Sublimity in Literature

After the success of his heart touching book like "Life In The Sun Shine" Sathish Thiruvenkataswamy, a prolific author, once again dips his quill in the ink with his latest book "Long Run". The book is a greatly captivating work of fiction which throws immense light on the doctrine of fatalism and a man's struggle to defeat the mighty forces of brutal destiny. The major part of the narrative depicts the professional life of Raghu Santhanam who reaches the pinnacle of success and glory with his steely resolve and indomitable courage. But all is not smooth sailing for our chief protagonist. Here, I am pertinently reminded of Thomas Hardy who remarks in his famous novel 'The Tess of the d'Urbervilles' that the hounds of devious destiny are always at prowl to pounce upon man and upset the apple cart of his life. Somewhat similar is the fate of our hero who meets with a major road accident in which he is deprived of his eyesight.

It is the cusp point from where the second phase of the struggle of the chief character begins. The readers will certainly relish this particular segment of the novel where Raghu makes his several assiduously attempts to rebuild his life from the scratch and goes on a search to find the love of Anu. Yes, the book is also quite consummately leavened with the element of romance and love. Here, it would not be sagacious on the part of a reviewer to reveal the final outcome of the love life of the protagonist. Therefore, It should be left to the readers to explore the amorous aspect of his life. If we dwell upon the art of characterisation, we would definitely admire the author for adhering to the principle of probability and reliability propounded by Aristotle in his magnum opus work 'Poetics'. Closely following the exhortations of the great Greek scholar, the novelist has infused the elements of probability and reliability to a greater degree in all of his characters. It is his creative impulse and subtle craftsmanship which makes his men and women resonate well the readers. As EM Foster has classified the characters of a fiction into two main categories of flat and round characters, the persona of our hero fits into the block of the round characters. Unlike flat characters, he undergoes a drastic transformation in the course of the entire narrative.

It would also be prudent to extol the author for his commendable linguistic competence. Though the book contains a smattering of jargon pertaining to the financial world, the language of the novel a whole is easy to comprehend. The fluidity in the syntax makes it all the more appealing as it convincingly casts its spell on the common readers. The imaginative faculty of the novelist is indeed praiseworthy in all of its aspects. With the fecundity of his fertile imagination the novelist transports the readers into the world of a financial expert fund manager who cockles the hearts of a many with the varied hues of his struggle ridden life. To conclude, the book is a must read for all the segments of the fiction aficionados.