Spark of cultural consciousness in the criticism of Acharya Ramchandra Shukla

Abstract

Acharya Ramchandra Shukla was the pinnacle of Hindi criticism. His main books are ‘History of Hindi Literature’, ‘Ras Mimansa’, ‘Goswami Tulsidas’, ‘Mahakavi Surdas’, ‘Chintamani’ and ‘Vishwa Prapanch’. He also edited ‘Jayasi Granthawali’ and ‘Nagri Pracharini Patrika’. The credit goes to him for writing the first systematic history of Hindi literature. He developed the scientific method of literary criticism of Hindi. We cannot study the history of Hindi literature properly without Acharya Ramchandra Shukla. His history of Hindi literature is unique and excellent in many ways. No other literary historian has been able to give such a vision of history which he has given. There are glimpses of originality in them. In the book 'Goswami Tulsidas', we get acquainted with many of his original installations. In ‘Chintamani-1’, he has said in relation to the poet – “The true poet is the one who knows the heart of the people, who can see the common heart of mankind amidst many specialties and strangeness.”