The Influence of Western Literary Traditions on Indian Poetry: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

This research examines the complex interrelationship between Western literary traditions and the evolution of modern Indian poetry from the colonial period to contemporary times. Through close textual analysis of representative works by Indian poets writing in English and regional languages, this study identifies patterns of influence, appropriation, and resistance that characterize the Indian poetic response to Western literary forms and themes. The research employs a comparative methodological framework to analyze the stylistic, thematic, and structural transformations in Indian poetry resulting from its engagement with Western literary movements such as Romanticism, Modernism, and Postmodernism. Findings suggest that Indian poets have engaged in a nuanced process of selective adaptation rather than wholesale adoption of Western poetic conventions, resulting in hybrid poetic forms that reflect both the assimilation of Western influences and the preservation of indigenous literary traditions. This study contributes to our understanding of transcultural literary exchanges and illuminates the processes through which Indian poetry has negotiated its relationship with Western literary canons while articulating distinctly Indian cultural, historical, and social experiences.