The Emergence and Contextual Background of Introductory Works on Literary Criticism in Tamil

தமிழில் இலக்கியத் திறனாய்வுசார் அறிமுக நூல்களின் வரவும் உள்ளடக்கப் பின்புலமும்

Abstract

In the Tamil context, scholars have acknowledged the existence of a traditional practice of literary criticism dating back to ancient times. However, this tradition is not connected with current literary paradigms such as Marxism, Modernism-Postmodernism, Structuralism-Poststructuralism, Postcolonialism, Dalit studies, Feminism, or Ecocriticism. Instead, it was reflected in areas like the printing of ancient Tamil literary manuscripts, source text research, the linguistic heritage of the Dravidian-Tamil community, chronological study of literary works, and the establishment of Tamil’s grammatical uniqueness. Hence, there was no immediate necessity for such modern theoretical frameworks in that period. Only recently has criticism emerged focusing on social, cultural, and political bases, especially emphasizing the need for ‘text’ beyond the creator or author and addressing reception theory. Likewise, it is undeniable that contemporary critical approaches influenced by these modern theories have become widespread in the study of ancient Tamil literature. Typically, analysis of any literary text increasingly reflects interpretations drawn from one or more theoretical frameworks. Given this context, an inquiry arises whether early critical texts articulated such theoretical readings and what their content reveals about the nature of criticism at that time. Additionally, understanding the literary positions of early critics who authored these works is necessary. This article is written based on that premise.