Department of Comparative Literature

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

Comparative Literature is a methodology of studying ‘World Literature’. Its global concept can truly establish the togetherness of different literatures in the world beyond the national and linguistic boundary of a single literature. Currently a prestigious name in academic pursuits of literary studies throughout the world. Comparative Literature was introduced in this university in 2009. Ours is the second full-fledged and separate discipline in Indian academe.

COURSE OFFERED

The Department offers a two-year M.A. course in four semesters to the students of this university, covers a huge and wide range of world, Indian and Bengali literatures. The areas for specialization include post-colonial literature (not only Indian, but also African, Latin American and Asian), literary theories (Pre-modern, modern and post-modern), translation studies, literary history throughout the world with special emphasis on Indian literature, study on genres and other different methodologies of Comparative Literature. The medium of instruction and writing examinations being both English and Bengali. Non-Bengalee students are welcome.

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

1. Special lectures and Seminars by eminent scholars from other universities.
2. Discussion and debate contests on different aspects of world, Indian and Bengali literatures.
3. Workshops on methodologies of Comparative Literature as a discipline and its role and effects on Indian and world literature.  
4. Translation workshops.

The Future Plan

 
1. Publishing a bi-lingual research journal on Comparative Literature open for contribution to the Scholars of
2. India and abroad.
3. Offering Foreign languages to willing students of the department. The opportunity of doctoral research.

Names of the guest Lecturers/ Professor:

 Qualification:  M. A ( Com Lit, J. U),  Ph.D (J.U)

Teaching in W. B. S. U:  Nearly 2 Years.

 Field of Research and Interest: Translation Studies.

Qualification:  M. A (Com Lit, J. U), NET-JRF-SRF (Com. Lit, UGC),  Ph.D ( Submitted, J.U)

eaching in W. B. S. U:  Nearly 2 Years.

Field of Research and Interest: Post-Colonial Narrative.

Qualification:  M. A (Com Lit, J. U), M. A (Beng, N. S. O. U.), M. Phil (Com.Lit, J.U)
NET (Com. Lit, UGC),  Ph.D ( Submitted, J.U)

Teaching in W. B. S. U:  Nearly 2 Years.

Field of Research and Interest: Children's Literature.

M. A SYLLABUS: COMPARATIVE   LITERATURE

4rth Semester: 10 (No. of Students)
2ND  Semester: 5  (No. of Students)
Appearing for Exm:  Last week, July 2011.

1. Students Achievement: Nil.
2. Pursuit of Higher Studies: Nil.
3. No. of  Ph.D Students: Nil.
4. Collaboration: International seminar on ‘Comparative Literature as a methodology’, 11-12 Sep, 2009, With Pashchimbanga Bangla Akademi.

Seminars/ Conferences/ Workshops:

• Inaugural Program: Discussion on Com. Lit, 10 Aug, 2009.
• International seminar on ‘Comparative Literature as a methodology’, 11-12 Sep, 2009,
  With collaboration of Pashchimbanga Bangla Akademi.
• Workshop on Greek Aesthetics and Dramaturgy: Lectures given by Dr. Amiya Dev, 5-6 May, 2010.
• Screening of Theo Angelopoulos’s film ‘Eternity and a Day’ with commentary by Arindam Dasgupta               
  And   Prof. Debash Roy on Greek Landscape, Aesthetics and Dramaturgy, 12 June, 2010.
• Screening of Grigori Kozintsev’s film ‘Hamlet’ with commentary on comparative analysis between Shakespeare’s play and the film by Suman Mukhopadhyay, 29th July, 2010.
• Seminar on ‘Teaching Indian Literature’, 27th Jan, 2011. Speakers: Prof. Alokranjan Dasgupta, Prof.
  Debesh Roy, Prof. Ashoke Ranjan Thakur.
• Seminar on Rabindranath’s 150th Anniversory, 11th May, 2011. Speakers: Prof. Debesh Roy and Prof.
  Ashoke Ranjan Thakur.

Projects:

1. Greek Aesthetics and Dramaturgy, 5-6 May, 2010.
2. Translation Studies (ongoing)
3. Dissertation on the Theories and Different aspects of Com.Lit (ongoing)
4. Language Studies (ongoing)

Mark sheet Distribution:

Students yet to receive their mark sheets.

