MIXED BAG

  BY PRAGYAN SHARMA POLAVARAPU   1 My   writing in this part of my blog   is out of   my interest   in   old classical English dramas, poems ,novels etc that possess such   indescribable beauty of style. My writing   is thus   focused   on   the ancient history of English language . The quest to know history of the language led to curiosity about the people who speak it and about their philosophic   and spiritual orientation. So, examined here is a very ancient period in history of Europe. There is a well known saying of some historians that   though England (i.e. total Britain ) is not   geographically in Europe it is of Europe. It is culturally part   of Europe and is a leading player.   The old   Greek culture and philosophic tradition   and the later Roman philosophic tradition   dominated   Europe since around    2500 years   .   The ancient   cultur...

BY PRAGYAN SHARMA POLAVARAPU (1) One of my leisure time  avocations ,for personal pleasure, is investigation about birth of “English novel”  (the old classical English novel) and  about origins of  Modern English language. Modern English as we know now  took shape perhaps  700 to 800 years after the times when an  “Old English“   was  spoken  mainly in southern England.  I consider development of English novel as an invention as great as  the discovery of electron or development of TV. So  my perennial interest is in knowing about origins of modern English language which nurtured the new class of literature called novel.  Let us also note that the  history of  West Europe mainly comprises of  (a)ancient Christian religion ,the glow of message of Lord Jesus Christ, becoming popular among poorer section of society and its slow  spread in entire society,and  (b)its super-imposition on th...

 BY  PRAGYANSHARMA POLAVARAPU   (1)NORMAN CONQUEST OF ENGLAND In a long period of 500-600 years   after the historic Norman conquest, England   --living under   Anglo-Saxon kings    in a   rural oriented   old world rural atmosphere-- underwent a great   change . Though separated by the sea from the continent   it was now becoming fully a part of European cultural, religious and political changes . England   was linked to European royal families by marriage alliances. England was growing agriculturally prosperous and was becoming one of the central players in   west European politics   .   England right from Anglo-Saxon times was an active seafaring nation with its ships protecting the coasts from Viking and Norwegian pirates. The Celtic people dominated areas of Ireland   Scotland and Wales and were somewhat aloof and backward. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was a great ...

  BY PRAGYAN SHARMA POLAVARAPU INTRODUCTION In the many literary masterpieces of old classical English , we can see in some  a serious  classical   inimitable beautiful style (Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden ,Dr Johnson  ) and in some a more flowing and simpler but in outstanding   majestic new styles  ( Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, Sir Walter Scott, RL Stevenson ,Daniel Defoe of Robinson Crusoe fame, ,Jane Austen and many others) . There are perhaps thousands of other outstanding writers of last 300-400 years. Here only a little group of  great names is given by a foreign admirer of English. To understand the big transformations  that occurred perhaps  over a period of 1000 years to create modern English, we have to know a little of history of England. NORMAN CONQUEST From days of Norman Conquest (1066) of England  large number of French words crept into  English language.  The political landscape of...

BY    PRAGYANSHARMA POLAVARAPU  The life  of people of British isles  since  ancient times  is  influenced  by the not-so-cold oceanic climate --England being at the eastern edge of the vast Atlantic ocean which spreads 3000 miles up to shores of USA.  The weather is influenced by the warm oceanic currents. The often rainy drizzling type weather and the greenery (forests and  low hills  in the south, forests and mountains and foggy weather in north) make British Isles a picturesque place. A genuine love for nature—visible in the descriptions of the greenery, low hills  and valleys, vast agricultural fields ,mountains and the seaside environment –pervade English literature from old to new times . “What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass....