Book Reviews by Khansa Rahim
This paper tries to introduce the genre of Petro fictions and the possibilities of reading a new ... more This paper tries to introduce the genre of Petro fictions and the possibilities of reading a new genre and scopes of it's research.
Papers by Khansa Rahim
From the rapid rise in literary production as well as academic scholarship, it is unmistakably cl... more From the rapid rise in literary production as well as academic scholarship, it is unmistakably clear that the graphic narrative has gained a certain spotlight. Much to the chagrin of some of its creators, it is even considered an art form. In this paper I would like to engage with the idea of ‘Difference’ by looking through the mode of Graphic narratives with a focus on a text from South Asia and about South Asian experience.
Love has been around us since time unknown, and as every great story are lined with the best of r... more Love has been around us since time unknown, and as every great story are lined with the best of romance and love, Abhijananasakuntalam is no exception to this rule. William Jones’s translation of Shakuntalam was rightly titled “tale of the fatal ring”, to remind us of one of the best tales of love that India has seen. Even Kalidasa’s original name Abhijanashakuntalam literally means “of Shakuntala who is remembered by a token”. Kalidasa who wrote Shakuntalam is considered as one of the greatest writers of ancient Indian literature. Kalidasa is the most eminent figure in Sanskrit Literature. His poetic genius has gifted the literary world with unsurpassed dramas and lyrics like Abhijnanasakuntalam, Raguvamsham and Meghadutam. His works clearly reflect the ancient Indian culture and civilisation. For his perfection in poetry, he has been called as Mahakavi, Kavi-Siromani, Kavikulaguru. Kalidasa’s Abhijnanasakuntalam plays a quintessential role in the history of Indian literature and which has slowly grown within the ideologies of nationalism and domesticity of nineteenth century elite Indian societies that has drawn the frameworks of social values and still continue to dominate lives and polities in all communities directly or indirectly in the contemporary Indian situation.
Being a part of the world literature class has been an insight to me in many levels. The epic of ... more Being a part of the world literature class has been an insight to me in many levels. The epic of Gilgamesh, and story of the heroic king Gilgamesh and his pursuit in life is something that called me home. It is amazing to look at a text as ancient as the epic of Gilgamesh, something that is thought to be written 4000 years ago and the mere fact that it exists and talks about things that concern the modern man of the 21st century is just incredible.
In this paper I would like to discuss some key points that struck me as woman of this modern day from the epic of Gilgamesh. Even though it was only in 1929 the idea of an existential crisis has been studied by psychologists and psychiatrists such as Kazimierz Dabrowski and Irvin D. Yalom. It is my argument that existential crisis, the questioning of his identity and alienation has been addressed in literature from earliest of works. The quest of Gilgamesh and his sole purpose in life could be traced back to this similar kind of feeling that one goes through in life. The recurring themes of death, eternity and a search for answers are some things any human being would relate to, to this day.
This paper is a comparative study of the ancient indian text; Bharata Muni’s Natya Shastra chapte... more This paper is a comparative study of the ancient indian text; Bharata Muni’s Natya Shastra chapter 7 applied in Kalidasa’s Abhijnana Shakuntalam. I have tried to look at Bharata’s 8 Sthayi Bhavas or the dominant states and the 8 Sattvika Bhavas or the transitory states which can draw out each sentiment marked in Abhijnana Shakuntalam.
“Camille Bulcke (1950), a student of the Ramayana, counted three hundred. It's no wonder that eve... more “Camille Bulcke (1950), a student of the Ramayana, counted three hundred. It's no wonder that even as long ago as the fourteenth century, Kumaravyasa, a Kannada poet, chose to write a Mahabharata. because he heard the cosmic serpent which upholds the earth groaning under the burden of Ramayana poets.” (Ramanujan,Three hundred Ramayanas)
This passage from A. K. Ramanujan’s controversial essay Three hundred ramayanas: Five examples and three thoughts on translations reminded me of a version of ramayana that I had heard about growing up, the Mappila Ramayana from the north of Kerala. A version which is unpopular and often forgotten. In this paper I have tried to look into what is the Mappila Ramayana and what it signifies.
