Albert Bengui, George Pule, in terms of their contribution to the theory they expounded. Kavya Vivechan no Ek Navo Abhigam? (A New Approach to Criticism of Poetry?) critiques the influence that the criticism has on us as he points out that we are all products of literature. To explain this, he recalls the sensation one feels as a youth when he comes in direct contact of the world of literature. This sensation is lost somewhere on the way to maturity, for which Suresh Joshi attributes the entire blame to criticism. He also goes on to say that criticism is fine as it gives interpretations and so on and so forth but if it takes away the joy of reading, it would better be abandoned. Octavio Paz ni Kavyavibhavana (Octavio Paz s Concept of Poetry) opens with the idea that a poet s ideas which emerge during his struggle to clothe his ideas and emotions with words are quite significant. For this, he gives examples of T S Eliot, Ezra Pound and Gartia who significantly contributed in this regard. Octavio Paz is another such name in the same tradition who believed that poetry is a shaped product. It is shaped by the language, the obsessions and beliefs of the people. In the process, Suresh Joshi touches upon the issues concerning modernity and avante-guard.

15 While Sanketvigyan ni Saiddhantik Bhumika (The Theoretical Position of Semiology) expounds, as the title suggests, the basic theoretical position of Semiology, Sanket Vigyan (Semilogy) is a full-fledged foray into Semiology. Suresh Joshi goes on to expound for us the basic premises and constructs of Semiology. He discusses the territories which Semiology should focus on and the way a number of branches can be studied with Semiological approach. Navya Vivechan vishe Thodu (A Bit about New Criticism) is an expository essay on how New Criticism emerged and developed as a school of literary criticism. He takes the opportunity to discuss the ramifications of oversight and false notions on the part of criticism. On the other hand, he also emphasises that one should also know the tradition in totality and unless that happens, he would question the understanding of that individual. Besides, he traces how it was developed by the leading exponents of New Criticism like J. C. Ransom, Allan Tate, Blackmar, Kenneth Burke and Winters and later on by Clinth Brooks, Robert Penn Warren and William Wimsatt. In all, Navyavivechan vishe Thodu traces the evolution of New Criticism and discusses its relevance in the then literary context. Sahitya Vivechan ane Bhasha Vigyan (Literary Criticism and Linguistics) scrutinizes the way we approach linguistics and literary criticism. He firstly relates how some of the notions are getting exposed like the idea that prevails that the linguist observes the

16 details and notes them down and hands them over to the critic for interpretation. This is clearly the case of division of labour in Joshi s view. This essay is a site of arguments presented by linguists and critics against one another as regards the way they approach a text. Suresh Joshi sums up by urging them to strike a fine balance and remain objective in their respective endeavours. Arvachinata ane Anuarvachinata (Modernity and Postmodernity) is a foray into Modernity and Postmodernity and the relationship of the two. In the course of this discussion, he explores all the Modern and Post Modern schools of literary theory and criticism. He refers a great deal to the existing work on the two and the driving force of the same. This essay brings to the fore the Suresh Joshi who is extremely well read into the Western literary theory and criticism and concerns himself extensively on the implications of the same on Gujarati literature. His critical writings stand out in a myriad ways for the scholarly inquiry into the hitherto unexplored spheres of Gujarati criticism, and for the path breaking conclusions he reaches in the process of addressing the fundamental critical issues of criticism. These critical texts should be read and appreciated in the literary and critical situation of his times because he was addressing writers and critics who were busy repeating themselves in the way the culture of literature had set in. these essays are the exposition of the Western theories as well as their application and implications on the

17 Gujarati literature and criticism. He should be credited with raising the questions which have been the most fundamental and central question of literature and criticism.