Literature as a Reflection Of Its Time
Literature as a Reflection Of Its Time
How can literature be defined? The most popular and common answer to this question is that it’s a collection of stories, poems and plays; however, this answer is only partially correct as literature has much more to offer than that. Literature reflects as a mirror into the era of its creation- its’ past, present and future. Every piece of literature- from little to large, short to long- carries the essence of time and place of creation within it, providing a peephole to view into the insights of cultural, historical and social contexts that shaped most of the art. Literature acts as a looking glass into the thoughts, fears, hopes and struggles of people, people from various periods of time, backgrounds, ethnicities, histories and experiences, being perfectly amiable as an invaluable tool for understanding human history and experience.
Let’s take, for instance, the example of a novel by a renowned author, The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The complexity of the characters and the influence of the French Revolution is the prominent focal theme noted by all, but to put a case in point, it goes much further than the tip of the wave. This novel captures the struggles within classes and the widespread unrest during that period, clearly depicting the stark contrast between the wealthy aristocracy and the overly oppressed lower class. This viewpoint furnishes us with a reflection of the socio-economic disparities that were the flame of the revolution.
On the other hand, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain portrays the racial tensions and moral dilemmas that arose during the pre-Civil War era. Through the lenses of a young child, we see the themes of freedom, slavery and the blatant hypocrisy of a society that claims to value liberty while simultaneously upholding the institution of subjugation. The use of dialect and regionalism puts on further grounds in the cultural context, creating a powerful commentary on the social issues of the era.
Moving a little further on to the 20th century, the work of literature still continued to serve as a reflection of time, capturing the disillusionment and existential angst that followed the devastation of the two great wars. A classic that has been read by many a crowd by now, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the perfect critique of the ‘American Dream’ during the Roaring Twenties life, a period famously known for its economic prosperity and cultural change but also by moral decay and social stratification. The portrayal of the excesses and superficiality of the Jazz Age highlights the effect of disillusionment that was felt by many in the wake of the First World War.
Another text from the same time period, reflecting the anxieties of time is surely to be 1984 by George Orwell. Being a dystopian novel, it presents a chilling (to loosely quote a few) vision of a totalitarian state where each and every aspect of an individual’s life is controlled and under surveillance by an all-seeing government. The concept of ‘big brother’, not as a consoling figure but one that is the figure looming over all under constant surveillance, has since become synonymous with the loss of privacy in the modern technology of the current world. The depictions made by Orwell of a society with its citizens being monitored 24/7, their thoughts policed and history rewritten to serve the needs of the ruling party, reflects the growing vigilance or, to better phrase it, the fear of totalitarianism and the destruction of the concept of individual freedoms in the post-war era. The relevance of the themes of the novel has only increased since the development of the digital age, where surveillance technology has become more sophisticated and attainable, where the line between public and private life is becoming increasingly blurry.
Following a similar train of thought, there is one such graphic novel written by Guy Delisle titled Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, which finally gets us to works written in this century at last. This artwork presents a stark portrayal of life under one of the most repressive regimes in the world, where the pervasive sense of surveillance defines daily life in North Korea. A theme very similar to 1984, having each interaction being monitored, every moment watched, and the state controlling over their citizens. This is one of the rare glimpses that let us peek into a society where freedom is as distant as the stars in the sky and the government's watchful eye ever present to notice any glance made towards the sky. Delisle’s firsthand experience sheds light onto the extreme lengths taken to maintain the power and control of the authoritarian regimes, resonating with the themes of 1984 in much more of a contemporary setting.
More up on the complexities of contemporary society, next up would be the continuation with the theme of dystopian fiction, as was such an era for it (the 2010s!). The focus now moves to the erosion of civil liberties, gender inequality, and the dangers of authoritarianism in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, a totalitarian society stripped of any rights for women. This relatably serves as a powerful commentary on the potential consequences of the political and social currents of the late 20th century, this being such a recent period of time in our history that being unaware could be synonymous with being ignorant.
With this roundabout, it brings us back to the beginning, literature working as a time mirror. Literature has the ability to convey the intangible aspects of an era- its moods, its echos, its underlying tensions and its quiet shallow breaths. While historical books provide us with factual accounts of events, literary books dive into the emotional and psychological landscape of the lives that had gone through the said factual accounts of events. Voicing the voiceless and pointing a spotlight in a dark room; perceiving the perspectives.
Through the words of literature, we are able to travel through time and space, experiencing the joys, sorrows, and complexities of lives far removed from our own and our realities. Might it be the biting social commentary of Jane Austen, the dark romanticism of Edgar Allan Poe, or the revolutionary zeal George Orwell is well-known for, each literary work offers us a unique glimpse into the world it stems from.
So upon this supposed conclusion, we stumble upon our understanding of the relation between literature and time; for literature works as a time machine of sorts, powered not by the gears and circuits found in machines, but by the sheer force of imagination. To understand the world we live in today, we have to understand the worlds created through the words of the past, the present and the future.
Author: Isha Rani