The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

Fluid Bodies, Liminal Selves: Rabindra Nritya as an Aesthetic of Becoming in Tagore’s Dance Dramas

Geeti Maity

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.66

Rejecting regulated postural syntax of Classical Dance forms, Rabindra Nritya emphasizes on the free-flowing body’s kinaesthetic continuity. Closely analysing Tagore’s dance dramas Chitrangada, Chandalika, and Shyama, this paper argues that Tagore frames the body as a repository of lived experiences being transformed into lyrical gestures. Maurice Merleau-Ponty in Phenomenology of Perception argues that "Our body is not an object; it is a grouping of lived-through meanings which moves towards its equilibrium." Tagore’s protagonists embody a body which is the primary medium through which life expresses itself. Their identity is evolving, not fixed as is argued by Deleuze & Guattari in A Thousand Plateaus that "Becoming is to enter a zone of proximity, indiscernibility, or intensity." This research engages discussions on fluid bodies and the transformative power of dance, reaffirming Tagore’s enduring relevance within global embodied performance studies.

Geeti Maity. “Fluid Bodies, Liminal Selves: Rabindra Nritya as an Aesthetic of Becoming in Tagore’s Dance Dramas.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 1042–1059. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.66.

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

A Tale of Two Kings: Arthur and Vikramāditya

Ragini Mishra

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.65

The legends of brave and chivalrous kings dominate medieval literature. However, only a few could achieve the timeless appeal and popularity of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Similarly, in the Indian tradition, the legendary King Vikramāditya (Vikram) is hailed as the epitome of an ideal emperor. Franklin Edgerton, in his introduction to the Harvard Oriental Series of Vikram’s Adventures or Thirty-Two Tales of the Throne, describes Vikram as one of the most prominent semi-historical or quasi-historical heroes of medieval India. He further observes that, "the stories all deal with the wonderful character and deeds of Vikrama, who is intended to serve as a kind of Hindu King Arthur, a model for real kings to follow." The comparison between Vikramāditya and Arthur suggests a shared archetype of the righteous and heroic monarch across cultures. In this paper, the author analyses the similarities between the Arthurian legends and the Vikram-Vetāl folktales.

Ragini Mishra. “A Tale of Two Kings: Arthur and Vikramāditya.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 1031–1041. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.65.

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

Psychological effects of dynamic stage lighting on audience engagement in theatre

Dhairya Jain

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.64

The purpose of this paper was to examine how dynamic stage lighting can influence audience engagement and psychological responses, which helps to understand the relationship between the lighting design and emotional experiences. This study has adopted a qualitative approach using secondary data sources. Data was collected using a chronological and thematic analysis focusing on historical development, technological advancements, and psychological effects of stage lighting. The findings indicate that stage lighting has evolved from a natural source of illumination to a technologically advanced and dynamic system. The study reveals that lighting is no longer limited to visibility but acts as a narrative and expressive tool, controlling elements such as intensity, colour, and focus to represent time, space, and emotion. The study concludes that dynamic stage lighting plays a very crucial role in the level of audience engagement and their emotional experiences.

Dhairya Jain. “Psychological effects of dynamic stage lighting on audience engagement in theatre.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 1007–1030. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.64.

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

The Everlasting Sorrow and Grief in the Poetry of Ali and Darwish.

Liaqat Nazir

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.63

The Post-colonial English poetry and regional poetry mark a departure from the imitative or derivative background of English poetry. It’s canvassing the harsh realities of the conflict like displacement, survival and identity. The present paper aims to analyse Agha Shahid Ali and Mahmoud Darwish, the two distinguished poets of modern times, whose poetry revolves around the theme of everlasting sorrow and grief. Despite the geographical and cultural gap that separates Agha Shahid Ali and Mahmoud Darwish, yet they share the loss of homeland, displacement of their people and loss of cultural identity. As a result, both Ali and Darwish led lives of bitter struggle, marked by personal and collective loss, making them the most representative poets of their people. The sense of everlasting sorrow is a complex phenomenon and is very difficult to define in one definition. However, this paper argues how the poetry of the both poets documents the suffering of their people and presents a lyrical history of their struggles.

Liaqat Nazir. “The Everlasting Sorrow and Grief in the Poetry of Ali and Darwish..” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 995–1006. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.63.

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

Resistance in the Select Stories of Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp

Mohd Faiez

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.62

The stories of Banu Mushtaq’s collection Heart Lamp are not about Kings or Queens rather they talk about common man who belongs to the last line. These stories are so much captivating that one cannot ignore them. Like William Wordsworth, Banu Mushtaq has also taken the subject matter from the common man’s life. Her characters also come from the real world where they can be seen often. This paper tries to study the select short stories from the perspective of gender where women of middle-class families resist at their level and tries to overcome the obstacles of dominance. This collection of short-stories has day to day issues related to common men. Somewhere there is role of gender due to which women resist and while doing so the inner voice tries to come out and shriek in different forms.

Mohd Faiez. “Resistance in the Select Stories of Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 984–994. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.62.

