Thinking activity :Northrop Frye - The Archetypes of literature

Hello viewers,

  This blog is about The Archetypes of literature which is essay by Northrop Frye. How it is helpfull to understand the literary text and symbol as well also pattern.Thi activity is given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir.

1.What is Archetypal Criticism? What does the archetypal critic do?

The term of archetype means an original idea or pattern of something of which others are copies. Archetypal approach is the interpretation of text in the light of cultural pattern involved in it and this cultural patterns are based on the myth and rituals of areas our nation or social group

In literary criticism the term archetype denotes recurrent designs,pattern of action,character-type,themes and images which are identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature,it also doing study of myths,dreams and even social rituals. The archetypal critic tries to find this pattern,symbols and myths in present literary work.It go to skeleton of text to understand the pattern and symbol in literature.

Archetype  criticism studies of structure and sets as well as also observe critique conceptually as a science.

2.What is Frye trying prove by giving an analogy of ' Physics to Nature' and 'Criticism to Literature'?

He talk about the semantic difficulty. Physic is an organised body of knowledge about nature and a student of it say that he is learning physics not that he is learning nature art like nature is the subject of a systematic study and has to be distinguished from the study itself which is criticism  it is impossible to learn literature but we can say that learn criticism of literature but we can't learn literature .Northrop Frye has given a very unique idea of Archetypal Criticism by comparing the human emotions or human characteristics with the cycle of seasons.

Spring

Spring symbolizes the defeat of winter and darkness.The Spring season represents the Comedy. As the genre of comedy is characterized by the birth of hero,revival and resurrection.

Summer

The season of summer shown the Romance because summer is the culmination of life in the seasonal calendar, and the romance genre culminates with some sort of triumph,and most of as season of marriage.

 Autumn

The Autumn season signify the genre of Tragedy. As the Autumn is the dying stage of the seasonal calendar. This season  indicate the the fall of protogonist.

 Winter

 The season of winter denotes the satire genre because of its darkness. It is a disillusioned   and mocking form of the three other genres.It is noted for its darkness,dissolution,the return  of chaos and the defeat of heroic figure.

3.Share your views of Criticism as an organised body of knowledge. Mention relation of literature with history and philosophy.

Literature is the central division of the Humanities, flanked on one side by history and on the other side by philosophy.Here we can say that history and philosophy are twin pillars of literature.History represents event of the past . Basically history is about past events and actions. While Philosophy is about morality and ethics of life. Frye has used the word centrifugal which means to go away from literature and find background to understand literature.So for the batter understanding of the literature reader have to refer the  history and philosophy for the understanding of ethics and moeality.

4.Briefly explain inductive method with illustration of Shakespeare's Hamlet's Grave Digger's scene.

Inductive method is journey which leads from specific to general.As we read some specific literary work and comes to a general conclusion,in this way we extend from specific outcome to general outcome.The best example of this method is grave digging scene from Hamlet, it is a specific scene and from that scene we come to some general conclusion. In that scene there were two grave diggers and they seemed in  quite in harmony with their work.They were talking with one another and singing a song during the time of grave digging.They were also mocking on dead Ophelia and commented that whether she allowed to buried or not. Here we can see that they have no grief for deadly one.It was their work and that's why they were habituated with it. It became their general work so they have  no emotion for dead one.

5.Briefly explain deductive method with reference to an analogy to Music, Painting, rhythm and pattern. Give examples of the outcome of deductive method.

An Archetype critic  under the deductive method analysis proceeds to establish the meaning of a word from the general truth to the particular truth literature is like music and painting rhythm is an essential characteristic of music and in painting pattern is the chief virtue.

Deductive method is a journey from general to specific.Music and rhythm both are the form of art. Music is a form of art which moves in time and painting is a form of art which moves in space.Music is rhythm and painting is pattern. In a music we can understand the rhythm of it while in painting we can understand the pattern of it.Rhythm is a narrative form,while pattern is simultaneous mental grasp of verbal structure and it has meaning and significance.

We can see the picture in space and music in time. You can see the painting in a moment but music take time.

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મેહુલિયે કીધી મ્હેર રે ભાઈ મોસમ આવી મહેનતની...

નદીઓના જળને લોકોમાં લહેર રે 

ભાઈ મોસમ આવી મહેનતની...

 લીલો કંચન બાજરો ને 

ઉજળો દૂધ કપાસ રે 

જુવાર લો તો લૂમેઝૂમે હૈયામાં ઉલ્લાસ રે 

ઉપર ઊજળા આભમાં કુંજડીઓના કિલ્લોલ રે 

વાતા મીઠા વાયરા ને લેતા મોલ હિલોળ રે 

લિ'યો પછેડી દાતરડાં આજ સીમ કરે છે સાદ રે 

રંગે સંગે કામ કરીએ થાય મલક આબાદ રે 

રળનારો તે માનવી ને દેનારો ભગવાન 

સોનાવરણી સીમ બની ભાઈ મેહુલિયે કીધી મ્હેર રે...

   In this presented  poem written by Nathalal Dave. He describes the happiness of farmer bacause season of harvest is coming. Farm are full with grains and farmers are ready to harvest with great enthusiasm . Thus, the season of harvesting is presented in this poem.This season of monsoon. Farmers are happy for that, because of they are earning after that.