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#Admissions2022: Course Profile- Psychology Honours

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Psychology Honours is a degree that allows you to find meaning everywhere. One can relate to these psychological theories, question them, and observe their relevance every day. Here’s psychology at Delhi University!

About the Course

If you wish to understand people, their conduct, and the relationships between them, Psychology
might just be the right subject for you.

What pushed me to study this subject was The Psychosexual Theory by Sigmund Freud, though after gaining more knowledge I have a disagreement with this theory now.

Ananya Tripathi, a second-year student from Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women.

Refer here for the syllabus.

Previous Year Cut-offs

Refer to the following links for 2021 cut-offs:

Which Colleges Offer this Course?

The University of Delhi offers Honors in Psychology in many of its colleges, like Aryabhatta College,Bharti College, Daulat Ram College, IP College for Women, Jesus and Mary College, Kamala Nehru College, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Mata Sundri College for Women, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women, and Zakir Husain Delhi College.

Potential Career Options

The future prospects of a Psychology graduate are tremendous and exciting. One can work as a
counsellor in school/college. One can also venture into HR, research, advertising, market research,
social work in NGOs. It offers students to become a psychotherapist, sports psychologist, fashion psychologist, a developmental psychologist, child psychologist, clinical psychologist, or chartered
psychologist.

Overall, Psychology is a vivid subject, one must go to depths to develop interest. Once you start
reading it, things would start to make sense, which would help to provide an explanation for a lot of things.

What do Students have to Say About the Course?

The course is certainly time-consuming, and requires quite a bit of effort, but if psychology is something that genuinely interests you then you’ll pull through. My favourite portion of the curriculum is most certainly the practicals. However, I will say this, you will be dependent on the professors to a certain degree, no matter much you study on your own.

anonymous

Read Also: #Admissions2022: Course Profile- BMS

Featured Image Credits: MOOC

Naina Priyadarshi Mishra

[email protected]

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Do Revenge: A Two-Hour Caffeine High

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*This was originally published in Volume 16, Issue 6 of DU Beat

High school drama in a neat, saturated, entertaining packet (tied together with a shiny bow, of course)

The best way to describe Do Revenge is that- it all just fits. Taking on the triple threat of making a self-aware high school comedy with purposeful stereotypes and liberally sprinkled “woke” phrases could’ve resulted in another pretentious, unwatchable, unnecessary Netflix movie. Instead, what we got is a highly entertaining, compulsively watchable piece of work with all the potential to become a teen genre staple.

It starts with a strong ending, a classic tale of a group of rich brats dropping their not-so-rich friend the minute it’s not fun anymore, inspiring the now estranged protagonist to seek out revenge and make unlikely allies along the way. The duo of the scorned Drea Torres (portrayed wonderfully by Camila Mendes and the new girl with a past, Eleanor (brought to life by Maya Hawke) has just the right amount of charisma and chemistry to keep you hooked. The entire cast embodies their role perfectly. The one-dimensional mean girls, the yes-man best friend of the bad guy, the rich but doesn’t care for any of it, the two-faced antagonist, and his quiet, shy sister. Again, in keeping with the running theme here, it all fits, and it all works.

Now, there isn’t necessarily anything here that will wow the critics; sure, it’s all been done. The over-the-top dialogues, the camp outfits, the absurd exuberance, all eclipsed by the frustrations of the underdog we’re supposed to see ourselves in; all of this has been done. Drea is a hard-working, scholarship student dreaming of walking the coveted Ivy halls, and Eleanor is a cool, mysterious outcast who gets sucked into the world of cliques and status. They team up to take down their enemy, and in a classic Cady Heron twist, Drea becomes an over-obsessive person, incapable of being (or wanting to be) a good friend and Eleanor loses herself in the Gatsby of it all. 

However, there is a third-act twist that, in my humble opinion, possibly no one will be able to predict. It toes the line of dark humor and deep-stated homicidal perfectly, ending with moral realizations and satisfactory conclusions (if not happily ever afters).