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

Love, Letters, and Propaganda: Print Culture and Intellectual Resistance in The Stationery Shop of Tehran

Anindita Janhabee Swaro

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.61

Resistance does not always come with guns and massacres. It often lies hidden in letters of love and pages of books. Marjan Kamali’s The Stationery Shop of Tehran (2019) presents a fascinating love story that is set against the 1953 Iranian coup d’état, one of the most consequential political crises in modern Middle Eastern history. This research paper analyses how the novel depicts print culture through books, letters, and classical Persian poetry and how it presents intellectual resistance against the state-sponsored propaganda. Drawing on Jürgen Habermas’s theory of the public sphere, Benedict Anderson’s concept of imagined communities, and media-theoretical frameworks developed by Jacques Ellul and Noam Chomsky, this research paper interprets the stationery shop as a microcosm of civic dialogue. The paper further employs memory theory from Marianne Hirsch and Svetlana Boym to argue that personal letters and diaspora narratives resist historical erasure.

Anindita Janhabee Swaro. “Love, Letters, and Propaganda: Print Culture and Intellectual Resistance in The Stationery Shop of Tehran.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 963–983. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.61.

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

An Urge for Reunion: Spiritual Longing in Rumi’s Song of Reed

Afroz Jahan

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.60

The Tale of the Reed, the opening section of the Masnavi, narrates the separation of the lover, symbolized by the reed, from the reed-bed, its original home in the divine presence of God. Scholars often regard this prelude as a summary of the major themes that recur throughout the Masnavi, particularly separation, longing, and reunion with the beloved. Because of its central role in Nay Namih, the reed becomes an important symbol for understanding both the poem and Rumi’s mystical thought. The reed symbolizes the soul’s painful separation from its source and its desire to return to divine unity. At the same time, the image of the reed reflects Rumi’s personal spiritual experiences, especially his relationship with Shams of Tabriz. Through poetry, Rumi transforms this experience into a universal meditation on love, loss, and transcendence. In Nay Namih, the lament of the reed expresses both ecstatic longing and suffering.

Afroz Jahan. “An Urge for Reunion: Spiritual Longing in Rumi’s Song of Reed.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 946–962. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.60.

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

Radha and the Feminine Mystique: Reinterpreting Myth in Finding Radha: The Quest for Love by Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal through the Lens of Intersectional Feminism

Ms. Merrishka Makinen, Prof. Lokdeshwar More

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.59

With centuries of literary and cultural legacy, Indian mythology has seen a steady yet revolutionary evolution of Radha. This paper explores the feminist interpretation of Radha embodied in Finding Radha: A Quest for Love (2018) in contrast with intersectionality, gender constructs, and socio-political realities. The study is concerned with moral/ethical judgment that has been bestowed upon women, as imagined in classical Indian society, and whether Radha’s character supports or subverts such ideologies. This article discursively analyses the performance of cross-dressing as a feminist ideal, challenging the application of queer theory to analyse agency, performativity, and transgressing ideas of gender. In addition, it explores erasure of their female counterparts in gendered ways and historical silencing, examining how Finding Radha reworks this narrative.

Ms. Merrishka Makinen, and Prof. Lokdeshwar More. “Radha and the Feminine Mystique: Reinterpreting Myth in Finding Radha: The Quest for Love by Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal through the Lens of Intersectional Feminism.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 920–945. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.59.

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

"Theorizing Magical Realism Postcolonialism and Postmodernism in Dialogue"

Partha Sarathi Mondal

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.58

Postcolonialism examines how colonial domination shaped socio-political, cultural, and economic realities, especially through the writings of authors from formerly colonized regions. Postmodernism, by rejecting positivism and absolutism, turns toward ambiguity, fragmentation, and stylistic experimentation. In this context, magical realism becomes an important postmodern form of narration, a fusion of magical and mundane. It is filled with intersections of postcolonial and postmodern issues. It enters into the everyday realm and integrates the supernatural or uncanny in order to revisit and deconstruct colonial histories and attempt to deal with the fractured, hybrid identities that the postcolonial condition has created. Simultaneously, it is also close to the postmodernism that seeks to challenge grand narratives and destabilize fixed truths. This paper proposes to explore fresh critical insights into both postcolonialism and postmodernism, offering a concise historical outline of magical realism across varied literary interpretations shaped by distinct cultural and historical settings.

Partha Sarathi Mondal. “Theorizing Magical Realism Postcolonialism and Postmodernism in Dialogue.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 901–919. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.58.

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The Criterion: An International Journal in English

Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

Wounds Beneath the Mask: Unprocessed Trauma and the Construction of Vigilante Identity in Batman Begins

Parul Srivastava

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.57

This article develops an interdisciplinary trauma-theoretical reading of Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005), asserting that Bruce’s development into Batman is not a story of overcoming unresolved childhood trauma rather a recurring psychic loop. Rather than achieving full recovery or integration, his vigilantism functions as a compulsive repetition of the original wound. The analysis draws on the concept of Sigmund Freud’s compulsion repetition, Judith Herman’s stages of recovery, Bessel van der Kolk’s ideas about how trauma is stored in the body, Dominick LaCapra’s contract between "acting out" and "working through," and Sara Ahmed’s theory of how affects such as fear spreads through people, objects, and spaces. Through close attention to the film’s nonlinear storytelling, recurring images of falling or descending, sound echoes like gunshots, and the recurring minor-third musical motif the essay shows how trauma shapes the film’s form.

Parul Srivastava. “Wounds Beneath the Mask: Unprocessed Trauma and the Construction of Vigilante Identity in Batman Begins.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 889–900. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.57.

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