Postmodernism and contemporary Sinhala literature

Title : Paschat Nutanavadi Vichara Viyuhaya (Post Modernist Critical Structure)
Author : Dr Ranjith L Abeywickrama
Genre : Collection of academic essays
Publisher : Godage. 2012

Much has been written haphazardly in Sinhala within a span of one decade on the subject of post modernism by several writers - especially by the so called local modernists who so like to bring about a change in the literary approaches that exist today. In the very approach to literature, it looks as if the intention though is modernistic in approach, nothing significant had been expressed other than quoting names such as Derrida, Faucault and Barthes.

Pages are filled with distorted translations from the original writings of the same scholars, making or rephrasing new terms. Their have been alien to the Sinhala reader at large.

In this direction it was anticipated that somebody who has intensively studied should be available to put the record straight expounding the real sense of what ‘post modernism’ as a literary canon means. An attempt has been made by the journalist cum literary scholar Dr Ranjit L Abeywickrama in his collection of literary essays titled ‘Paschat Nutanavadi Vichara Viyuhaya (Post Modernist Critical Structure) to bring to light the various views held by the scholars and how they have distorted the original meanings and interpretations of the literary approaches.

Literary development

The collection of essays runs to eight segments and each one bearing a certain theme linked to the main topic of discussion that is postmodernism seen from diverse points of view. In this collection of essays prefaced by Professor A D P Kalansuriya, the very term has been expressed as stemming from a philosophical standpoint in the West, denoting certain landmarks in critical discourses and creative thinking. There have been various schools of thought traceable from Aristotle to Wittgenstein.

Coming back to the previous point of several attempts, the so called scholars have tried to find new terms for expression without much of a deep understanding. This could be regarded as the main point in the post modernism issue. It could be surmised that no comparison may be possible of some of the literary and creative views of the genesis of the term ‘post modernism’ even in the occidental point of view.

This is positively the main view held by the scholar Abeywickrama in bringing out this collection of essays. Abeywickrama taking the cue from Kalansuriya attempts to search insights to the postmodernism as is expressed in the contemporary context of literary development taking a synoptic view of the occidental trends and expresses that though it was born as a result of alien cultural and philosophical thinking it bears no roots in the orient, in the proper sense of the exposition. This may be one of the views held by him.

Then coming on to the body of the essays, the main intention is to express the paucity of knowledge on the part of those scholars who coined the term ‘Paschat Nutanavadaya’ with severe misunderstanding of the alien thoughts linked to the concept, as there seems no roots to the expression even in the western canons of literature. As such he disputes and rejects most of the current literary material written on the subject and few names are quoted. Though stemming out of the philosophical sources, the term has been used and perhaps over used in the alien contexts which are still not been actually translated into our local languages in order to perceive the proper perspectives.

Humanistic expression

In the second essay the scholar Abeywickrama tries to express how the term ‘Paschat Nutanavadaya’ has been driven to a false sense of critical theories as against the existing pattern of oriental critical theories expressed over the centuries. The knowledge and the sense of information on the part of the pseudo scholars according to Abeywickranma has brought about a false climate of literary thinking resulting in the information and knowledge unconceivable. He discusses some of the sources where the disputes arise pinpointing that the concept of post modernism is more turned towards clamouring of a sexual freedom than the understanding of humanistic expression.

This is a question of the lack of knowledge on a particular subject area that is much discussed as against the pseudo fashionable traits. According to Abeywickrama this has created and brought about a bleak atmosphere of confusion where literary path finders should try their best to bring back the understanding of the place where the concept of postmodernism should be laid. In this direction he quotes as substantial evidence the reading of Terry Eagelton’s work titled ‘The llusions of Postmodernism’. Whether you agree with him or not Abeywickrama lays down some of the trends as expressed in the original texts quoting the same names.

But his mainstay seems to be the oriental approach to literary works of the Sanskrit schools of thought intermixed with those of the Buddhist views as expressed in the Buddhist sources. He tries as much as possible to compare the literary trends of the east and the west taking into account the views held by scholars such as T S Eliot, the method of the comparison and analysis as the chief tools of criticism, transferring into more modernistic views of Georges Lucas, with critical realism, followed by the ideologies and views of Karl Marx and many others, and quotes E M Forster and Leo Tolstoy as founder thinkers.

Literary criticism

Dr Abeywickrama tries to draw examples as to the founding of structures, at times tracing diagrams, where the background is laid with streams drawn from philosophy, science, and religion, which had led to the building up of a phenomenon named structuralism and structural criticism. Perhaps these views may sound new to some and not so new to some others. He finds faults with the teaching of literary criticism which I agree as a much needed subject area. He also suggests guidelines as how to set about avoiding confusions and illusions.

While rejecting and detesting what has already been written in the name of the concept of post modernism by senior professors of literature, the essayist accepts that there are a few remaining in the foreign strands whose standpoints seems to be applauded. The essayist suggests the need to rediscover the necessity for rebuilding a literary canon which cannot be isolated from literature alone. I felt that this is an eye opening collection of essays for those who read creative works as well as for those who evaluate creative works at all levels.

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