One of the primary achievements of the film is its portrayal of the importance of social justice constructs in public spaces, while also making a mockery of the way it has been co-opted and diluted by the internet.

 The music choices perfectly align with the taste of the audience the movie is marketed towards, and so is the wardrobe. Throughout the film, the actors sashay around in a regalia of clothing so vibrant that you can’t help but feel the urge to scour the internet for duplicates. While the majority of the film has been shot on a warm color palette, it doesn’t shy away from incorporating shades of wintery gloom during moments of conflict, without being brazenly obvious. While modern teen movie script-writers have a tradition of being blissfully out of touch with the current lingo, this time around the dialogues are bearable, good even. 

The movie is loosely based on Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Strangers on a Train’, but it plays out more like an homage to all the movies currently residing in the teen drama hall of fame. And if all this still hasn’t convinced you, maybe the promise of a stellar soundtrack and a Sophie Turner cameo will.

Naina Priyadarshi Mishra

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Is the Counsel Innocent or Guilty?: The Lawyer’s Conundrum

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Can we ever ascertain if a lawyer defending someone who is guilty is a greedy, cold, criminal or just another person doing their job? It seems impossible because, well, it probably is.

You can never truly anticipate what seemingly mundane events of a regular Wednesday will end up leaving a profound impact on you, which is why it feels strange to write this knowing the inspiration comes from a fight I had with my father. He was just making conversation, getting ready to leave for work when he just happened to say that he had been offered the case of man accused of fowl, inappropriate behaviour. To his surprise, and mine, this somehow sent me into an existential frenzy. Suddenly, I was living a life where my father (a criminal lawyer) was defending, well, criminals. I could not reconcile with the duality of his existence, as my father and as a person who (sometimes) defends bad people. What followed was an argument that fizzled out after the client backed out (and subsequently restored peace in our household).  However, this moment of doubt about whether or not my father’s job was morally unobjectionable made me take a rather hard look at the field of law in its entirety. Are lawyers good people? Is law ethical?

After quite a bit of research, I still have not arrived at a conclusive answer. Ethics are principles that distinguish the good, the bad and the ugly. Laws are, supposedly, enforced to maintain goodwill. Violating a law will land you in jail, which indicate a slender grasp on the whole concept of ethics and good moral values, etc. And yet, in their day-to-day execution and application, law practioners end up at odds with what is ethical and right. As a person on the outside looking in, anyone who is knowingly and willingly defending the honor of a guilty person is clearly in the wrong.

“Presumed innocent until proven guilty”

-Sir William Garrow, 1791

And this is where all the lines start to blur up, because, the undeniable fault of anyone defending someone of a crime they did, in fact, commit, and the right to counsel being universally essential are both simultaneously true. Without a trial, neither innocence nor guilt can be proved and this requires lawyers to rely more on detached pragmatism and professionalism and less on moral ethos. But does that make them bad people?

“The whole foundation of our legal structure is based on the maxim that ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ An advocate, as an officer of the court is bound not only by this but also by the Advocates Act which states that without justifiable cause a counsel shall not refuse brief of any client/litigants/accused on the presumption of him being guilty. Even article 21 of our constitution provides that no person shall be denied right to life or personal freedom with due procedure of law.”

-Adv. Naman Mishra, practicing criminal lawyer, Courts of Delhi

“Public prosecutors are public authorities who, on behalf of society and in the public interest, ensure the application of the law where the breach of the law carries a criminal sanction, taking into account both the rights of the individual and the necessary effectiveness of the criminal justice system”

 To counter the actions of a criminal defendant, we have public prosecutors. Once again, from an outsider’s point of view, someone fighting to attempt the to prove the guilt of someone who could very well be guilty, seems to be the bigger, better person. But this scenario, too, flips, in the case of someone who turns out to have been wrongly accused. Here, our good ol’ criminal lawyer emerges a hero. Neither party can seem to stick to any status for long, and end up oscillating between both.

