Hindi Literature, 2023-2024 - Prospectus

Admission requirements

Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website

Description

This course introduces students to modern Hindi literary texts using a thematic approach. The course will cover literary texts on major themes in contemporary Hindi literature namely ‘women’s discourse’, ‘subaltern discourse (Dalit and Adivasi literature)’, ‘mobility narratives (partition and displacement)’, ‘old age in literature’(narratives of ageing), and others. These themes cover wider socio-cultural and political contexts of post-independence modern India. Class discussion will mainly focus on reading of texts, and their textual, narratological, discourse and stylistic analysis but will also extend to their analysis using secondary and theoretical readings. The teaching material consists of selected texts in Hindi (short stories, sections from novels, travelogues. poems etc.) together with chosen secondary and theoretical readings. The students will also be introduced to history of Hindi literary traditions.

Course objectives

By the end of the course:

Students will be familiar with major themes in Hindi literature in post-independence India.
Students will have close acquaintance with some of the most important authors and works of modern Hindi literature.
Students will gain a better insight of using tools of literary criticism, textual and discourse analysis in order to understand the underlying socio-cultural and political fabric of contemporary Indian society.

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

Seminar (One two hour tutorial every week.)

Attendance and participation are obligatory. Classes missed for a good reason (to the discretion of the conveners and to be discussed BEFORE the class takes place) will have to be made up with an extra assignment. Being absent without notification can result in a lower grade or exclusion from the term end exams and a failing grade for the course.

Being absent will result in a lowering of the In-class performance & participation grade with 0.5 for every absence after the first five (2) times.

Assessment method

Assessment

Review of Hindi Literature consists of following components:

Attendance, class preparation and participation: 10% of final grade
Homework & weekly assignments: 10% of final grade
A mid-term paper (discussion and critical analysis of a Hindi text prepared at home by student and to be uploaded by Turnitin on BB : 30%
A final paper (assessment of text and critical analyses prepared at home by student and to be uploaded by Turnitin on BB): 50%
In order to pass the course, students must obtain an overall mark of “5.50” (=6) or higher.

Weighing

The end grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of all assessment components.

Resit

If you fail this course, you can resubmit an improved version of your final paper (50% of the final grade). In case of resubmission of this paper (insufficient final grade only). The deadline for resubmission is 10 working days after receiving the grade for the paper.

Inspection and feedback

How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.

Reading list

Selected literary texts and secondary readings will be available for download on Brightspace.

Primary Sources

Some of the authors studied in this course are: Suryabala Lal, Gulzar, Sanjeev, Bhisma Sahani, Omprakash Valmiki, Yashpal, Sudha Arora, Alka Sarawagi, Jagdamba Prasad Dikshit, Saadat Hasan Manto, Nirmala Putul, Svyam Prakash, Premchand etc.

Secondary Readings

Culler, Jonathan D. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Sunil Khilnani, The Idea of India, Hamish Hamilton, London, 1997.
Hindi Literature in the Twentieth Century. By Peter Gaeffke. History of Indian Literature, ed. J. Gonda, vol. 8, 1978
Patricia Uberoi, Freedom and Destiny: Gender, Family, and Popular Culture in India, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2006.
Dipankar Gupta, Social Stratification, OUP, 1992 S C Dube, Indian Society, National Book Trust, 2005.
Note: Reading list may include different literary texts and secondary readings as per requirement.

Registration