Open Sesame

'The Critic As Host' was presented by J.H. Miller as a reply to M.H. Abram's allegations in his essay 'Rationality and Human Imagination in Cultural History'  that the Deconstructionist reading is parasitical and if applied, it would make, History an impossibility. In the opening paragraph of 'The Critic as Host', Miller quotes M.H. Abrams : "The 'deconstructionist' reading of a given work 'is plainly and simply parasitical' on 'the obvious or univocal reading'.".  The first part of this quote is not that of Abrams, but he has cited it from Wayne Booth. Miller points out that what has happened here is a citation of a citation. He also poses the question that whether this citation itself can be considered as a Parasite in the body of the text, which is the host. The host would be feeding the parasite and there are also possibilities of the parasite killing the host.  Abrams' allegation that Deconstructionist reading...

This write-up will give you a short introduction to J.H. Miller, the American Literary Critic who has been instrumental in connecting North American Criticism to the continental philosophical thoughts   like post structuralism and deconstruction. J.H. Miller / Joseph Hillis Miller was born on March 5, 1928 in Virginia, United States of America. He graduated in the year 1948, received MA and Ph. D from Harvard University in the year 1949 and 1952 respectively. He started his teaching career at Williams College and after holding various positions at John Hopkins University and Yales University, he joined the faculty of University of California, Irne in the year 1986. In 2002, he retired as Professor Emeritus. Miller served as the President of the Modern Language Association of America in 1986 and has also contributed significantly to various other professional academic institutions and organizations throughout his career.  In the initial phases of his caree...

Went through the pages of the book, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanidhi again in December, 2019.  Life was not the same before. Mine was in a roller coaster after August, 2019. Never thought of the philosophy of deaths before. Never it was that painful. Till then I loved to call myself a Cancer survivor, for Parvathy (my daughter) and me was not two, but one. It was all shattered when I lost my father to Liver Cancer. As if you are crumbled - your ego of being a super hero in life who can face all challenges with a smile. And I was reading Kalanidhi from a new perspective. To be a super hero YOU need not be a survivor. You need not travel through this world in body but can be in spirit. What Kalanidhi teaches us is to embrace the life as well as death with a smile, with equal passion.  The reality shows in the Television channels, the Facebook pages and all the available media today prefer to bring in the people who  have survived to live in this Ear...

ഞങ്ങളുടെ ശബ്ദം കേൾപ്പിക്കാൻ ഒരവസരത്തിനായി കാത്തിരിക്കുകയായിരുന്നു എന്ന് ലോകത്തോട് വിളിച്ചു പറയുകയാണിന്ന് മലയാള കരയിലെ സ്ത്രീശക്തി. തങ്ങളെ പ്രതിനിധികരിക്കേണ്ടത് ശീതികരിച്ച മുറികളിലിരിക്കുന്ന അക്കാഡമിക്ക് ആക്ടിവിസ്റ്റുകളല്ല, അവർക്കുമുണ്ട് തനതായൊരു ശബ്ദം എന്നു തെളിയിക്കുകയാണ് #readytowait, കാത്തിരിക്കാൻ ഞങ്ങൾ തയ്യാറാണ് എന്ന ഓൺലൈൻ ക്യാബയിനിലൂടെ അമ്മമാരും സഹോദരിമാരും . ലോകത്തിന്റെ വിവിധ കോണുകളിൽ നിന്നും സമൂഹത്തിലെ വ്യത്യസ്ഥ മേഖലകളിൽ പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്ന - ജർമ്മനിയിൽ നിന്നും അഞ്ജലി ജോർജജ്, ദുബൈയിൽ നിന്നും ശിൽപാ നായർ, ഡൽഹിയിൽ നിന്നും രാധികാ മേനോൻ, ഹൈദരാബാദിൽ നിന്നും പത്മാപ്പിള്ള ,കേരളത്തിൽ നിന്നും സുജ പവിത്രൻ, ശാലിനി പിള്ള, കൃഷ്ണപ്രിയ, മഞ്ജു പണിക്കർ - എന്നിങ്ങനെ വിരലിലെണ്ണാവുന്ന സ്ത്രീകൾ അയ്യപ്പ സ്വാമിയെ കാണാൻ കാത്തിരിക്കാൻ ഞങ്ങൾ തയ്യാറാണെന്ന് ഒരേ സ്വരത്തിൽ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചപ്പോൾ, അഭൂതപൂർവ്വമായ സ്വീകരണമാണ് ആ കൂട്ടായ്മയ്ക്ക് ലഭിച്ചത്. ബുദ്ധിജീവി വർഗ്ഗത്തിന്റെ നാട്യങ്ങൾ അന്യമായ സാമൂഹ്യ മാധ്യമങ്ങളിലെ സാധാരണക്കാർ ഇതേറ്റെടുക്കുന്ന കാഴ്ചയാണ് പിന്നീട് നമ്മൾ കണ്ടത്. അയ്യപ...

Came into this from the reviews, then the blurb and what's my impression (the first and the last) after the reading ??? Disappointment, Disillusion ?? Anitha Nair, has let an opportunity slipped out of her fingers - A vast canvas unexploited is IDRIS:Keeper of the Light.  Idris Maymoon Samataar Guleed, previously  of Dikhil and the eternal traveler in the novel, seeking the measure of earth  and man  is a wonder creation by the author. At times his stature looks so huge that he doesn't fit into the minute world in the book. The son born to the Somalian Idris with a golden eye out of a Gaandarva Union with a matriarch, Kuttimalu somewhere in the God's Own Country was named Vattoli Kandavar Menavan and the father son duo meet accidentally and coincidentally in the land of Mamamgam. The readers get a cocktail mix here - Mamangam in the land of Thirunaavaya, the legends of chavers and Zamorin, the silk route and then a journey (though wasted) through the sh...

Kafka in the Reader’s Corridor B. Murali again… This time it’s the Kafka in the Court’s corridor Ordinary men and their ordinary lives give the fodder for writing to Murali and this story too falls on this line. Anand in his Govardhan’s Travels has dealt with the issue of the snail pace of the Indian courts. The work was not but for the ordinary readers who ve less time at their disposal for a literary work. Here Murali has touched upon the same issue but with much ease. Rameshan Nair happened to be an eye witness in a scuffle years back.   The case was registered and the issue forgotten. But the Indian judiciary system is slow and steady. The summons comes in search of K.P. Rameshan Nair. The hurdles he face even to receive the summons is the core of the story. The man is not fortunate enough to be inside the court before is story comes to an end.. That may take another few weeks or months. The interesting twist in the story is the presence of Kafka in the...

What does Umberto Eco has to do with Postmodernism? Theorist? Writer? Advocate of pomo??? My opening sentences today are misnormers... this post is not exactly on Eco but on a story which made Eco a common place name atleast in Malayalam. Couple of days back started reading B.Murali's 100 Kathakal - 100 stories...  "Umberto Eco" has been given the first position... the first in the line..but decided that am not going to read this story.. why should I?? am so familiar with this... lot has been read and told about the story... celeberated  as a postmodern work.... but some how got stumpled on 'Umberto Eco' The story line -  Ramakrishan the UGC  NET PSC aspirant is inducing his lady love to reading- sort of Pygmalion - so that she can be his 'better half - and get qualified for the chat over a cup of tea . She performs better developing herself to be an exponent of Barth, Eco, Foucault.. despising Sidney Sheldon... O...