Elective English - III DENG202 ELECTIVE ENGLISH—III Copyright © 2014, Shraddha Singh All rights reserved Produced & Printed by EXCEL BOOKS PRIVATE LIMITED A-45, Naraina, Phase-I, New Delhi-110028 for Lovely Professional University Phagwara SYLLABUS Elective English—III Objectives: To introduce the student to the development and growth of various trends and movements in England and its society. To make students analyze poems critically. To improve students' knowledge of literary terminology. Sr. Content No. 1 The Linguist by Geetashree Chatterjee 2 A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe 3 Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore 4 Ode to the West Wind by P.B.Shelly. The Vendor of Sweets by R.K. Narayan 5 How Much Land does a Man Need by Leo Tolstoy 6 The Agony of Win by Malavika Roy Singh 7 Love Lives Beyond the Tomb by John Clare. The Traveller’s story of a Terribly Strange Bed by Wilkie Collins 8 Beggarly Heart by Rabindranath Tagore 9 Next Sunday by R.K. Narayan 10 A Lickpenny Lover by O’ Henry CONTENTS Unit 1: The Linguist by Geetashree Chatterjee 1 Unit 2: A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe 7 Unit 3: Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore 21 Unit 4: Ode to the West Wind by P B Shelley 34 Unit 5: The Vendor of Sweets by R K Narayan 52 Unit 6: How Much Land does a Man Need by Leo Tolstoy 71 Unit 7: The Agony of Win by Malavika Roy Singh 84 Unit 8: Love Lives beyond the Tomb by John Clare 90 Unit 9: The Traveller's Story of a Terribly Strange Bed by Wilkie Collins 104 Unit 10: Beggarly Heart by Rabindranath Tagore 123 Unit 11: Next Sunday by R K Narayan 141 Unit 12: A Lickpenny Lover by O Henry 150 Unit 1: The Linguist by Geetashree Chatterjee Unit 1: The Linguist by Geetashree Chatterjee Notes CONTENTS Objectives Introduction 1.1 About the Author 1.2 The Linguist – Summary 1.3 The Linguist – Story 1.4 Summary 1.5 Keywords 1.6 Review Questions 1.7 Further Readings Objectives After studying this unit, you will be able to: Know about Geetashree Chatterjee Understand Geetashree Chatterjee’s short story ‘The Linguist’ Introduction Geetashree Chatterjee is an upcoming writer and her stories have not gained popularity but this is the reason for including her work in this curriculum. Chatterjee is a short story writer who writes down her feelings without any qualms, which make them, heart rendering. Apart from writing short stories, Chatterjee writes reviews, blogs, commentaries and poems. Her blogs Panaecea and Speak Your Heart Out are storehouse of her works. She has also written stories like Maamone and Illusion. This unit talks about a short story The Linguist and let the readers explore the world of two college friends and their bond of friendship. 1.1 About the Author Geetashree Chatterjee was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, brought up in Delhi, is a graduate from Delhi University. She also holds a Diploma in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations. She has worked with the Petroleum & Natural Gas Sector for 22 years (including 13 years in HR). She loves listening to Hindustani Classical Music, now; she is an avid listener of music. She is also fond of other art forms such as painting, sculpting or dancing. She is not exactly a passionate reader; however, particular topics and subjects might compel her to read. Like reading, writing was never on her mind. It was not even a hobby or least a passion. However, it suddenly happened to her. She just began to express her feelings and experiences on paper. Though she has always been intrigued by the beauty of language – be it English, Bengali (her mother tongue) or Hindi, writing was not on the cards. However, it began probably as a sort of replacement therapy for music. LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 1 Elective English—III Notes Gradually, Chatterjee’s heart established an intimate connection with poetry. “Perhaps the need arises from vocalizing thoughts cooped up somewhere. A need to regurgitate and reach across!” She says. She loves to speak about common people, usually overlooked or ignored by many writers. She describes herself as nobody struggling to find an identity among the worthy. She believes that someday she would add and etch the everyday chaos that life subjects her to, because that is also an indivisible part of her. Example: Casket of Love, The Imposter, The Bizarre Shadow Part 1 and 2, Mr. Barlow’s Bungalow, I Wish I Could Be Your Beau, Mamonne and Amaresh are some of the short stories by Geetashree Chatterjee. Task Read Chatterjee’s blogs Panaecea and Speak Your Heart Out and write an analysis on them. 1.2 The Linguist – Summary The story