Course Structure

1st Semester

Paper I- Comparative Study of Ancient Literature and Culture (Code: 249101, Credit: 5, F.M: 50)
Paper II-Different Elements in Pre-Modern Asian Literature    (Code: 249102, Credit: 5, F.M: 50)
Paper III- European Influence on Colonial and Post-colonial Literatures (Code: 249103, Credit: 5, F.M: 50)
Paper IV- Literatures of the Indian Sub-continent (Code: 249104, Credit: 5, F.M: 50)

2nd Semester

Paper I- Art and Aesthetics (Ancient) (Code: 249201, Credit: 5, F.M- 50)
Paper II- Drama    (Code: 249202, Credit: 5, F.M: 50)
Paper III- Narrative and Counter-narrative (Code: 249203, Credit: 5, F.M: 50 )
Paper IV-19TH Century Novel (Code: 249204, Credit: 5, F.M: 50)

3rd Semester

Paper I- Epics and Romantic Poetry (Code: 249301, Credit: 5, F.M- 50)
Paper II- Enlightenment, Colonization and Counter Points (Code: 249302, Credit: 5, F.M- 50)
Paper III- Pre-Beginning, Beginning and Exceptions in Bengali Literature (Code: 249303, Credit: 5, F.M- 50)
Paper IV- Rabindranath: Thoughts and Creation (Code: 249304, Credit: 5, F.M- 50)

4rth Semester

Paper I-Dissertation and Indian Writing in English (Code: 249401, Credit: 5, F.M- 50)
Paper II - Literary Theories (Code: 249402, Credit: 5, F.M- 50)
Paper III-Modern Western Drama and Poetry (Code: 249403, Credit: 5, F.M- 50)
Paper IV- Narrative Modes and Translation Studies (Code: 249404, Credit: 5, F.M- 50)

1st Semester

Paper I : Comparative Study of Ancient Literature and Culture (50)

1. The concept of ‘World Literature’: Periodisation, Themes, Differences and Evolutions (20)
2. The Vedic and Counter-Vedic culture in India (15)
3. The Upanisads and Gita (15)

Paper II-Different Elements in Pre-Modern Asian Literature (50)

1. Propagation and Expansion of Hinduism & Buddhism (15)
2. Expansion of Islamic culture (10)
3. Buddhist, Islamic and Brahmanic Cultures: Causes of harmony and confrontation (25)
4. Bhakti cult and Sufism, Birsaiva poetry, Devdasi poetry of South India, Mirabai and Lalan
5. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam, Jalaluddin Rumi
6. Alif Laila

Paper III- European Influence on Colonial and Post-colonial Literatures (50)

1. Lyrics (upto 1910): Debendranath Sen, Aksaykumar Baral, Suren Bandyopadhyay, Mohitlal Majumdar, Dwijendralal Roy, Dwijendranath Thakur (10)
2. Drama and Farce: Jyotirindranath Thakur, Girishchandra Ghosh, Amritalal Basu, Dinabandhu Mitra (10)
3. Novel: Bishbrikha-Bankimchandra Chattapadhyay, Ghare Baire- Rabindranath Thakur, Pather Panchali- Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay, Putulnacher Itikatha- Manik Bandyopadhyay, Kabi- Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay, Ekada- Gopal Haldar, Jagari- Satinath Bhaduri. (20)
4. Modern Bengali Poetry: Jibananda Das, Buddhadev Bose, Bishnu Dey, Sudhindranath Dutta, Subhas Mukhopadhyay, Birendra Chattapadhyay, Shankha Ghosh, Alokeranjan Dasgupta, Sunil Gangopadhyay,

Shakti Chattapadhyay (10)

Paper IV- Literatures of the Indian Sub-continent (50)

1. Novels (15) : Morali Mannige (Matir tane)- Sivram Karanth, Dadibura- Gopinath Mohanti, Godan- Premchand, Samaskara-Anantamurthy
2. Narrative (15): Selected Indian Narratives (Oriya, Telegu, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, North-East (Maghaloy, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland), Selected Stories (Voikom Muhammod Basheer, Dalit Sahitya).
3. Drama (10): Raja-Rabindranath Thakur, Tughlaq-Girish Karnad, Charandas Chor- Habib Tanbir
4. Poetry (10): Selected Indian Poems ( Oriya, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Punjabi, Urdu)

2nd Semester

Paper I-Art and Aesthetics (Ancient) (50)

1. Poetics-Aristotle, 2. Dhvanyalok-Anandabardhan, 3. Ancient Dramaturgy of Japan: Noh plays (15)
2. Tragedy: Oresteia-Aeschylus, Oedipus Rex- Sophocles, Abhijnam Sakuntalam-Kalidasa (20)
3. Comedy- Mrichhakatikam-Sudraka, Three Penny Day- Plautus (15)

Paper II- Drama (50)

1. Farce: Frogs-Aristophanes, Bilhana- Caurapancacika, Moliere-Tartuffe 2. Noh Plays 3. Elizabethan Drama- Ben Jonson, Marlawe 4. Bengali Drama- Sadhabar Ekadashi- Dinabandhu Mitra, Ekei Ki Bale Savyata- Michael Madhusudan Datta.

Paper III- Narrative and Counter-narrative (50)

1. Shakespeare- Macbeth, Hamlet, Merry Wives of Windsor (15)
2. Don Quijote- Cervantes (15)
3. Ghost- Ibsen, Gogol- The Government-Inspector, Mother Courage-Brecht, Muktadhara-Rabindranath, The Cherry Orchard-Chekov(20). 

