Guest talk on Twentieth Century Prose - Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts & Science (KCLAS)

The Department of English organized a guest talk on ‘Twentieth Century Prose’ for the first and second year students of B.A. English Literature. The resource person was Dr.A. Vadivukarasi, Assistant Professor in English, Sri GVG Visalakshi College for Women.Ms. Dhibishma. T.R. of II B.A. English Literature welcomed the gathering and introduced the guest speaker to her fellow students.

The session began with an introduction to Prose and how it differs from the other forms of Literature. There was a tracing down of the origin and growth of Prose as a literary genre. She gave a detailed insight on the growth of Prose ranging from different periods of literature i.e. the Old English Period, Middle English Period and the Early Renaissance period.

The session further had exposure to the essays of Francis Bacon, Ben Johnson and John Selden. Prose Romances of George Gascoigne, John Lyly, Sir Philip Sidney, Robert Greene Lodge and Nashe. The usage of Prose in Literary criticism, character writing, religious prose and the diarists across the different ages of literature were also discussed. She gave a detailed presentation on the beginning of English Prose which were translations from Latin and French and the invention of printing press paved way for original prose works in English. The Age of Shakespeare was the booming period in English literature.

Dr.Vadivukarasi continued the session with a special emphasis on ‘Twentieth Century Prose’. It was the period after the Second World War, when the Modern Prose evolved. During this period, America was gaining momentum. The Prose writers Robert Lynd, J.B. Priestley, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell were discussed.