• Issue 1 • Volume 1 • Number 1 | January 2021
RESEARCH METHODS
What is Research?
■■ A systematic and critical investigation
■■ Aims at the discovery of new facts
■■ Revision of accepted laws or theories
in the light of the discovery of new
facts
■■ Practical application of new or re-
vised conclusions, theories or laws
EDITORIAL
Established in 1998 in
Trivandrum in a very modest
way, TES has grown to be a
national-level institute with
a reputation for excellence in
the field of teaching, training,
research and publication.
TES brings you this monthly
newsletter to keep you updated
on the latest developments in
English language and literature.
R
esearch is becoming
increasingly important
in university education.
Teaching and learning at all
levels have become more
research-oriented, and
institutions of higher education
bank on research to have
knowledge-driven growth
based on innovation. Hence
TES newsletter will carry a
series on Research Methods
and Skills.
What is Literary Research? □□ Opening up new areas of intel-
lectual enquiry
■■ Different from research in natural
sciences or social sciences Objectives of Literary
■■ Studies literary text as well as the Research
writer
■■ Advancement of knowledge
■■ Of four kinds
●● Assimilating intellectual achieve-
●● Bibliography and Textual Criticism
ments of predecessors
●● Biographical
●● Discovery of new facts or new
●● Theoretical
interpretation of known facts
●● Interpretive
■■ Broadening the mind and sharpening
critical insight
University Education ■■ Creation of a genuine interest in
System
literature
■■ Three functions ■■ Inculcating the sense that the re-
●● Teaching searcher is the member of a collabo-
□□ Most important function of rative community
handing down knowledge to
posterity Qualities of a Researcher
●● Research ■■ Dedication to Learning
□□ Adds knowledge and value to ■■ Spirit of Enquiry
teaching ■■ Command of Language
●● Extension ■■ Comprehensive Knowledge
 2 • Issue 1 • Volume 1 • Number 1 | January 2021
Materials of Research
■■ Manuscripts
●● Ancient manuscripts
●● Manuscripts after spelling was
standardised
■■ Printed Books
●● Issues related to editions, paper,
ink
●● Finding books
□□ Cambridge Bibliography of
Literature
□□ PMLA Bibliography published
every year
■■QUIZ ON RESEARCH
Choose the correct answer for each
question.
1. Which of the following is the correct
definition of basic research?
(a) Research that deals with simple
problems
(b) Research that is in an initial
stage
(c) Research that is not applied to a
specific social problem
(d) Research that is similar to what
has come before
2. Which of these statements is TRUE
about literature review?
(a) Literature review is a summary
of your own research.
(b) Literature review is the
summary of previous research in
related areas.
(c) Literature review should focus
on a broader topic.
(d) Literature review is an overview
of existing literature on the
topic.
3. A researcher working on discovering
how to improve the reading
proficiency of elementary school
students would be most likely
characterized as conducting _____.
(a) basic research
(b) applied research
(c) observational research
(d) experimental research
□□ Oxford History of English Litera-
ture, Pelican Guide to English
Literature, A Literary History
of America, A Literary History
of England, The English Novel
& The English Poetry edited by
A.E. Dyson
□□ Books in Print for recent books
□□ University Libraries, Online
libraries
Tools of Research
■■ Bibliography
●● Historical
4. Which of the following is the most
important aspect of theory to a
working scientist?
(a) internal coherence
(b) clarity
(c) predictive
(d) applicability
5. Which of the following best
describes “critical analysis”?
(a) Examining the existing literature
in order to assess its relevance,
authenticity and reliability of
the literature together with
the summarising of common
thematic areas of discussion
(b) Identifying the way books
or articles on the topic are
structured, pointing out
inconsistencies and suggesting
changes
(c) Evaluating past research being
critical of the methodology
used and describing how
your research will be an
improvement
●● Bibliothecal
●● Enumerative
●● Practical
■■ Note System
●● Lecture Notes
●● Text Notes
■■ Scientific Tools
●● Computer and Internet
●● Cell phone
■■ Textual Analysis
●● Terms relating to the parts of the
text
●● Their relationship
●● Comprehensive Knowledge
(d) Analyzing theoretical
approaches showing how they
are no longer valid according to
our current state of knowledge
6. Which of these terms denotes the
group of people identified in the
research question or hypothesis?
(a) Sample
(b) Survey
(c) Population
(d) Primary source
7. If a researcher describes behaviour
in realistic contexts, that is called
_______.
(a) observational research
(b) experimental research
(c) correlational research
(d) empirical research
8. Which of the following describes
Archival Research?
(a) Research on issues that do not
exist any more
(b) Research on already existing
records
(c) Research based on previous
research
(d) Research on documents only
ANSWERS
1. (c) 2. (d) 3. (b) 4. (c)
5. (a) 6. (a) 7. (a) 8. (b)
 3 • Issue 1 • Volume 1 • Number 1 | January 2021
■■ IN THE NEWS
Shuggie Bain by Douglas
Stuart gets Booker Prize
2020
■■ Douglas Stuart’s debut novel about
a boy in 1980s Glasgow trying to
support his mother as she struggles
with addiction and poverty.
■■ The novel also presents a tightly-cut
portrait of the working class during
the 1980s in Glasgow.
Douglas Stuart
■■PANDEMIC LITERATURE
2020 was the year of the COVID
