Author(s): Debabrata Adhikary

Abstract: The endeavour of the present paper is to trace the outlook of literature, and, also of the human culture, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Has literature lost its value and utility in the current troubled situation? Has Covid-19 announced the death-knell of literature and literary culture, in a country where they were fast receding; at least for quite a considerable period now? Or, should literature rather rise up to the occasion, and, try to evolve in a new form and manner to the human society; provide us with a new message, and shower us with new hope and new light amid the general gloom? If it does, then what can be the desired form/s? Is the concept of the ‘alienating self’ something new in literature and human culture, or, has it already been introduced to us through several literary texts? What are the possible advantages and drawbacks of self-alienation in society and human culture? How should the publication industry/publication market survive in such a critical time? If social distancing is the new norm and form of cultural (or, non-cultural) negotiations in an already distanced society, then, should literature try to focus on that in the present scenario? But how?

Keywords: literature, alienation, social distancing, regional, cocoon, self-protective, other etc.

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.53.37