Ideas of Tradition and Modernity Modulated by Narrative Fiction.
Outstanding works of literature play a major role in developing distinct customs that are passed down from generation to generation. Narrative fiction does a great job at challenging the comfort and contemporary ideas of a group of people. To begin, narrative fiction contains many traditional customs. Works of literature can have many archetypes or tropes that people have always viewed as bad or good. For example, the archetype of a demon or a demoness has always brought up negative thoughts. In the Ramayana of Valmiki, the author breaks a great cultural norm by making us feel empathy for a demoness, Śūrpanakhā. Her desire is to marry Rama but he thinks she is hideous. She is …show more content…
For example, women have been an important role as they have worked hard for their independence and rights. In literature, gender roles are very traditional with older works. People see women as sinners and blame them for everything. All it takes is for an author to write the opposite of what women have always been viewed as. By making them independent in works of literature, many women are inspired to be that new woman. In The Thousand and One Nights, Shahrazad is an “intelligent, knowledgeable, wise and refined” (The Thousand and One Nights 1182) woman. As opposed to the women who cheated on their husbands, she had the wits to outsmart the king and help out her gender. This story imitates the story of Mulan where a women defied the expectations set by men. With this empowerment, women became more outspoken about their rights. Moments like these in literature challenge traditional beliefs and it eventually tears down any past stereotypes. Women use literature to become intellectual and informed on how to defeat that condescending treatment men have given …show more content…
Authors use fiction and poetry as a platform to address certain political or cultural aspects such as class or gender roles. After these new ideas are brought up in their minds, they protest and do everything possible to change their customs. They do this so they do not find themselves living in manipulative ways. Modernity depends on individuals to question and stand up to traditional norms. In the end, narrative fiction and poetry work as a means of communicating with people. These means of story telling foreshadows new patterns in a culture. Authors are wise enough to discretely create a story or character who defies tradition or modernity and that is what makes powerful
Outstanding works of literature play a major role in developing distinct customs that are passed down from generation to generation. Narrative fiction does a great job at challenging the comfort and contemporary ideas of a group of people. To begin, narrative fiction contains many traditional customs. Works of literature can have many archetypes or tropes that people have always viewed as bad or good. For example, the archetype of a demon or a demoness has always brought up negative thoughts. In the Ramayana of Valmiki, the author breaks a great cultural norm by making us feel empathy for a demoness, Śūrpanakhā. Her desire is to marry Rama but he thinks she is hideous. She is …show more content…
For example, women have been an important role as they have worked hard for their independence and rights. In literature, gender roles are very traditional with older works. People see women as sinners and blame them for everything. All it takes is for an author to write the opposite of what women have always been viewed as. By making them independent in works of literature, many women are inspired to be that new woman. In The Thousand and One Nights, Shahrazad is an “intelligent, knowledgeable, wise and refined” (The Thousand and One Nights 1182) woman. As opposed to the women who cheated on their husbands, she had the wits to outsmart the king and help out her gender. This story imitates the story of Mulan where a women defied the expectations set by men. With this empowerment, women became more outspoken about their rights. Moments like these in literature challenge traditional beliefs and it eventually tears down any past stereotypes. Women use literature to become intellectual and informed on how to defeat that condescending treatment men have given …show more content…
Authors use fiction and poetry as a platform to address certain political or cultural aspects such as class or gender roles. After these new ideas are brought up in their minds, they protest and do everything possible to change their customs. They do this so they do not find themselves living in manipulative ways. Modernity depends on individuals to question and stand up to traditional norms. In the end, narrative fiction and poetry work as a means of communicating with people. These means of story telling foreshadows new patterns in a culture. Authors are wise enough to discretely create a story or character who defies tradition or modernity and that is what makes powerful