“As an agent of the judicial process, ensuring that those deserving punishment don’t go scot-free definitely makes you feel empowered and on a higher moral plank but in reality, both me and the defence lawyer are just following what is right and clearly defined in the Advocates’ Act as to what is the role and responsibility of a counsel. This image that a defence lawyer is attempting to prove innocence of the guilty strips away a lot of depth and dynamic from the situation and should be avoided”

-A public prosecutor from Patiala House Court, Delhi, who requested anonymity

While criminal lawyers are the most frequently topics discussions like this, legal players of the corporate should not be overlooked. More often than not, a crime involves two parties. On the other hand, the sheer magnitude of the ramifications of a financial misdemeanour blankets so many parties, it is almost impossible to keep count. The verdicts of such cases tends to put into effect a cycle of betterment or ruination. And again, the character on any lawyer involved gets drenched in a big question mark.

“It is natural to be curious of whether people like me feel guilty at times while defending corporate moneybags who have been accused of crimes like tax evasion, bank loan default, which essentially is public money, and other scams.  Well…..a corporate client is just like any other client be it from a civil dispute or a criminal charge or even family discord. Like all other accused he/she deserves able representing in court of law and all other attributes of a fair trial. To presume that somebody is guilty by virtue of being rich is turning the essence of law upside down and doing grave injustice to this hallowed institution of justice. Yes, as lawyers, we do need to see that we don’t become an instrument in the hands of an accused and an accomplice in any injustice committed but then our education and our training has equipped us with the necessary weaponry to negotiation our way without compromising on professional ethics”

-Sanjay Batra, corporate lawyer, High Court of Delhi

Being a good lawyer demands detachment from any emotive motivations. Being a good lawyer demands that, unless and until you are in a situation where you cannot objectively devote yourself fully to the matter at hand, you cannot refuse someone who approaches you. Being a good lawyer demands that you defend bad people. The only inference that can be derived from this is that for there to be an overlap between good lawyers and good people, the parameters need to be slightly altered.

The primary context of whatever has been said so far is an outsider’s perspective, people for whom incidents like these are mere headlines. When you stand to lose or gain from the verdict of a trial, who is the underdog you root for? Is the person on the stand an innocent victim of circumstance? Or is it someone for whom ‘consequence’ has been interchangeable with ‘money’? Is the public prosecutor truly representing the everyday man, attempting to correct imbalance caused by skewed resources? Or is the criminal lawyer a vigilante of sorts, striving to protect the innocence of an innocent?

“I remember reading about some popular criminal case, people were taking sides and the majority had made up their mind that the defending party is guilty. The outcome of the case was not guilty. Does that mean the defendant was really not guilty or were they just rich enough to afford the best counsel and walk away without a scratch despite being guilty? While we do know that it is a lawyer’s job to provide the right counsel to their client and do their best to prove their innocence, would it be wise for a lawyer to represent a client who they know might be guilty. I am not saying that the lawyers shouldn’t provide representation to people who “seem guilty”, because there might be a chance that they are in fact innocent. Our constitution works on the presumption of innocence, “innocent until proven guilty”, so it is up to the prosecution to prove the defendant’s crime and the defence to prove their client’s innocence. (Something about burden of proof.) There is a very fine line that the lawyer has to tread in this case, and whatever they choose to do, in my opinion, does not say anything about them as an individual as they are just doing their job.”

-A second year DU student who requested to remain anonymous

So far, it seems, any lawyer who is true to his profession cannot remain true to his moral values. Then, ideally, the second-best option is to be an ethical lawyer (not person, lawyer). For once, we can consult the conventional mandates of right and wrong without ending ourselves up in an eternal conundrum. The only way someone fighting against the very fundamental of right and wrong can strive for redemption is to be honest in the process. Deal with witnesses fairly, do not tamper with evidence, ensure in any way you can that the integrity of the trial and the investigation isn’t compromised.

While all this would certainly exempt a person from any ethical misdeed on paper, the question of whether lawyers are, in essence, truly good people or instruments of crime and societal menace is something we will continue to wrestle with, at least for the foreseeable future.

