Changing Trends in the World of Literature during Covid 19
Dr. Nemika*
Assistant Professor, Department of English, Dayanand Arya Kanya Degree College, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Email: dr.nemika07@gmail.com
Abstract: The corona period is one of the most difficult times in the history of mankind. It was a time of uncertainty as we could not really predict the future of humanity. Before the corona pandemic, we believed that epidemics were a thing of the past as our medical science and technology had advanced to the extent that our doctors and scientists could handle any epidemic, but that belief had been shattered during this pandemic. In India a catastrophic situation has arisen due to overpopulation and ignorance. The doctor to population ratio in India is 1:1456 while the World Health Organization recommends a ratio of 1:1000. The current situation in India is caused by a number of factors. It was a time when human fears were at their peak, as we were forced to rely on technology because of the coronavirus pandemic. Somehow, this proved to be a huge loss in human connection. On the surface, technology seemed to be reducing the distance between people, allowing us to communicate with our loved ones even if they were far away from us. But on a deeper level, we realized that this technology forced us to live in a world of virtual reality and thus proved to be the reason for the emptiness of human connection, as we began to mistake real sacrifices for virtual ones.
Keywords: Pandemic, Humanity, medical science, mental health, anxiety, catastrophe.
INTRODUCTION
The corona period is a time of drastic changes. These changes have not only affected the present, but will continue to affect every aspect of human life in the future. This does not sound exaggerated if you think of human history as a period before and after the corona. At that time, the uncertainty factor that defined life became greater and greater. The pandemic has affected every aspect of human life. When we plan to establish a human colony on Mars and at the same time we are fighting to save humanity on Earth, the situation has changed dramatically. When a mother lets her child win a game to give him the confidence to move forward in life, but the child becomes proud and feels superior to the mother, the mother realizes the truth and plans to make the child understand the truth. In a way, nature is trying to make people realize her true existence, and we are somewhere imagining that we have defeated nature and become too selfish in the race of evolution. It seems that the corona crisis is inevitable because humans have moved away from the laws of nature and exploiting nature in true sense.
MAIN TEXT
Now, due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have realized the futility of this development. We have realized that money cannot buy life, smartphones cannot replace human relationships, and artificial intelligence will never replace humans. Dr. Kalpesh Kumar Solanki in an article titled ‘A Study of Post Corona Scenario of World Literature Written in English with Special Reference to Thematic Concerns’ (2023) writes,
Because of the COVID epidemic, man has reached a turning point when he has realized that he must coexist peacefully with nature and reject the idea of taking it to suit his needs. In other words, man must abandon the notion that he can manipulate nature to his advantage and learn to coexist peacefully. (5)
In our daily lives, we are so busy with superficial things that we do not have time to focus on the most important aspects of life – like family and friends – and, we do not even have time to look back at what we have been going through. We are all part of a blind race because we do not know our real goals. This could be a positive side of the COVID-19 pandemic, that during the lockdown, we had the opportunity to stop and observe the reality of the real things in life.
The newspapers were filled with the tragic stories of pain and loss. We all were forced to live in continuous psychological pressure. There was always a horror about who will be the next victim of this pandemic. The incidents of domestic violence increased by leaps and bounds. There were countless people who were destroyed by this pandemic on all grounds; family, economical, and psychological.
Humanity was going through really tough times. This pandemic also affected mental health as we are continuously confronting fear and worry. According to WHO -
“In public mental health terms, the main psychological impact to date is elevated rates of stress or anxiety. But as new measures and impacts are introduced – especially quarantine and its effects on many people’s usual activities, routines or livelihoods – levels of loneliness, depression, harmful alcohol and drug use, and self-harm or suicidal behaviour are also expected to rise.” (web)
Though, sincere and long-term studies still have to be done on the effect of this pandemic on human mental health. On the basis of a short period of last four years there are no confirmed studies regarding the effect of coronavirus on one's mental health but it is for sure that this pandemic was not only a medical phenomenon as it affected every aspect of human life. Like other previous pandemics, Coronavirus also caused disruption, anxiety, stress and so many other negative results. Because of the corona pandemic, we were forced to live in separation from our near and dear ones. As we lost our freedom, we were surrounded by boredom and consequently the sense of boredom and uncertainty is taking a toll on our mental health.
