Write short notes on the following:
a) Rasa
Rasa is a concept from ancient Indian art and literature. It means the emotional flavor or essence that a reader or viewer feels when experiencing a poem, play, or performance. The idea comes from the Natyashastra, a Sanskrit text by Bharata. There are nine main rasas: love, laughter, anger, sadness, heroism, fear, disgust, wonder, and peace. The purpose of good literature or drama is to create one or more of these emotions in the audience. For example, in a tragic play, the rasa of “karuna” (sorrow) may be dominant.
b) Catharsis
Catharsis is a term used by Aristotle in his theory of tragedy. It means the emotional release or cleansing that the audience feels after watching a tragic play. When we see a character suffer or go through deep emotions, we feel pity and fear. At the end, we feel relief or purification, as if our own emotions have been cleaned. This is catharsis. It makes tragedy not just sad, but meaningful and healing.
c) Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a movement in art, literature, and philosophy that started after World War II. It goes against the ideas of certainty, order, and traditional rules. Postmodern literature often mixes different styles, breaks the usual structure of stories, and includes irony or playfulness. It questions truth, reality, and identity. Writers like Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, and Thomas Pynchon are known for their postmodern works. Postmodernism shows that meaning is not fixed and that each person can interpret things differently.
d) “Woman as other”
This idea comes from feminist theory, especially from the book The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir. It means that in many cultures, men are seen as the standard or “normal,” and women are seen as different, or “other.” Women are often defined in relation to men—as wives, mothers, or daughters—rather than as individuals. This way of thinking leads to inequality and limits women’s freedom. Feminist critics study how literature and society reflect or challenge this idea of the “woman as other.”