How to Embolden your Character by Reading Literary Texts from World Literature?

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Reading literature at the tender age can shape one’s characteristics by million ways. In this age of cyber communication and hyper activity, the literature can be at steady pace to safeguard and mould young siblings by providing them the right text at right time. Taking this into account we can devise a plan of reading into three separate groups.

  1.   Reading at Student Life
  2. On Job Reading
  3.  Pleasure Reading at the Pastime

In all these categories common human passion like love, patriotism, humanism, ecocriticism, culture and ethos, politics, care, social well-being, sensual passion, morale, fantasy, science & technology etc can be inculcated on route. We can easily prepare a reading list of all time favourite. Even though the reading list is inconclusive but as effort in this term can be well dengue. Remember, the list may vary from culture to culture, country to country or even time to time. We are now keeping an focus on English, Sanskrit, Greek and Bengali texts (whose English reading is also available)-

Love:

The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus by Sophocles, Avigans Sukuntalam (Drama) and Meghdutam(Drama) by Kalidas, Seser Kabita(Novel) by Tagore, Srikanta(Novel) by Saratchandra, Datta (Novel)  by Saratcharndra, 

Denapaona – by Tagore, Kharkuto – by Tagore Bimal Kar, Radharani – by Tagore Bankimchandra, Geetbitan – Kabyagrantha – by Tagore Rabindranath, Tabu Bhalobasi – by Partha Sarathi Roy, Kabi – by Tarasankar.

Patriotism: 

Raghubansam(Epic Novel), Gora (Novel) – by Rabindranath, Anandamath (Novel) – by Bankimchandra, Sabyasachi(Novel) – by Saratchandra,Pather Dabi – by Saratchandra

Humanism : 

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, Swapnabasab Dablayan(Drama) by Van, Pather Panchali(Novel) – by Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay, Hashuli Baker upakatha(Novel) – by Tarasankar Chattopadhyay, Putul Nacher Etikatha – by Manik Bandyopadhyay, Dena Pawna(chotogalpo) – by Rabindranath, Bartaman Bharat(Easy) – by Vivekananda, yatrapathe – Liyat Mujtaba Ali.

Ecocriticism :

Writusanibar(Epic Novel), Ainay(Novel) – by Bibhutibhusan, Adivasi Sanskriti(Easy) – by Narayan Sanyal, Padmanadir Maji – by Manik Bandyopadhyay, Himalayer pathe –
Japan yatrar dairy – Rabindranath.

Culture & Ethos : 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mrishyakothikam(Drama), Aranyak –Bibhutibhusan.

Politics & History: 

History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, The Republic by Plato,The Histories by Herodotus, Mudrarakshas by Visak Dutta, Gora –Rabindranath, Ghare Baire – Rabindranath, Aorangajeb / Orangajeb – Dijendralal Roy, Pratham Alo –Subimal Gangopadhyay.

Parental Care: 

Harshacharit (Bandhyatta) (Epic Novel), Choker Bali – Rabindranath, Debdas – Saratchandra.

Social Wellbeing: 

Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock, Uttaramchaitan, Mahabir Chaitan (Epic Novel), Lokheet (Essay)-Tagore, Pallysamaj (Essay) – Saratchandra, Pratham Pratisuriti – Ashapurna Debi.

Sensual (Sex & Pleasure): 

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding, Medea by Euripides, Kamasutra by Vatyan, Chibar(Novel) –Samaresh Basu, Asllilatar Daie(Novel) – Narayan Sanyal, Lajja –Taslima Nasrin

Moral: 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë , Aesop's Fables by Aesop, The Trial and Death of Socrates by Plato, Pabadjantu Hitopodesh –Chanyakya/ Vishnu Sharma, The Republic by Plato, Akhyan Manjari – Vidyasagar, Kathasarithsagar – Somdeb(Story), Betal Sabdabingsati – Vidyasagar, Jataker Galpa –

Fantasy:

 Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Hazabarala – Sukumar Roy, Gupi Gain Bagha Bain – Upendra Kishore Roy Choudhury, Damardar Rachit – Trailakyanath, Hanumaner Swapna – Mukhopadhyay.

Science & Technology: 

  Gopal Bhattacharaya's essays

Horror:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley,
I am excluding four great epics as they encompass the full radius of life. (Ramayana & Mahabharata, Iliad & Odyssey)

In all these books we can inculcate the basic concept of life. If these books are available in English then it would be handy for both teachers and parents to study the aforesaid. All the academic of the University & Boards are also devising plans to include or exclude texts to be up to date into the passing moments. Again there are few texts which are ephemeral and can be continued time and again.
          However, one broad perspective in selecting these books can be planed after 10 key points.

    1.      Variety of character, setting, point of view.
2.    Taste of different culture.
3.    Availability of audio books.
4.    Kaleidoscope of human civilizations.
5.     Political ideally.
6.    Mood of classicism.
7.     Refine attitude to literary genre.
8.    Cosmic nature/Epic quality.
9.    Reading references from social media.
10. Remembering the old golden days.

With this basic synthesis of likes and utilities one should cover the radius of reading and before you start in the venture of reading I prefer the Baconian text of studies.

Ardhendu De

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