This virus has affected almost all the countries and has paralyzed our lives as we have been forced to stay at home in confinement. There are countless perspectives on which many studies have been taken to trace and analyse the impact of this pandemic on human life. Everyone coped with the situation in his/her own way to find a solution. Children were at home away from their schools, they must be also having their own doubts and worries regarding their future of studies and life at large. All were responding differently to the unexpected situation.
Countless people lost their jobs due to the Corona pandemic. Humanity was facing new challenges that did not exist before. At that time whenever we looked on social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp we came across positive messages of strength, getting well soon and messages of positive changes in future.
If we talk about politics there was an ongoing war on the virus. In the circles of business talks were futuristic about the post pandemic scenario to see the possibility of recovering back. In the field of education, according to a study, approximately 825 million learners were affected due to school closure in response to the pandemic. It's not only students who were affected by the school closure but teachers and families were also affected by closure and for sure this closure had some far reaching economic, psychological and societal consequences. Dr Satyajit Patil has rightly pointed out in his article published in 2022 -
This emergency strategy, nonetheless, seriously affected individuals at many levels - physical, emotional, mental, intellectual, moral, social, political, religious, economic, and educational. Due to the pandemic lockdown, every person was isolated from the other. The concept of “community” was shaken to the core. Alienation persisted everywhere. There was fear, frustration, tension, and anxiety. Literature produced during this period was not untouched by this all. In fact, it perceived and portrayed the mood of the moment fully as well as faithfully. (6)
We could see that every segment of our life; commercial establishment, food security, sports economy, religion, transport, tourism, employment entertainment etc. has been drastically affected by this coronavirus disease. Even our thinking patterns have begun to change. Dark shadow of this pandemic has reached the world of literature also. Writers have begun to create literature based on the theme of pandemic about the dystopian world that may possibly exist following this pandemic. The reason behind creating such literature was that the creators or writers of literature were also facing this dark period in their own way.
Literature is the mirror in which humanity can foresee his future because literature takes birth in human imagination and it is human imagination that paves the path of humanity to create its future. Somewhere imagination is based on someone's present conditions so to a certain part writers are bound to create literature that is directed by his or her own actual conditions of life. Same is the case with contemporary writers witnessing the pandemic. In an article, Rajat Chaudhuri, write about the impact of corona on contemporary literature-
In Shweta Taneja’s dystopian story “The Daughter that Bleeds” which is in the running for a major French award, women have become infertile in a post-apocalyptic India ravaged by bio wars. Fertile women are rare and are auctioned for marriage to the highest bidder. Manjula Padmanabhan’s novel Escape imagines a future India where women are the “Vermin” – because technology has provided an alternative route to reproduction, they are not required anymore. (web)
Changing circumstances lead to the change in thinking patterns and change in thinking patterns surely results in new trends in the creative reflections. In his article Dr K.V. Dominic has given examples of pandemic literature. He writes in his article titled ‘The Emerging Trends of Literature during COVID-19 Pandemic Period: A Global Perspective’ writes,
As literature is the study of people, their way of life, culture, tradition, nature and environment etc., the literature produced during the Covid-19 pandemic period is a new one, an emerging one which will flourish in the coming years. We have come across such pandemic literature during the Plague and Spanish Flu. Among such books, Giovani Boccaccio’s The Decameron and Albert Camus’ The Plague are classics. (2)
Therefore, the literature was also filled with the thoughts of the post Corona possible world. The conditions did not affect only the imagination of the writers but also the thinking patterns of the person on the street.
