Characters, themes and plots

Several opinions came up in a discussion of the above topic of characters and themes. One person said that it is characters and characterization that makes the story and she added that a story could be read slowly and enjoyably for a long time if the main character was liked.

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Encounters

The victory odes of Pindar

Last week, in discussing Pindar's victory odes I made the point that they have to be understood as commissioned works of literature that are tied to specific occasions; often he was offered money by the victor or members of his family for the labour of his compositions.

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Cultural SCENE

Salman Rushdie and Indian diaspora

Continuing on the series on diasporic literature, this week’s column’s focus is on Indian-born British novelist Salman Rushdie and how he represents Indian diaspora as V.S Naipaul represents diaspora in his writing.

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