Impact of CORONA is proving gigantically destructive and life changer simultaneously in the entire world regardless of the developed, developing or underdeveloped countries.
On the literary scene, CORONA phenomenon may become a game changer in the same way as in the past the socio-political events like Postcolonial, Postwar, Postmodern, Post 9/11 ignited the imaginations of the writers to produce literature with a changed mode and style under the impact of these posts. The world is still grappling with the huge impact of socio-political phenomenon of 9/11 attack on World Trade Centre because it gave birth to a new and hybrid kind of war on terrorism and US became the sole superpower in this world and made the world feel the power of its muscle. That the entire world has to wrestle with CORONA phenomenon.
On the literary scene new genre of literature were introduced and new themes were worked upon almost all around the world under the garb of Post 9/11. Not only within the USA but also out of it, many writers voiced the concerns of the world under the light of new regulations of the homeland security in USA. The fictions like the ‘Falling Man’ by Don DeLillo and ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ by Mohsin Hamid are the glaring examples in this context. The American writers defended the right of USA to defend its people through violence to be inflicted upon the people who US would believe its enemies and the writers out of US attempted to voice the opinion of the people who were losing their identity and were earning the wrath of the American people only because they did not fit into the frame developed by the US for its allies.
Similarly, the impact of colonisation and decolonisation and then post-colonisation too changed the world view of the people and new stories and voices were raised by the so far subalterns of the world. Post war literature brought first modernism and then post modernism. Literature produced under the impact of these socio-political movements not only reflected the trends and tendencies about by these movements but also analyzed the consequent diversions and new situations in the world. It means that literature has been shaped and reshaped after each and every significant event. But this time the advent is not sociopolitical, rather, a biological one with its own impacts and demands. Its pandemically ominous presence is felt all around the world and all the countries of the world have become at the same page not only in terms of their losses of men and material but also in terms of their fight against this pandemic.
Similarly, the impact of colonization and decolonization and then post-colonization too changed the world view of the people and new stories and voices were raised by the so far subalterns of the world. Post war literature brought first modernism and then post modernism. Literature produced under the impact of these socio-political movements not only reflected the trends and tendencies about by these movements but also analyzed the consequent diversions and new situations in the world. It means that literature has been shaped and reshaped after each and every significant event. But this time the advent is not sociopolitical, rather, a biological one with its own impacts and demands. Its pandemically ominous presence is felt all around the world and all the countries of the world have become at the same page not only in terms of their losses of men and material but also in terms of their fight against this pandemic.
Already, under its impact on social media, short stories, anecdotes and memes are being created on social media and a new type of literature is emerging all over the world.
The imagination of man had already started to provide science fictions or magical realism under the influence of the malfunctioning and mutated forms of bacteria and viruses which could cause havoc with the vegetative and non-vegetative life on the earth. This proved even biggest danger after the threat of atomic bomb and its manifestation in Japan. One such movie is ‘Contagion’ which though developed in 1912, is a clear manifestation of the events taking place today regarding CORONA but the movie only shows a restricted part of the world and the Health department of that state in America ultimately succeeds in controlling the deadly impact.
The reality, however, is bitter than the fiction of the movie because CORONA is all over the earth and impacting all types of people and so far, no cures have been possible. The major impact area is the shaking hands and socialization of human beings and all traditional style and moods of touching have been rolled and thrown out of the window. Lockdown is the catch word of the situation which has made the physical life impossible and more of the virtual life is in currency. Love can be made in virtual world and meetings can be conducted in virtual world. New and improved ways of teaching are being developed where face to face classes and the gatherings are not possible anymore. Life is being restricted to the homes and roads have become traffic free, even the air traffic has disappeared. This seems like living the second part of the movie ‘Contagion’ when its spread destroyed the world and its functions leaving cyber space survival possible where human is more virtual than real.
21st century brought the stories of wars, migration and the blurred the traditional boundaries of the world and its people and postcolonial subject was turned into neo-oriental in fiction, the CORONA phenomenon is all set for a new type of fiction and literature where life would be more on the virtual screen of a laptop rather than in any physical reality. The protagonists will be the people saving lives from this virus and making ever new discoveries to kill these deadly viruses. Instead of travelling by any electric driven vehicle the writers would show fast virtual travel via fast 10G internet connection. The issues of migration and that of seeking better opportunities in the more progressive world would be harnessed through a computer space via internet. Who knows we may find such title as the ‘Virtual man’ and ‘The Reluctant Virtual Man’, because the virtual borders of countries would not afford any socio-political dominancy or the loss of identity!
The writer is a professor of English at Government Emerson College, Multan. He can be reached at [email protected] and Tweets at @Profzee