Violence in History, Literature, and Post-Colonial India: A Semiotic Perspective of Different Forms of Violence

Semiotics is this field of knowledge which is capable of providing information about the manners of comprehending meanings, through the use of signs, words, images and gestures (Bajawa: 2022). This branch of knowledge not only encompasses linguistics and literature, but also includes other disciplinary knowledge systems, such as anthropology, psychology, and philosophy. Another way, semiotics is relevant through its use is, its application in cultural and literary analysis. It can be used to understand, how meaning is constructed and conveyed in the works of literature, film, and other art forms. Masses consume these art forms either through disparate mediums, like print and electronic media (Elam: 1990). This paper focuses on the idea that semiotic applications are incessantly creating and communicating meanings through advertisements, branding, and other forms of media. All governments and business corporates are effectively employing semiotic tools in order to create and control the new political opportunities and fresh or existing markets. However, the present paper aims at discussion of semes and signs, related to the idea of violence, in the framework of history, literature, and post-colonial India. Therefore, here different forms of violence have been discussed with reference to the ancient, middle, and modern times, including the prominent fiction of the West and 21st century Indian English novelists.