pandemic. This pandemic gave us a
glimpse of what we have read about in
dystopian literature. Scary, yeah. In so
many ways this pandemic has shattered
our lives, our society, our economy and
our world, and we are limping back to
normalcy. This pandemic is more than
just a disease – it is a reminder of our
mistakes and weaknesses; it has awak-
ened in us the ideas of a new world, of
a new future. Read these mind-blowing
books to get a tremendous experience
of surviving a pandemic.
■■ Her first book of poetry, First-
born (1968), was recognized for
its technical control as well as its
collection of disaffected, isolated
narratives.
■■ Glück’s early books feature people
grappling with the consequences of
failed love affairs, disastrous family
encounters, and existential despair.
■■ Her later work continues to explore
the agony of the self.
Louise Glück Authors who passed away
in 2020
■■ The other books shortlisted for
the award were Avni Doshi’s Burnt ■■ Kamau Brathwaite, Barbadian poet,
Sugar (published in India as Girl In on 4 February
White Cotton), The New Wilder- ■■ Bruce Dawe, Australian poet, on 1
ness by Diane Cook, This Mournable
April
Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga, The
Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste,
and Real Life by Brandon Taylor.
American Poet Louise
Glück gets Nobel Prize in
Literature 2020
■■ Louise Glück got the award “for her
unmistakable poetic voice that with
austere beauty makes individual
Kamau Brathwaite
existence universal.”
11. The Rationing (2019) by Charles
List of the Best Novels on Wheelan
Pandemics
12. A Beginning at the End (2020) by
1. Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1939) by Mike Chen
Katherine Anne Porter 13. The End of October (2020) by
2. The Plague (1947) by Albert Camus Lawrence Wright
3. The Andromeda Strain (1969) by
Michael Crichton
4. The Stand (1978) by Stephen King
5. Love in the Time of Cholera (1985)
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
6. Blindness (1995) by Jose Saramago
7. The Years of Rice and Salt (2002) by
Kim Stanley Robinson
8. Oryx and Crake (2003) by Margaret
Atwood
9. The Book of M (2018) by Peng
Shepherd
10. The Great Believers (2018) by
Rebecca Makkai
 4 • Issue 1 • Volume 1 • Number 1 | January 2021
WHAT IS WORLD LITERATURE?
T
he term “Weltliteratur”
was first used by the
German writer Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe, re-
ferring to the dissemination of liter-
ature from and to countries across
the globe. Until recently, “World
Literature” was considered synon-
ymous with the European canon.
Since globalisation and the explo-
sion of new media technologies,
books have been disseminated
across national boundaries in un-
precedented ways, and the Euro-
pean basis of “World Literature” as
well as the notion of “canon” has
been increasingly questioned. In
the 21st century, “World Literature”
has taken on a global meaning,
and refers to the staggering variety
of literatures produced across the
C. ________
world, brought on to a common
platform through translation and
the digital media.
WORLD LITERATURE
GAME
Can you identify these authors / works?
A. ________
D. ________
1. He was associated with the
place Weimar.
2. Along with novels, poetry,
drama, criticism and an
autobiography, he has written
scientific treatises, the first of
which was titled Metamorphosis
of Plants.
3. He was one of the six
“Representative Men” identified
by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
4. He had a personal relationship
with Lord Byron, which reflected
in some of their works.
B. ________
1. This book was written in
the early 11th century by a
noblewoman and lady-in-
waiting.
2. It is often called the world’s first
novel.
Jorge Luis Borges
3. The title of this book refers to
the name of a prince.
4. The book primarily reveals
the politics behind sexual
relationships.
1. This novel tells the story of the
miniaturists of the Ottoman
Empire.
2. Each chapter of the novel is
narrated by a different narrator.
3. The novel employs a
postmodern style.
4. The author won Nobel Prize in
Literature in 2006.
1. This Argentinian writer’s Spanish
masterpieces include Fictions
and The Aleph.
2. Born in Buenos Aires in 1899, he
travelled extensively in Europe,
especially Switzerland and
Spain.
3. His works, which have a
Surrealist quality, employ genre-
blending technique and mix up
fact and fiction.
4. Michel Foucault’s book The
Order of Things emerged from
his reading this author’s essay
“The Analytical Language of
John Wilkins” (1942), which
describes a fictitious Chinese
taxonomy of animals (Celestial
Emporium of Benevolent
Knowledge)
Lu Xun
E. ________
1. This is a play by a Nigerian
writer.
2. The theme of this play centres
on the Yoruba practice of ritual
suicide.
3. This play was written in
Cambridge, during the author’s
political exile.
4. Elesin is the protagonist.
F. ________
1. “A Madman’s Diary” is the
famous short story by this
Chinese writer.
2. Published in 1918, this
story was the first and most
influential modern work written
in vernacular Chinese in the
republican era.
3. This writer and this story
became central to the New
Culture Movement.
4. This writer, considered the
greatest in 20th-century Chinese
literature, was also an important
critic known for his sharp
and unique essays on the
historical traditions and modern
conditions of China.
ANSWERS
A. Goethe
B. The Tale of Genji
C. My Name is Red
D. Jorge Luis Borges
E. Death and the King’s Horseman
F. Lu Xun
 5 • Issue 1 • Volume 1 • Number 1 | January 2021