Alain Resnais's 32-minute-long documentary "Night and and fog" was one that will forever stay wit... more Alain Resnais's 32-minute-long documentary "Night and and fog" was one that will forever stay with me. As rightly said by Arundhathi Roy "The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There's no innocence. Either way, you're accountable." And I would be held accountable if I remain silent after seeing something as powerful as Night and fog.
A brief overview of History of Cinema, 2020
Even though we start to trace the history of world cinema from the names of the Lumeire brothers ... more Even though we start to trace the history of world cinema from the names of the Lumeire brothers and their significant works which marked the era of motion pictures, most people overlook to talk about man’s fascination about motion pictures from the earlier days. We are talking about flipbooks, magic lanterns and kaleidoscopes. The concept of motion pictures was first introduced to a mass audience through Thomas Edison’s kinetoscope in 1891. However, it wasn’t until the Lumiere brothers released the cinematograph in 1895 that motion pictures were projected for audience viewing.
Etymologically the origin of English word Epic comes from the Latin word epicus, which itself com... more Etymologically the origin of English word Epic comes from the Latin word epicus, which itself comes from the Ancient Greek adjective (epikos), which comes from (epos) meaning "word, story, or poem." The Oxford English dictionary defines an epic as: noun. /ˈepɪk/ as a long poem about the actions of great men and women or about a nation's history; and this style of poetry. A poem, typically derived from ancient oral tradition, which celebrates in the form of a continuous narrative the achievements of one or more heroic characters of history or legend.Typical representatives of the genre are the Iliad and Odyssey. This definition by Oxford is also used to define Epic poetry, as the genre that deals with an epic poem, which is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily involving a time beyond living memory in which occurred the extraordinary doings of the extraordinary men and women who, in dealings with the gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants, the poet and their audience, to understand themselves as a people or nation. Ramayana and The Epic of Gilgamesh, the object of study for this paper are two epic narratives from across the world. When Ramayana draws its origin from India, the Epic of Gilgamesh has its roots dating back to the mesopotamian civilization (2100-1200 BCE). The author of this work is not known. Mesopotamia is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris-Euphrates river system. In terms of the modern nation-state it corresponds with much of Iraq, Kuwait, the eastern parts of Syria, Southeastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish-Syrian and Iran-Iraq borders. Of the few clay tablets that survived the great deluge, codified in the sumerian language is the epic of gilgamesh that took birth as we see it today. It is known as the earliest surviving literature and notably the second religious text. The epic begins with 5 sumerian poems about a person called Bilgames, (sumerian for Gilgamesh) the king of Uruk. The peculiar fact of this
Drafts by Khansa Rahim
An Introduction and Analysis of Soviet Montage, 2021
Perhaps the most essential characteristic of the motion picture is montage, which comes from the ... more Perhaps the most essential characteristic of the motion picture is montage, which comes from the French word monter which means, “to assemble.” Encyclopedia Britannica defines Montage, in motion pictures, as the editing technique of assembling separate pieces of thematically related film and putting them together into a sequence. With montage, portions of motion pictures can be carefully built up piece by piece by the director, film editor, and visual and sound technicians, who cut and fit each part with the others.
"I demand that a film express either the joy of making cinema or the agony of making cinema. I am... more "I demand that a film express either the joy of making cinema or the agony of making cinema. I am not at all interested in anything in between."-Francois Truffaut.
The French new wave which can be marked in history by the late 1950's, was an outcall to refutation of the iconoclasm and traditional conventions of film making. They tried new methods in camera angles, editing and style of narrative. The term came to usage by a group of film critics who rejected the idea of the tradition of quality with shots and images that required an in depth thought. It was in 1954 that Francois Truffaunt wrote his essay on the French new wave which was demarcated as the founding father moment of the French new wave.
this paper tries to look at misread images and stereotypes of women in some of the greatest epics... more this paper tries to look at misread images and stereotypes of women in some of the greatest epics such as the Ramayana and Gilgamesh.
