The literature of an age. and its societal set up maintaining and responding one over the other. Literature influences the society ; society is reflected in Literature and in this manner. in all linguistic communications and at all times at that place has been a close interaction between the two. Literature of any age can non get away the influence of the societal scene and therefore is found reflecting the society of the age when it is created. The poet. the playwright. the novelist. the litterateur are all the merchandise of their age and their-age openly and clearly gets imaged in their composings. That can non be helped. it so seems.

Take the illustration of two literatures — English and Hindi. Chaucer is called the male parent of English poesy and really English literature in its signifier and linguistic communication which kept on developing and bettering. Begins from him. His most representative work is the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales and so the Canterbury Tales. All the characters painted in these narratives are the true representation of the types of such people as they were in his times.

While Chaucer is a reflector of those characters and their types of his age — he is virtually and genuinely described as the chronicler of his age — his characters whether a Knight ; the Prioress ; the monastic. the fat frier. the crewman. the squire. the priest — all are genuinely the representatives of their types in the modern-day society as they really were.

Chaucer is a painter every bit good as a critic of his society. Shakespeare — the greatest playwright of English linguistic communication — one of the greatest of all linguistic communications brings in ‘ghosts’ . ‘witches’ . and ‘courtier’ and ‘fools’ in his dramas which were as per the liking of his audience and a portion of the English Society of his times. That is what is justly said about Shakespeare that in add-on to the normal three ‘unities’— Time. Topographic point and Action in play. he brought about the 4th integrity — ‘unity with the people’ .

That encomium clearly Shakespeare being influenced by the society of his age and in his dramas he. though ne’er gave any message or pronounced any doctrine. but that is ever there — the victory of the good over the immorality. This was the message that was most needed to his age after all that had happened earlier — Henry VIII —the king holding been killed. Mary Tudor — a despotic. chesty. a barbarous swayer and so a benevolent. all encompassing middle-path follower queen — Queen Elizabeth.

As is the male monarch so are the people — is an old but true expression and Shakespeare reflects that screaming sometimes. but drab and philosophic at the other in his dramas. Hulton was really much the merchandise of his age. A genuinely puritanical individual ; a profoundly spiritual adult male. he gave to his age which was combating with belief and incredulity — the message of God’s victory over Satan. The Eighteenth century of English literature is a true merchandise of the age. The societal scene had degenerated into orgy and licence after the Restoration of Charles II who brought along

with him all that he had enjoyed during his expatriate and adjourns in France and the literature of that period reflects all that was go oning in the society. Alexander Pope’s ‘Rape of the Lock’ is a contemplation of the alleged lewd high society of and acrid sarcasm excessively. on all that was excessively much excessively bad for the society. Thus Pope is a reflector as a corrector of his age.

So are Addison and Steele as litterateurs. Balzac. Zola. Maupassant of France had cast their influence on every Wycherley. preserve and ulterior Restoration playwrights who had gone to the lowest deepness in depicting societal disparity and this is how literature reflected the age.

The Gallic Revolution — a really important political and societal event of Europe had as its basic dogmas — Equality. Fraternity and Liberty — and these dogmas and the revolution did project its enchantment all over Europe and England and the English poets could non get away that influence. Wordsworth was moved by the human-centered facet of the revolution in the earlier stage but subsequently its bloodiness and force disillusioned him and all this is reflected in Wordsworth’s poesy — ‘poet of man’ and in his ulterior poesy. Shelley was moved by the revolution’s ‘spirit’ of revolution and Byron by its combat spirit.

Tennyson was a true representative of the Victorian age and American ginseng of the glorifications of the Empire while his nature poesy gets influenced by the promotion of Science in the ulterior 19th century. He did non stay a ‘priest of nature’ as Wordsworth was because where scientific discipline progresss faith diminutions. Charles Dickens saw the rear of industrialisation — the hapless acquiring Poorer and the rich richer — the agonies of the hapless are ignored and his novels reflect all this.

The First World War ( 1914-19 ) created a group of who American ginseng of the glorifications of war. of gallantry and Sacrifice for the state and so there is the station tungsten poesy and post-war play — Bernard Shaw playwright known for his pungent sarcasm. pricking the balloon of romanticism associated with war gallantry and love in his ‘Arms and the Man’ .

Eliot comes on the literary phase to cover with the arrant disenchantment of the age in his ‘Wasteland’ all this about English Literature. Similarly in Hindi Literature. when Prithvi Raj Chauhan was contending valorously with Mohammad Gori Chandrabardai — the warrior poet was singing of the glorifications of war and his hero in his ‘Prithvi Raj Raso’ .

Then came the Bhakti Kal — the period of Bhakti — the state and the state had fallen under the Muslim yoke and there were category struggles on the footing of religion and faith. There came on the literary scene. Kabir. who preached anti-fanaticism ; pricked the bloated balloon of superstitious notions and blind religions and admonished both ‘mullahs’ and ‘Pandits’ and showed the manner of God. Tulsidas found the Hindu society divided into cabals ‘Shaivas’ and ‘Vaishnavas’ and showed the way of love. brotherhood and common regard for all Gods and presented the ideals of a boy. a brother. a married woman. and a fan.

The victory of Ram — the embodiment of the Good over Ravan. the symbol of Evil is an ageless lesson given by him to the society — whose lessons remain august even till today. The period of comparative societal peace created a set of poets who indulged in delighting their frequenters — the Kings — as their courtiers and songwriters. Their poesy is full of amative athleticss in which they make Krishna a Radha and the Gopis their histrions — a really incorrect a diminished word picture — unbecoming of those great. This was done merely to satisfy their frequenters — the sensuous and animal male monarchs.

This is how the societal scene was reflecting itself in literature. Then. comes the modern age. The British were governing India and there were categories near to the swayer and classes enduring at the custodies of the functionaries and at the custodies of the alleged elite of the society. There were categories created — the superior. the downtrodden — the imperialists and the patriots. Prem Chand — the great novelist unravels this category battle in his novels and thereby. non merely reflects the society of his times but gives a lesson excessively. His novels. his short narratives — all have a lesson to give.

There was Bhartendu Harishchandra — the poet the forerunner of the modern age and idea. who successfully caricatured the categories — societal and spiritual — therefore reflecting the societal scene with a point to reform it. Therefore goes on the scene. Maithili Saran Gupta — the Gandhian poet sings of the glorification of Ram. of the glorification of Lord Buddha. of the glorification of other fabulous heroes his push throughout being to rouse the multitudes and edify them into affable societal contacts.

The national ardor reverberated through the venas of the Psyche under the leading of Mahatma Gandhi and poets after poets. authors after authors sang of the of our ancient land and its civilization. Jai Sanker rasad. Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. the poets ; Dharmvir Shrilal Shukla — the novelists brought into focal point the inequalities and instabilities that plagued the societal scene and through their thoughtful and sometimes extremely satirical manner brought to the bow the societal and political unease through which our present coevals passing.

This true presentation has been with a purpose — to rouse the societal scruples to the jobs that dog the people. Literature therefore has been keeping the mirror up to Nature on one manus ; reflecting all traditions. tendencies and inclinations while lifting up the finger of cautiousness excessively to guard against all that goes against the basic values of life.

Literature and Society have remained and shall stay of all time intertwined and the more they so remain. the more solid would the foundations be laid for a sustained growing ; a well-coordinated growing and a corrected societal order Literature has to play its portion as a reflector and a corrector of society and society has to animate work forces of letters to maintain themselves on their guard towards their mission of societal good.