 

Naina Priyadarshi Mishra

 

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DUB Review: Only Murders in the Building- As close as it Gets to Perfect

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Only Murders in Building has returned to us with a second season that is better than the last. Read more to find out.

 

The plot has officially thickened and this time, our favourite podcasters have ended up in the line-up. That’s right, Mabel Mora, Oliver Putnam, and Charles Haden-Savage are prime suspects. The seemingly odd combo of Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin functions like a well- oiled machine, and the trio will make you stick to your screen from start to finish. Right from the first minute, we are thrust into the murder of perhaps the only person in the Arconia more hated than Tim Kono- Bunny. The very first scene shows Mabel standing over Bunny’s dead body with her signature knitting needle doused in blood and it just ramps up from there.

The cast, not just the main three but the entire cast, every single person that shows up on the screen for no matter how little, it’s all nothing less than perfect. And of course, Selena, Martin, and Steve stun in their respective roles.

 

Yet, despite all the glitz that the show possesses in abundance, it’s the story that shines through. Continuing with the narrative style of the first one, every episode follows the main plotline from the perspective of a different Arconia resident and manages to add depth to the narrator and the story in one swing. One of the standouts for me personally, is how warm the show is. The colours, the background music, and even the fade-to-black sequences. One of the primary grudges I bear with modern television is how enhanced videography has turned every frame so dull and cold, utterly devoid of colour. But ‘Only Murders’ is refreshingly alive.  With merely three episodes , the show has cemented its return as triumphant, further securing its place as the perfect recommendation, worthy of tuning in every week.

 

Naina Priyadarshi Mishra

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Breaking Down the DU Aesthetic

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The tote bags, the kurtas, the jhumkas, the sandals, the Sarojini of it all!

Diversity is possibly the primary thing that counts as a niche when it comes to DU. While it is claimed proudly, the inherent urge of wanting to belong and recognize another as one of your own has quite conveniently led to one of the most diverse and heterogeneous institutions developing its own separate, sense of style.

Beginning with the one that has aesthetic pages in a universal chokehold, the tote bag. While, in my own humble opinion, backpacks are more convenient, tote bags have gained popularity by targeting the need to be seen as individuals. Instead of a generic-looking backpack of primary colors and zips, tote bags can be customized to reflect your politics, your interests, or your favorite Taylor Swift lyric. (Also, for us introverts, isn’t it convenient to have something to hold?)

This arm accessory, which goes well with everything, is frequently paired with a kurta. It can be simplistic or bold, plain or intricate, and not expensive. From Sarojini to Lajpat, shops abound in every color and design you can think of, all for a low price (lower still, if you know how to haggle).

And of course, no good outfit is complete until it is complemented by the right footwear. Flip-flops, sandals, and sports shoes are the most prevalent kinds on any varsity, and with good reason. People often underestimate just how much of college life is essentially just walking. And as much as I’d like to show up in fabulous boots, just the idea of having to endure that pain that excruciating is enough to make me reconsider. Style loses yet another battleground to comfort and sandals reign as the supremely preferred and situationally appropriate choice of shoes.

Once your basics are good to go, in comes jewelry. Rings, bangles, oxidized jhumkas, the works. Just pop on one (or all) before leaving your house and you will have succeeded in guising yourself as a DU student.

And despite all these, the best part of the DU aesthetic is its affordability. Of course, you’re free to turn up in your Louis Vuitton but know that Sarojini is going to the showstopper. While money doesn’t dim entirely here (or anywhere), any judgement you might get from strangers in the corridors does not exist.

It’s impressive how the massive student body has found a style in which they can all come together and exist as one, while also retaining their individual identities and celebrating them as often as they can.

Naina Priyadarshi Mishra

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

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Tracing Fault Lines: Queerness and Disability

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“It’s not their fault.” How about, “It’s not a fault?”

 

“Hate is loud, but I think you’ll learn it’s because it’s only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as you remember you’re not alone, you will overcome.”