Thesis Chapters by Khansa Rahim
University of Calicut, 2017
Folktales are stories in the oral tradition, or tales that people tell each other out loud, rathe... more Folktales are stories in the oral tradition, or tales that people tell each other out loud, rather than stories in written form. They're closely related to many storytelling traditions, including fables, myths, and fairy tales. Every human society has its own folktales; these well-known stories, handed down between generations, are an important way of passing along knowledge, information, and history. One Thousand and One Nights (Arabic: Alf Laylah wa-Laylah) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. The codified text is collection over many centuries by various adaptations, interpreters, translators, writers and scholars from as far as from west mainly the Europeans, central and south Asians and North Africa who went after the tales of the Arab traditions. Some tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Greek, Jewish and Turkish folklore and literature. through this paper I would like to question what should be published and canonized as a children classic. And are these texts in their true forms? In the coming chapters we will come to know about the authenticity of the origin and the complex tradition of handing over the narration. And henceforth we will be able to question the colonial hegemony and power of the Arabian Nights.
The English and Foreign Languages University, 2022
Petro fictions emerge from the field of humanities that deal with eco-criticism majorly with text... more Petro fictions emerge from the field of humanities that deal with eco-criticism majorly with texts that revolve around the discovery of petrol. In this paper I have tried to read various Petro fictions in Arabic and Malayalam and tried to look at the subaltern identities portrayed in them
Uploads
Book Reviews by Khansa Rahim
Papers by Khansa Rahim
In this paper I would like to discuss some key points that struck me as woman of this modern day from the epic of Gilgamesh. Even though it was only in 1929 the idea of an existential crisis has been studied by psychologists and psychiatrists such as Kazimierz Dabrowski and Irvin D. Yalom. It is my argument that existential crisis, the questioning of his identity and alienation has been addressed in literature from earliest of works. The quest of Gilgamesh and his sole purpose in life could be traced back to this similar kind of feeling that one goes through in life. The recurring themes of death, eternity and a search for answers are some things any human being would relate to, to this day.
This passage from A. K. Ramanujan’s controversial essay Three hundred ramayanas: Five examples and three thoughts on translations reminded me of a version of ramayana that I had heard about growing up, the Mappila Ramayana from the north of Kerala. A version which is unpopular and often forgotten. In this paper I have tried to look into what is the Mappila Ramayana and what it signifies.
Drafts by Khansa Rahim
The French new wave which can be marked in history by the late 1950's, was an outcall to refutation of the iconoclasm and traditional conventions of film making. They tried new methods in camera angles, editing and style of narrative. The term came to usage by a group of film critics who rejected the idea of the tradition of quality with shots and images that required an in depth thought. It was in 1954 that Francois Truffaunt wrote his essay on the French new wave which was demarcated as the founding father moment of the French new wave.
Thesis Chapters by Khansa Rahim
In this paper I would like to discuss some key points that struck me as woman of this modern day from the epic of Gilgamesh. Even though it was only in 1929 the idea of an existential crisis has been studied by psychologists and psychiatrists such as Kazimierz Dabrowski and Irvin D. Yalom. It is my argument that existential crisis, the questioning of his identity and alienation has been addressed in literature from earliest of works. The quest of Gilgamesh and his sole purpose in life could be traced back to this similar kind of feeling that one goes through in life. The recurring themes of death, eternity and a search for answers are some things any human being would relate to, to this day.
This passage from A. K. Ramanujan’s controversial essay Three hundred ramayanas: Five examples and three thoughts on translations reminded me of a version of ramayana that I had heard about growing up, the Mappila Ramayana from the north of Kerala. A version which is unpopular and often forgotten. In this paper I have tried to look into what is the Mappila Ramayana and what it signifies.
The French new wave which can be marked in history by the late 1950's, was an outcall to refutation of the iconoclasm and traditional conventions of film making. They tried new methods in camera angles, editing and style of narrative. The term came to usage by a group of film critics who rejected the idea of the tradition of quality with shots and images that required an in depth thought. It was in 1954 that Francois Truffaunt wrote his essay on the French new wave which was demarcated as the founding father moment of the French new wave.