A STUDY OF THE LITERARY THEORIES OF ACHARYA RAMCHANDRA SHUKLA (CONTEXT: THE PINNACLE OF HINDI CRITICISM)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/ShodhSamajik.v3.i1.2026.88Keywords:
Acharya Ramchandra Shukla, Hindi Criticism, Lokmangal, Ras-Siddhant (Theory of Rasa), Chintamani, Hindi Sahitya ka Itihas, Literary PrinciplesAbstract
This research paper presents a systematic study of the literary principles of Acharya Ramchandra Shukla (1884–1941)—the pinnacle figure of Hindi criticism. Acharya Shukla was the first scientific historian of Hindi literature and a consummate critic who endowed the historiography of Hindi literature with a systematic, scientific methodology. Central to his literary principles is the concept of *'Lokmangal'* (Public Welfare), according to which the ultimate objective of literature lies in the well-being of the common people of society. In this study, his literary principles have been analyzed through the lens of his major works: *'Hindi Sahitya ka Itihas'*, *'Chintamani'* (Parts 1–2), *'Kavya mein Prakritik Drishya'*, *'Kavya Kya Hai'*, *'Ras Mimansa'*, and *'Bhav-Vichar'*. The study concludes that, by synthesizing the tradition of Indian Poetics with Western thought, Acharya Shukla presented an integrated literary philosophy that remains the cornerstone of Hindi criticism to this day.
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