-T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea

 

Even the most benevolent of people, more often than not, slip up and refer to any sexual orientation other than strictly heterosexual as a flaw. In recent times, we have witnessed staunchly religious institutions introduce leniency and open mindedness in the form of ‘Hate the sin, not the sinner’ ideology and while it might appear to be a new and improved outlook, it is the exact opposite. Just like stereotypes about masculinity, femininity, strength, etc. are bad, this line of thinking is just as harmful. Treating queerness as an issue that cannot be resolved perpetuates the idea that it is a problem, a defect. Even if people don’t fall anywhere on the spectrum of the ‘normal’ mandates that seem to have all of us in a chokehold, that doesn’t mean necessarily make them abnormal.

The thought that these things need to and can ‘fixed’, that it’s just a bout of teenage rebellion for someone scared of tattoos a temporary phase that shall pass, this is what drives places as terribly cruel as conversion camps. It’s a person’s identity and it should not be up for debate. ‘It’s their own fault’ is what turned AIDS into as big a crisis as it was. Helpless people were not only left to die, they were also blamed for it

 

People also go on to define homosexuality as symptomatic of neuro-divergence and it’s time that these people are stopped. Because, while in their own self-righteous consciousness, they are saving and restoring the delicate fabric of society, what they are actually doing is making life more difficult for disabled queer people by intensifying the dual stigma they have to face on a regular basis.

Notions like these aren’t always expressed with an intent to insult or harm. Sometimes, they force their way into speech as time old habit, listened and learned. But a conscious choice to stop them, toss them out and reject them is vital. The radicalized population inhabiting twitter and Instagram might make it seem like the tide of change has done its job but the reality of people wrapping themselves up in their flags at a pride parade while their half hidden with masks is evidence enough that we need to evolve.

 

“Sometimes our prejudices colour our thoughts when we least expect them to. If we can recognise that, and learn from it, we can become better people.”

-T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea

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Bridgerton S2: The Epitome of Perfect Sequels

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*This was originally published in Volume 15, Issue 18 of DU Beat

To begin, season 2 of Bridgerton outdid the first one marvelously, no small feat considering Rege-Jean Page who plays Duke Simon, did not return.

The Netflix original, created by Chris van Dusen based on the book series of the same name (by Julia Quinn) caused an even bigger internet storm this time, and rightfully so. This season took everything that made its predecessor amazing and did it better. The costumes, the setting, and the dialogues are all impeccable and impossibly alive. Even though all the overdramatization and the ridiculous worries were signs of the time, it pulls you in and makes you long for the overly critical neighbours, the gowns and balls, the minor slights capable of causing social scandals and of course, Lady Whistledown.

Almost every Bridgerton sibling this season has a storyline of substance that ensures you’re at the edge of your seat every minute. Benedict, at last finds courage to pursue his artistic passions, and Collin realizes he needs a passion to pursue. Eloise not only serves as a respite from the intense romantic plotline but also goes through tribulations of her own that contribute to her character growth wonderfully. Her search for the true identity of Lady Whistledown taken her to places (and people) her societal peers would frown upon.

The Sharma family has scandals of their own to move on from while trying to find a suitable husband for the youngest daughter Edwina, and the elder sister Kate takes this task upon herself. And so her path begins crossing with Anthony, the viscount and this season’s most eligible bachelor. Anthony starts out just as insufferable this time but unlike season 1, even the harshest critiques will be forced to sympathize with him as we go through the motions from his perspective. Turns out, his stubbornness and his overbearing interferences are as much an annoyance to him as they are to everyone around him but as the man of the house, he’s just doing what he thinks is expected and right.

The pride and all the prejudice embedded in all eight episodes coupled with the development and culmination of Kate and Anthony’s love story takes us through a rollercoaster ride while somehow also managing to give depth to both characters. All of the previous season’s loose strings were neatly tied up and sufficient groundwork was laid for next season’s conflict. All this was accomplished while the orchestra played beautiful, classical renditions of Alanis Morrissett (among others). On a personal note, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham during the Haldi ceremony was spectacular.