■■CULTURAL STUDIES FUN

Do you know these answers? If not,
remember to look them up on the
internet and read more on these
authors, works and concepts.
1. Katherine Hayles is the author of
the pioneering book ________.
2. The German philosopher Hans-
Georg Gadamer, the author of
Truth and Method, was associated
with the philosophical approach
called ________.
3. Capitalism and Schizophrenia is the
major work of ________.
4. Ranajit Guha, Partha Chatterjee
and Dipesh Chakrabarty belong to
________ Group.
5. Which is the pathbreaking work
edited by Cheryl Glotfelty and
Harold Fromm?
6. Which major theoretical concept
is drawn from Austin and Searle’s Slavoj Zizek
Speech Act Theory?
7. The Sublime Object of Ideology is a ANSWERS
major work by ________.
1. How We Became Posthuman
8. Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt
are well-known for their book 2. Hermeneutics
________. 3. Deleuze and Guattari
4. Subaltern Studies
5. The Ecocriticism Reader

What’s Cooking at TES? 6. Performativity

7. Slavoj Zizek
8. Empire

TES is well-known for having produced

very comprehensive and easy resources
in English literature that promote
self-learning, research and applica-
tion of ideas on real life and society.
Thousands of students from across the
country have benefitted from our study
materials and videos. Here are our cur-
rent products and services:
■■ Live classes on Zoom, 5 days a
week, handled by Dr. Kalyani Val-
lath. You can join any time and get
the recordings of previous classes.
■■ A course on Udemy called NET Eng-
lish Complete Course, where you
get over 200 hours of recorded vid-
eos on periods of English literature,
major texts, theories and move-
ments. The videos are supported
by reading material and quizzes, all
of which are continuously updated
every week. For one time payment,
you get Lifetime access to the
course.
■■ A whole range of books on all
aspects of English language and
literature, published by Bodhi Tree
Books and Publications, which you
can buy individually or in packages.
■■ A variety of fun online games and
quizzes that you can play on a daily
basis, brought to you by Nerds Ta-
ble in association with TES. This is a
very important platform where you
get ready to turn your knowledge
into performance in exams.
■■ Totally unconventional books and
Lifestyle products, all based on Lit-
erature, that you can use at home
or in the classroom, brought to you
by Qriosity Shop. Q Shop products
give you an unparalleled experience
of literature that is invaluable in
learning.
TFC Cultural
Studies Forum
To promote research and aca-
demic engagements in the field
of Cultural Studies, TFC Cultural
Studies Forum has been formed
under the auspices of TES Fluid
Classroom with the objective of
organising lectures, discussions,
competitions and other interac-
tive activities among research-
ers. The inaugural event with be
conducted as a month-long Fest
in March 2021.

Editor-in-Chief Editorial Board Design & Layout

• Kalyani Vallath • Sudip N • Aswathy Padma Vijayakumar • Ziaulhaque
• Nirmala Mangalat • Ankit Sharma
• Sethulakshmi A

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