 
Paper IV-19TH Century Novel (50)

The Red and the Black-Stendhal, At the Sign of the Cat and Racket/ Old Gorio- Balzac, Stories From the Evening in Dikanka/ Overcoat- Gogol, Notes from the Underground- Dostoevsky, Anna Karenina- Tolstoy, Madam Bovery- Flaubert, Dom Casmuro- Machado de Assis

3rd Semester

Paper I- Epics and Romantic Poetry (50)

1. Epics (30): Mahabharat-Vyasa, Ramayana- Balmiki, Iliad- Homer, Aeneid-Virgil, Shah-nama-Firdausi Divine comedy-Dante, Faust-Goethe, Ulysses-Joyce, Independent People-Laxness
2. Romantic poetry (20): Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, Whitman, Hoelderlin, Novalis, Lamartin, Hugo, Gautier, Pushkin.

Paper II- Enlightenment, Colonization and Counter Points (50)

1. Candide-Voltaire, Gulliver’s Travels- Swift, Jacques the Fatalist- Diderot, Tom Jones- Fielding (15)
2. Death in Venice-Mann, Metamorphosis-Kafka, Light in August- Faulkner (15)
3. The Kingdom of this World- Carpentier, Selected Stories- Rulfo, One Hundred Years of Solitude- Garcia Marquez, A grain of Wheat- Ngugi, Arrow of God- Achebe.(20)

        Paper III- Pre-Beginning, Beginning and Exceptions in Bengali Literature (50)

1. Prakirna Kabita by Bengali Poets 2. Buddhist Doha 3. Fragmented Myths 4. Narrative poems on Radhakrishna 5. Gorkhabijay 6. Dharmamangol (20)
2. Novels- Chandrashekhar- Bankimchandra Chattapadhyay, Bener meye- Haraprasad Shastri, Bindur Chele- Sharatchandra Chattapadhyay (15)
3. Exceptions: Se-Rabindranath Thakur, Chaturanga-Rabindranath Thakur, Chatuskon- Manik Bandyopadhyay, Malyaban- Jibanananda Das, Antarjali Yatra-Kamalkumar Mujumdar, Selected Stories- Jagadish Gupta (15)

Paper IV- Rabindranath: Thoughts and Creation (50)            

1. Thoughts (25)- Jibansmriti, Atmaparichay, Charitrapuja, Religion of Man, Savyatar Sankat, Satyer Ahban, Shantiniketan(1, 2 vols), Rabindranath’s concepts on Upinishad, Rastranity, Swadesi samaj, Bactitwa etc.
2. Creation (25)- poems and prose upto 1902, Changes from 1905, Changes again from 1925 in painting, poems and  Prose.

4th Semeter

Paper I-Dissertation and Indian Writing in English (50)

1. Dissertation (25) 2. Indian Writing in English (25): Kanthapura/ The Serpent and the Rope-Raja Rao, Coolie-Mulkraj Anand, The Hungry Tide-Amitav Ghosh (Novels), Hungry Ones- Asif Currimbhoy (Drama), Kamala Das, Nissim Ezekiel, A.K. Ramanujam, P.Lal (Poetry)

Paper II- Literary Theories (50)

1. Ferdinand de Saussure 2. Mikhail Bakhtin/ Valetin Voloshinov 3. Gyorgy Lukacs 4. Formalism (Roman
Jakobson/ Viktor Shklovsky 5. Jean Paul Satre 6. Frantz Fanon 7. Michel Foucault 8. Roland Barth 9. Louis Althusser 10. Antonio Gramsci 11. Walter Benjamin 12. Fredric Jameson 13. Jacques Derrida 14. Edward Said 15. Chinua Achebe 15. Ngugi wa Thiong’o 16. Aime Cesaire 17. Sisir Kumar Das 

Paper III-Modern Western Drama and Poetry (50)

1. Drama (25)- Waiting for Godot-Becket, Rhinoceros-Ionesco, Doll’s Menagerie-Tennesse Williams
2. Poetry(25)- Yeats, Eliot, Rilke, Baudlaire, Rimbaud, Mayakovsky, Yevtushenko, Neruda, Akhmatova, Vallejo, Ruben Dario , Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg

Paper IV- Narrative Modes and Translation Studies (50)

1. Narrative Modes (25)- Jataka, Arabian Nights, Decameron-Boccaccio, Canterbury Tales-Chaucer
2. Translation Studies (25) : Theories and Practice- Goethe, Rabindranath, John Dryden, Roman Jakobson, Susan
   Bassnett, Walter Benjamin, J. Catford, Hugo Fedrerick, Hillaire Belloc, Sujit Mukherjee, P.Lal.