With a diverse cast (an improvement from the books) and racism glanced over very briefly for over ten seconds in the previous season, this show makes for a perfect escapist fantasy. All in all, the second season of Bridgerton not only managed to live to the expectations but also met and set new marks of grandeur and ensured that its audiences anticipates and awaits the next season eagerly.

Naina Priyadarshi Mishra

 

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An Ode to Simpler Times: School Uniforms in College?

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Was that school uniform the right aesthetic? Trashy or trendy? Maybe that white starched shirt wasn’t so bad.

Wearing the same school uniform day after day for years was possibly the worst part of my morning, second only to getting up at 6:30 a.m. the monotonous colours, socks in peak summer heat and the omnipresent tie that was a bit too tight, it was tedious and terrible. And this is why, picking out an outfit for the first day of college felt liberating, being able to wear more than two primary colours at time, comfortable shoes, maybe even a headband (if you’re that way inclined), it was a long awaited breath of fresh air. Adding a little more to the dramatics here, walking around campus and looking at the first day ensembles, clothes seemed like a form self-expression, deeper and more philosophical than just appearance.

Now, about 5 business days into classes and utterly clueless about what I’m going to wear tomorrow, I take all of that back. As these things tend to go, the high did not last and now I long to revert back to the days of everyone wearing the exact outfit every single day. Those were simpler, underappreciated times. Clothes should not be such a hassle but somehow they’ve upgrade to being a full task that needs to be dealt with the night before. Does this look alright? Is it too much? What is the acceptable number of days after which you can repeat an out? And why does everyone seemingly wear something different every day?

Every single person I’ve come across seems to have a unique sense of style that they execute flawlessly. Chic, glamorous, hipster, subtle classic, trendy, traditional, you name it. It’s all there and it’s all gorgeous. It is also very enjoyable to watch and admire these strangers carrying themselves with confidence and class. It is also a bit daunting and unnerving while deciding what to wear.

But, to be reasonable here, I’m sure this is a predicament all of us who are new to “wear whatever you want” game are in. While there is not a manual, there are some unspoken guidelines that are in place and followed. I feel like we, as a collective, have moved past judging people based on their clothes. The sheen of brands from far off lands, while still reflective, isn’t as alluring, especially now that hitting Sarojini and bargaining have become a rite of passage.

Maybe it all gets more laid back with each semester and nobody has enough time to even register what the other person is wearing, or maybe they aren’t doing it now either and I’m just a little too in my head about thing. After all, with almost two years of lockdown, it’ll take a while get back into the swing of face-to-face interactions and wearing jeans. Whichever the case maybe, dear old school uniform, in all your plain and monotonous glory, you will be missed.

Naina Priyadarshi Mishra    

 

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The Dark Academia Society

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The hashtag, the reading list, the playlist, the iced coffee and that’s about it.

An aesthetic, that’s the end of the spectrum where Dark Academia now lives and
thrives. It has a specific style of clothing associated with it, certain music,
Instagram filters and if it’s your aesthetic of choice, chances are, you already
know what I’m talking about. Either way, it’s nothing five minutes and a Pintrest
mood board won’t make you an expert on. But, it wasn’t always merely an
aesthetic. Yes, the clothes and all were still a huge part of it, it used to have a little
more substance than that.
The deepest dive into the origins of dark academia (every article
up to the fourth page of Google results) accredits ‘The Secret History’ by Donna
Tartt published in 1992 as the book that gave birth to the original idea. If you
haven’t read the book, it’s about a bunch of kids in a big fancy, college and
someone gets murdered. Over time, the idea broadened to incorporate movies
like ‘Dead Poets Society’ and ‘Kill Your Darlings’ as part of its vital literature.
At the very base of all these books and movies is a running theme,
which is what dark academia was initially about. People who enjoyed their
intellectual pursuits, connoisseurs of thick books and artsy films who lived their
lives in sepia tones and trench coats, dark academics, if you will. It’s true, they
took simple things that probably we all did and turned them into an act, that if
you read certain things in a certain light, you would not be one of the many
anymore but that was the appeal. It had already found a home as a hashtag on
Tumblr in 2015 and those posts are still available for perusal, the relics of a time
gone by.
And then, in 2020 (Ah, yes, that year! Remember that?) came the
lockdown and with it, the rise of TikTok. And as all things look better in the rear
view, so did school. While students all over the world were stuck at home,
someone somewhere had the idea to romanticize school and boy, did it take off.
What is perhaps the most interesting thing about dark academia is that the kind
of experience that is being imagined and the, once again, imagined loss of it that’s
fuelling the social media hype is something most people have never actually
experienced. Autumn leaves that crunch perfectly under your feet, reading for hours by a fireplace, not drowning in assignments, a picture perfect, college experience that is not hectic (or real) at all.
And because of how far removed from reality it is, even though it did start
out as a group of people who found studying entertaining, it has now been
reduced vintage looking Instagram filters, layered clothing in various shades of
back and beige and Lorde.

