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| Saturday, 26 February 2005 |
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Ethos of literature by Mahendran Thiruvarangan Literature has grown to the level of revealing the antiquity and fecundity of its language. It is also described as a mirror which reflects the time it is written and the changes in the socio cultural milieu; hence Literature's significance in studying history becomes an imperative conception. Since there is a pronounced bond between history and literature, the transparency of literature is vital to conserve history from being misconstrued by future generations. To preserve literature from abuse we must take unyielding measures with the help of the state, media and literary forums. Our preliminary task, in this regard, should be identifying persons who violate the ethos of literary values. For instance the writings which seem peril to the cultural values of the society or threaten the multi cultural understanding of the people must be banned like the obscene movies. If we let such types of works exist, we will have to face negative consequences and leave an unhealthy atmosphere for the younger generation of the society. One of the prime duties of the aficionados of literature is to ensure the independence of literature from the forces of politics. Nowadays politicization in literature is a growing trend, but not a positive one as far as its after effects are concerned. Even in Sri Lanka no one can deny the role of some writers who contributed their part along with the politicians at the times when the country underwent ethnic turmoil. However some authentic writers, disregarding the petty differences, voiced impartially. Their writings at such crucial periods reveal their matured literary values and safeguarded the ethos of literature. Bereft of didactics is one of the unconstructive aspects of contemporary literature. They have designed in a manner which provokes unorthodox emotions. Plethora of scenes of murder and anti-social activities conceals the didactic quality of the output message conveyed to the reader. Therefore a censor board should be established to remove the chaff from the stuff. Media both print and electronics, occupies an important place in literary developments. The wider coverage it gives to literature is a decisive factor which determines the value of literature and influences its dominance over the society. Media should direct the society in distinguishing the literature according to its social relevance. Literature should audibly voice the problems encountered by the layman. It is through literature the hidden hardships of the common man can be brought to light which also enables him to recover from his trials and tribulations. However it is a pity that contemporary literature focuses mainly on romance and other related issues rather than pointing out the hardships of the poor and the oppressed. The chief factor behind this scene is the evasion of commercial element in literature. In this regard, the entire blame cannot be put on the side of the writers since it is also due to the attitudes of the readers who, these days, hold less fascination towards the writings which portray human suffering and man made problems. Therefore to strengthen the hands of the revolutionary writers who audaciously and unhesitatingly bring out the reality and truth a remarkable change is requisite in the mindset of the readers. By imparting history to the generations to come, literature endeavors to provide paradigms for future as well, thus the writers and other literary architects must consider it in their minds that they are holding a momentous responsibility to create literature according to the rudimentary ethics of literature. It is a disheartening fact that as a result of the lack of well versed critics, presently the evaluation part of literature confronts with snags. Training should be given to critics to widen their horizon. For this purpose the responsible institutions must bring about reforms in their curriculums to provide more focus in writing literary criticism. The fact that literature plays multi-dimensional roles must be taken into account seriously by both writers and readers. If not, the objectives of literature would end up at a wrong point. The writers should offer apt works which could strengthen the social harmony and safeguard the cultural structure of the community and provide models for future while the readers have to inculcate their ability to give due recognition to the right literature, by keeping out the works which impairs the society. If these two goals are achieved at once, no force can thwart literature from instinctively achieving its goals. |
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