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History of Indian Literature
History of Indian Literature
Sanskrit Literature
Aryans, nomadic cattle herders produced the literature written in a language called Sanskrit. Literally means refined, adorned and/or highly decorated Divided into: Religious text and Heroic Texts
Religious Text
Four Vedas Rig-Veda (Book of Creation), Sama-Veda (Book of Chants), Yajur-Veda (Book of Prayers) and Atharva-Veda (Book of Spells).
Religious Text
Brahmanas
Aryanakas
Religious Text
Upanishads
Ramayana
Mahabharata
About the war and feuds two branch families of the dynastic clan Kuru for the throne
Classical Literature
Medieval India
Islam was spread to India by the Middle Easterns and the Central Asians. The Indian Hindu culture was highly influenced by Muslim culture. Northern India was ruled by the Muslim Mogul/Mughal Empire
Medieval Literature
Bhakti Literature
Love poetry Depiction of love between: Gods; husband and wife; parent and child; servant and master Most significant development in Indian Literature. Gave way to regional languages. (Bhasa, Kannada, Marathi)
Medieval Literature
Topography
Landscapes and the environment writers see is one of the major themes Rivers (Ganges, Indus), Mountains (Himalayas, Kashmir), and Deserts (Rajasthan) were common subjects or settings
Medieval Literature
Also a common theme in medieval literature Wars about great heroes like the much older Mahabharata Failure in love that gave rise to triumph in love was also a widely used theme
Medieval Literature
Regional differences:
Many ethnic groups were distinct and located in far away from each other. Different styles in writing are seen in different regions. Languages also differ in most ethnic groups Literary Regions: Assamese, Bengali, Oriya, Tamil, Gujarati, Malayalam
COLONIAL INDIA
The era wherein European traders reached and colonized the Indian subcontinent (even up to the Burmese lands) The Literature in this time combined the classical Indian literature with the European style of writing In this time, nationalism and patriotism emerged as the two main motifs of Indian writings
Europeans in India
At first, the Portuguese and French were the first Europeans in India, with their motives include trade and spices Then the British came seeking not only gold and spices but also lands for their imperial expansion The British and the Dutch established their own companies within the Indian area, controlled not by the government but by private businessmen and investors India then became the major resource supplier of Britain. The majority of goods shipped back to the British lands include silk, tea, opium and silk.
British India
The British, in most wars against the Indian resistance, won due to their strategies, superior artillery and weapons as well as the Indians internal turmoil. These made most of the Indian subcontinent be colonized by the British. Britain made many changes in Indian culture especially in their literature. First and foremost, the British introduced the English language to the Indians. Also, many political icons emerged due to their longing of Indian Independence: one of those is Mohandas Gandhi In addition to politicians, many writers expressed their want for Indian independence-one of those is Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian to receive a Nobel Price in Literature Due to India not being free from the grasps of these Westerners, nationalism became a usual theme in Indian publishing and writings
Independence Period
26 January 1950 Before the independence, Marxism grew because people wanted to be independent. Along with Marxs ideology, Gandhis popularity also grew. Nationalism was a theme most common during this time.
Post-Independence
In London, expatriates formed the Progressive Writers Association (PWA). Dalit literature rose. It is about the outcasts, or the people being oppressed by society. Modern mythology became widespread in both urban and rural areas.
India is still not united in language. Three languages, Hindi, Urdu, and Hindustani, are favored to be Indias National Language.
Hindi one of the two official languages of India (the other being English). Urdu the lingua franca of Pakistan. Also widely used in India. Hindustani