Naina Priyadarshi Mishra

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Show Me the YA Section, Please!

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The superiority that resides with people who read non-fiction while belittling fiction has become a status quo in itself. Read ahead to see through the transparency of this choice if it’s just another preference or diluted snobbery.

I sometimes like to marvel at the lengths to which people go to attempt to establish their superiority. Every manifestation of it is amusing, pop music vs indie music, serious art films vs flying superheroes and of course, books. Modern books vs classics, fiction vs non-fiction, anything mainstream vs anything not.

All this debate stems from the belief that being accessible and easily consumable by a large number of people takes something away from art’s merit. While the poetry industry thrives on it (good for them), this is not true in the slightest. For the majority, well liked things are well liked for a reason, whether it’s Taylor Swift or Taylor Jenkins Reid, they deserve the success.

“People can be very quick to dismiss a book the second they hear it’s something from teen fiction, but those books talk about a lot of the concepts the “adult” books about, and have mature elements. Be it politics, mental health, racism. And it being in the form of fiction, a story just makes it more relatable and still teaches the teenagers a lot of what they really need to know.”

-Giana Ranjan, a student of Shri Ram College of Commerce

People who choose to identify as self-proclaimed ‘intellectuals’, usually look down upon fiction because “it doesn’t add value” and because reading, an activity most turn to for escapism and enjoyment, has to be about productivity and facts, fiction is made up non sense and hence, a waste of time. Funnily enough, this reminds of something I read in a book once, fiction of course-

“Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts; nothing else will ever be of any service to them.”

― Charles Dickens, Hard Times

Even people who don’t think fiction beneath them quite often tend to dismiss it’s a large part of its sub sections as food for the lesser for mortals. Teen young adult perhaps gets the worst of it. Now, stay with me here. Yes, it’s for a younger audience but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s childish in a bad way. A younger audience is also an audience less corrupted by bias and prejudice, an audience that hasn’t even explored all schools of thought yet, let alone have formed a rigid opinion on it. And this, right here, gives the author writing for these people more freedom, in every sense of the word. A YA fantasy novel will mesmerize you with the most intricate and somewhat bizarre magic system and surprise with more representation and diversity than five woke Netflix shows put together and not one bit of it will feel forced. And people who grow up on these books, these stories do not struggle with open-mindedness.

If we take The Hunger Games, as an example, anyone who has read the books will be able to attest to the fact they are a lot more complex than they might appear on the back cover synopsis. The events, the relationships, the outrage, THAT ending, it’s an amazingly well-crafted tale and it’s gets even better when you read between the lines. But, it is ultimately teen fiction and that one guy who read one Oscar Wilde book and first 20 pages of Crime and Punishment will judge it as such.

All these books are ridiculed and dismissed solely because of the demographic they’re aimed at and it’s a shame because, you know what, there is beautifully written fan fiction out there waiting and someone who can appreciate good things in all its forms will have one heck a time reading it. To conclude this on a somewhat corny note,

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

-Dumbledore

(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

 

Naina Priyadarshi Mishra

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