17 August 2012

English Literature and ‘I’-Interactions

On Monday the 13th of Aug, the Grade 12 English A students had a lively interaction with two luminaries from the world of Eng. Lit. This interaction was informal, with the easy exchange adding that much more to a range of issues and ideas discussed. Dr Shalini Advani was also a part of this interaction and she began the session with a brief introduction.
Professor Ania Loomba researches and teaches early modern literature, histories of race and colonialism, postcolonial studies, feminist theory, and contemporary Indian literature and culture. She currently holds the Catherine Bryson Chair in the English department at University of Pennsylvania. The students also had the privilege of interacting with Professor Suvir Kaul, who teaches courses in Eighteenth-century British Literature, Contemporary South Asian Writing in English, and in Literary and Critical Theory at University of Pennsylvania.He has taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, at Stanford University, and at the Jamia Milia Islamia as a Visiting Professor and held post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Canterbury at Kent and at the Society for the Humanities at Cornell University.
The exchange between students started with an easy question answer session on the length and breadth of their Eng A Curriculum and then moved on specific texts. Students came up with strong views, for and against many a text, principally; Jane Austen and Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ The discussion took an interesting turn with Prof  Loomba and Prof Kaul throwing questions on feminine ‘types’. The insights into what literature can teach us and what it can make us critically scrutinize was indeed useful and the students learnt a lot in the 45 minute interaction. What was impressive was the ease and confidence displayed by grade 12, in voicing their opinions and justifying their stance. Our guests too seemed delighted with the spirited exchange and two generations of Eng Lit learners and teachers walked with new perspectives and some deep insights.
Geeta Verma
IBDP Coordinator