is about two friends, their friendship, jealousy, freedom and happiness. Nalini and the narrator are good friends and share common interest for literature. When the narrator is told that Nalini is getting married to a linguist professor living in abroad, she was jealous. Soon that day came when Nalini left the country to live with her intellectual husband abroad. Here the narrator got busy with her job and several years passed. One day both friends meet at a get together and the narrator becomes aware of Nalini’s troubled married life. The narrator is quite amused to know that Nalini had to deal with the high expectations of being a linguist’s wife. She realised may be Nalini’s life was not all rosy abroad. However, the story ends when the friends meet accidently in CP, Delhi. Notes The intrinsic theme of the story is driving pleasure out of the misfortune of others. This character trait is present in almost every individual and spares no one. However, any individual characterising this trait cannot help but feel guilty afterwards. 1.3 The Linguist – Story Nalini looked radiant and she had every reason to be so. She was getting married. The exciting news was conveyed in jubilant whispers as soon as Mrs. Kocchar, our lecturer, turned her back towards us. She wrote something on the blackboard but we had little attention for her notes or lecture. Nalini and I were classmates post graduating in English literature – final year. We were not bosom friends but shared a common love for the English language or for that matter, any language. Much of our leisure (in between classes) was spent wrangling over the subtle nuances of Dickens, Hardy, Bronte, Shelly, Tagore, Prem Chand, and others in the league – sometimes in the empty lecture halls, sometimes in the crowded canteen and at other times while walking down to the bus stop to catch our respective University Specials. However, today, the classics were set aside. I eagerly waited for Mrs. Kochhar’s session to end so that I could pounce on Nalini to extricate some more information about the imminent ceremony. We were out on the compound as soon as the class was over. 2 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY Unit 1: The Linguist by Geetashree Chatterjee It was peak winter in the capital. The pale warmth of the sun soothed our freezing bones. I found Notes an excuse to draw Nalini apart from her group. “So what does he do?” “Oh! He is a professor,” Nalini said airily. I coaxed for more. “A linguist!” She added after a while. Now pride was clearly intoned in her reply. He is a professor of Comparative Study of Languages working at one of the widely known international academic centres. He holds quite an authority on the subject! He would be visiting India very soon to tie the knot and whisk the bride away with him. “How lucky!” I said. She looked cool in a blue salwar suit. There was an additional sparkle in her large, luminous eyes. I could almost hear her noisy heartbeat. Her face was suffused with colour. In addition, her breath came in short spurts. Nalini looked like an over inflated balloon ready to burst any moment with uncontained joy. Nalini would be settling abroad which meant that I would not be able to see her more often. The thought made me a little sad. We had spent some lovely time together. Our thirst for knowledge was unquenchable and spirit of imbibing boundless. I could not stop marvelling at what Nalini’s life would be being married to a linguist. For me it was the ultimate enraptured existence! How her eclectic horizons would broaden discoursing with an intellectual giant who coupled as a soul mate too! Life could not have been more profitable for Nalini. It was fantasizing on Nalini’s post-marital bliss that I experienced the first pang of jealousy – a mild but pricking pain in my heart! The marriage was fixed on a date after the final exams, three months hence. Nalini seemed to be on winged feet. Of course, she was in constant touch with her beau as was obvious from the conversations that we were having lately. “Toska!” She threw the word in the air. I jumped up and caught it. “Russian”, she explained, “The word has several layers to it. Love-sickness is one of them. Putting it simply!” We hurried towards the library. A week later, we collided in the corridor. Nalini broke into a tinkle of merry laughter. “So how’s the romance going?” I asked jokingly. “Oh! We often “meet” on Skype. But most of the time we are in a state of mamihlapinatapei!” “What’s that?” I exclaimed uncomprehendingly. Nalini elaborated that it signified the meaningful look shared by two people who desired to initiate something but were hesitant to do so, each expecting the other to start.