The Mirth of Dejection

Aashka Jain

Description

The Mirth of Dejection is an eye opening compilation of short stories that will bamboozle you with its intricacies. The beauty of this book lies in the unique concept of the “Reinvention of Literature” that the author has marvelously presented in her stories. While the language and writing pattern is akin to that of a classic literature, the theme of the stories deals with contemporary settings so as to ensure that the readers of all generations can relate to them. You will discover such eloquence and an enriching vocabulary within, along with some bonus texts for you to read!

Sujets

• Young Adult
• Literature
• Philosophy
• Short story
• Romance
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Partridge Publishing India
• Date de parution: 07 juin 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781543709087
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE MIRTH OF DEJECTION
 
A REINVENTION OF LITERATURE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
AASHKA JAIN
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2023 by Aashka Jain.
 
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-5437-0910-0
 
Softcover
978-1-5437-0909-4
 
eBook
978-1-5437-0908-7

 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
 
 
 
www.partridgepublishing.com/india
About the author
Aashka Jain is a young, rebellious writer who is unimposingly opinionated and loves exploring life from different perspectives. This 19-year-old is a staunch feminist and allows her readers to unapologetically alter their reactionary mind-set. Her brutally honest and thought provoking stories often stir emotions within the hearts of people and her poetry is often filled with great epiphanies. Aashka is an experienced content writer who has worked for eminent sites associated with food, lifestyle and child psychology as she also happens to be a psychology minor. She is a member of the International Poetry open mic and would perform weekly. A philosophy enthusiast, this author holds five certificates for co-authoring in various anthologies and has mastered the art of teaching with the experience of training young children to grow up to be excellent content writers. With an unprecedented vocabulary and a love for literature, this author loves experimenting with different writing styles and always strives to come up with something unique.
Introduction
“ The mirth of dejection” is a compilation of short stories that revolve around themes of feminism, philosophies of life and the sweet delusions we thrive in. Carrying a deep tenor, these stories will make you question the vicissitudes of life and love. Contemporary issues have been incorporated in these parables, successfully conveyed through a typical literary style of writing. The language and vocabulary are homogenous to that of a classical literature, only with a more relatable locution. Some stories will ignite a flame of hope within your bosom, some will cup their metaphorical palms to protect it while the rest will blow a gush of wind and put out that fire of comfort and optimism. This book consists of 14 short stories, all carrying a depth and an abysmal yet discoverable meaning. I would recommend you skip the synopsis pertaining to all the stories and save it for after you’ve read the actual texts since these contain spoilers and are meant to help you understand the true interpretations of the stories.
Synopsis
The first story “Alive” revolves around a forlorn man who falls in love with a woman named “Miss Sanchez”. The setting of the story is in a commercial office and is being narrated by the protagonist. The man has already gotten his heart broken once by his ex-wife who also happens to be a part of the story and this has left him with a certain experience of women. Despite his hopelessness, he is aware of his feelings towards Miss Sanchez and fails to conceal them. Miss Sanchez has been portrayed as an uptight woman with an unmentionable beauty and a deep, philosophical mind. She resists his indirect proposals to go out with him and justifies it with the explanation that it isn’t truly love that he is encountering in the moment, it is his loneliness that he wants to eradicate and therefore it might not be just for them to get together as it will only lead to a heartbreak. His ex-wife is a now wedded to a man named Greg and they happen to be hosting a dinner at their house. Naomi considers this a great opportunity for her ex-husband to meet Greg who would now be the father of their son. He is expected to bring a date which he is quite keen on since he wants to create envy among the men and within Naomi’s heart. He asks Miss Sanchez if she would like to accompany him. She replies rather abstractedly and in the end its clear that she’s not interested. She does not think their relationship would be realistic. Accepting his fate, he turns around to leave and finds himself looking for someone who just called out his name. It is Miss Sanchez who, seemingly having a moment of epiphany says, “I don’t think us being together is realistic, but I don’t want my life to be real, I want it to be alive.” This is how their romance commences and then the story is fast forwarded to their anniversary a few years later. Naomi and Greg are also invited and there’s a beautiful cake sitting on the table with a word written in frosting on the top, “Alive”. This is where the story ends.
The second story “Withering Passions” majorly revolves around women and their adversities. The main theme of this story is feminism and how women are expected to act in a typical conventional society. The protagonist of this story is a woman who has been facing backlash for not being able to cater to the needs of her partner. She is expected to act dumb and devoid of any wisdom. When she refuses to oblige, her partner commits suicide so that the society blames her for his death all her life and she has to live with the guilt of having taken a life, albeit not quite literally. This short fable commences with the words, “If I die, it’s on you”. The protagonist’s partner uttered this statement shortly before he died. The narrator wonders how she didn’t end up in a casket because she was the discernible victim in this situation. However, being a woman, she’s expected to take responsibility for his death and even her own mother does not side with her. She knows there is no meaning to her life anymore but she desires a life wherein her dress isn’t as plain as it is, her ceiling isn’t as withered as it is, the garden isn’t as sad as it is and that the man she meets in the garden isn’t a stranger to her anymore. She happens to ask her mother how she will ever fall in love again knowing that anyone could hurt her as deeply as her deceased partner did. In the end she does fall in love with the gentleman in the garden without realizing that she was still capable of falling for someone, even a total stranger. Love works in strange ways.
A figmental joy is a story that revolves around an undiagnosed schizophrenic. The protagonist of the story is portrayed as uneducated and orthodox and therefore doesn’t believe in going to a psychiatrist. The story starts with the description of his wife and house, the former being a problematic woman with peculiarly assertory qualities and the latter being a cosy and modest habitat. The wife keeps insulting him and calls him a “hog” since he only eats and sleeps and thinks he is not fit for work since he is not mentally stable. He happens to stumble upon a job opportunity in a meat shop and his curiosity gets the best of him. He makes it very clear to the owner that he is “not right in the head” and like every piqued human, the owner wants to know what exactly is wrong with his head. He replies in his typical philosophical manner implying that he is happy to live in ignorance and delusions since life is dull without his imagination. In the end he makes a surprising revelation; it so happens that he is very much aware that the major things in his life like the fear of military men and his wife don’t really exist. But he continues to believe that since the sorrows of life do not affect him and he sees a glorified version of life.
A vocation that ends up being a failure is often subject to tremendous despair and that sorrow has been conveyed in this particular story- Fewer Still Prevail through an unexpected experience that an artist indulges in. His art is the epitome of loneliness and dejection for he has never been truly satisfied with his life, he has never experienced jubilation and has accepted his fate. Another man; a barely-known poet who is the striking opposite of this artist in terms of disposition approaches him and attempts at striking a deal which would prove to be fruitful to the both of them. However, the artist cannot wrap his head around the nonsense that this poet is blurting for he is incapable of acting upon what the poet is asking of him. Despite being an artist, he lacks the versatility to be able to paint something colourful and exuberant. He refuses the poet’s offer stating that he couldn’t paint something he has never experienced. The poet leaves without complaining. A month later, he comes across a book that looks quite attractive and the title happens to be suspiciously familiar. The story has an open ended closing.
Pennies Worth of Goodwill is a short story that focuses on a man named Miles belonging to a wealthy family who has practically every materialistic resource one could ever think of, yet he’s inexplicably unhappy. He happens to be quite competitive in nature and enjoys being the wealthiest in town and for that very reason when someone adverts to one of his acquaintances as having achieved a great monetary advantage, he often grows insecure rather than exhibiting exultation for his friends. He does not want anyone to steal his spot but it so happens that one of his clo