Comparative Analysis of V.S.Naipaul's 'Miguel Street' and Curdella's Forbes Songs of Silence
- Submitted by: SusanCharles
- Views: 2280
- Category: English: Novels
- Date Submitted: 12/10/2010 11:22 AM
- Pages: 11
- Report this Essay
THE UNIVERSITY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
SCHOOL FOR STUDIES IN LEARNING COGNITION AND
EDUCATION
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR:
COURSE : TEACHING THE SHORT STORY -- WRITING THE SHORT STORY
CODE: EDLL405B.
SUSAN CHARLES.
ASSIGNMENT:ESSAY
8TH, NOVEMBER 2010.
“The human condition: lost in thought.” (Tolle 13). The relevance of this statement can be found in the achievements of Naipaul and Forbes in their collection of short stories; Miguel Street and Songs of Silence. As manifestations of their thoughts, these stories reflect the craft of thinkers of a West Indian literary sensibility: ‘A common history of colonization, displacement, slavery, indenture, emancipation and nationalism has shaped most West Indian environments, creating a unity of experience that can be identified as particularly West Indian.’ Hence the literature of this region is a product of this experience as an innate expression not only of the intellect, but of the passions of the heart. The texts of these authors aforementioned reflect the progress of an engagement with history, with political and social adjustments and therefore with the problems of definition, identity and aesthetics.
The short fiction art form is generally characterized by cohesiveness and timelessness with comments that can stand on their own. Meaning can be derived at various levels. The writer does not incorporate the density of the novel, but rather employs brevity as there isn’t any space for leisurely analysis. Central incidents often carry the development of the plot with a spare narrative that gives artistry high visibility due to a tight structure. Notably, there is diversity in prose fiction. An example can be seen in Naipaul’s ‘The Night Watchman’s Occurrence Book,’ page 208 of The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories.
The narrative is revealed through a series of dated log entries that portray the mind and growing frustration of the watchman in...
SCHOOL FOR STUDIES IN LEARNING COGNITION AND
EDUCATION
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR:
COURSE : TEACHING THE SHORT STORY -- WRITING THE SHORT STORY
CODE: EDLL405B.
SUSAN CHARLES.
ASSIGNMENT:ESSAY
8TH, NOVEMBER 2010.
“The human condition: lost in thought.” (Tolle 13). The relevance of this statement can be found in the achievements of Naipaul and Forbes in their collection of short stories; Miguel Street and Songs of Silence. As manifestations of their thoughts, these stories reflect the craft of thinkers of a West Indian literary sensibility: ‘A common history of colonization, displacement, slavery, indenture, emancipation and nationalism has shaped most West Indian environments, creating a unity of experience that can be identified as particularly West Indian.’ Hence the literature of this region is a product of this experience as an innate expression not only of the intellect, but of the passions of the heart. The texts of these authors aforementioned reflect the progress of an engagement with history, with political and social adjustments and therefore with the problems of definition, identity and aesthetics.
The short fiction art form is generally characterized by cohesiveness and timelessness with comments that can stand on their own. Meaning can be derived at various levels. The writer does not incorporate the density of the novel, but rather employs brevity as there isn’t any space for leisurely analysis. Central incidents often carry the development of the plot with a spare narrative that gives artistry high visibility due to a tight structure. Notably, there is diversity in prose fiction. An example can be seen in Naipaul’s ‘The Night Watchman’s Occurrence Book,’ page 208 of The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories.
The narrative is revealed through a series of dated log entries that portray the mind and growing frustration of the watchman in...