Aesthetic Principles of Abhinavagupta and Hegel A Comparative Study With Special Reference to A Streetcar Named Desire and Gitanjali

Abstract

Aesthetics is a theory that acts as a touchstone to evaluate creator, reader, and literary work. It is one of the branches of philosophy that aims at laying down principles to analyse and assess the worth of literary works. It has a rich history in the East and the West. Indian aesthetics was established long ago than Western aesthetics, nonetheless, both have made recognisable contributions in shaping the discipline. The doyen critics of both worlds determine the link between literature and emotions. Abhinavagupta in Locana extensively deals with dhvani as a means to evoke rasa. He considers literature as an elevating, transforming, and liberating force that shall uplift mankind. The study of Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire through the lenses of dhvani theory helps in understanding the cryptic diction and emotional impact of the text. The playwright through his work successfully stimulates latent emotions in a reader. The applicational study leads to the novel interpretation of the play. Hegel in Lectures on Aesthetics identifies art as one of the mediums to reveal the Absolute. He emphatically affirms that poetry is the most spiritualised form of art that deepens the consciousness and awakens a reader. He expansively discusses epic, dramatic, and lyric poetry. The examination of Rabindranath Tagore s Gitanjali in the context of Hegelian aesthetics delineates its purpose and influence. It is a text of higher order that spiritually awakens and makes a reader remember the ultimate purpose of life. The cross-cultural approach attests universality of literature. The application of the Indian theory to the Western text and vice versa supports in discovering new dimensions of the selected texts. Additionally, the comparative analysis projects that the significant philosophical concepts exist in the oriental as well as occidental aesthetics. The juxtaposition of Abhinavagupta and Hegel s aesthetic theory which were propounded centuries apart shows that their aesthetic ideas meet at many points and diverge at some points. They both situate literature in a transcendental framework and believe that literature is a medium to promote the eternal Truth. newline