In India, just like the disaster of partition in 1947, this disaster is also going to leave an indelible scar on the heart of people. Everyone has his or her own stories filled with unforgettable pain and horror. who can estimate the plight of migrants who were forced to measure hundreds of miles on foot. Some of them lose everything; their family, even their own life. No one can understand the pain of the youngster who lost his or her job due to the pandemic and was forced to face the rootless situation. Anxiety resulting from this rootless situation has led so many youngsters to commit suicide. No one can understand the pain of the children who lost their parents and become orphans.
One of the contemporary literati Nadia Anwar says in her article that in the post covid literature world there will be a decline in the production of science fiction as the pandemic has raised a serious question about the utility and efficacy of the technology. She writes-
The desire to produce the literature of ‘realisation’ will prompt some writers to take an inward journey and find the answers to nature’s response to the deadliest virus on the planet Earth, the human virus. Covid-19 is has already been called the nature’s vaccine against the human virus. (Web)
On a more positive note, ecological concerns in literature will become more intense and prominent, a clarion call for writers to produce more literature related to healing of our planet dealing with issues like overpopulation, climate change, economic disparity, poverty and universal health care solutions. She goes on to say that there is a need to look at all the aspects of life together in a single perspective where human development, climate change and pandemics hold no separate identity but these are all the inseparable parts of our existence on earth. we cannot avoid one for the other. In other words, there is an urgent need for sustainable development.
Through trade and globalization, his avarice for luxury and wealth brought all countries together. A home devoid of affection is certain to collapse, and the coronavirus destroys all human hopes and dreams. All business empires fell apart like the US Twin Towers. A nation's growth that ignores the poor and majority cannot last for long, and nature responds. Rajat Chaudhuri writes in his article-
So the linkages between resource-plundering economies, habitat loss, climate change and disease are well known, which is why the calls for studying and addressing health (human and animal) and the environment together as a single issue should be heeded. As popular movements around climate change, propelled by Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future, are well established in the collective psyche, these might serve as a good vehicle for seeding the ground for larger mobilization in support of sustainable futures where concepts like a circular economy, zero-carbon lifestyles, sustainable cities, and eco-communalism, along with equity and social justice, may take centre stage. (web)
CONCLUSION
Everything has its reasons and consequences. So is the case with the corona pandemic. There are certain possible reasons responsible for this pandemic. We should not forget that every problem has solutions. Perhaps, the corona catastrophe is an indication that humanity is heading in the wrong direction. There is a need to ponder over every nuance of the present situation because every problem has in it the clues for its solution. Surely, the current pandemic is going to leave us with new skills, new mindsets, new priorities, new hopes, and new stories. Literature can play an important role in rebuilding the new optimistic world filled with new opportunities and in guiding humanity on the path of a better world to live in.
REFERENCE
- Anwar, Nadia. “Literature in a post Covid-19 world”, Literati. July 26, 2020
https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/690944-literature-in-a-post-covid-19-world
2. Banerjee Debanjan. "Social Isolation in Covid-19: The Impact of Loneliness". International Journal of Social Psychology, 2020.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7417975/
3. Chaudhuri, Rajat. “ What can literature tell us about the post-coronavirus world that lies beyond the dark mountains?” Apr 11, 2020.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.scroll.in/article/958764/what-can-literature-tell-us-about-the-post-coronavirus-world-that-lies-beyond-the-dark-mountains
4. Dominic, K.V. “The Emerging Trends of Literature during COVID-19 Pandemic Period: A Global Perspective.” in Creation and Criticism. Vol. 05, Joint Issue 18 & 19: July-Oct 2020
5. Patil, Satyajit T. Alienation and Isolation in the "Lockdown Literature" in Indian English: A Study of The Day Before Today: Lockdown Stories. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT) Volume 10, Issue 9 September 2022, ISSN: 2320-2882.
6. Solanki, Kalpesh Kumar. “A Study of Post Corona Scenario of World Literature Written in English with Special Reference to Thematic Concerns” in Vidhyayana. Volume 8, Special Issue 4, February 2023.
7. International Conference on Socio-Cultural Dimensions of English Studies. (P-5)
8. https://www.who.int/europe/activities/addressing-mental-health-and-covid-19. Web visited on 20-05-2024.