Comparing Contemporary Styles in Pashto Literature

Abstract

In the history of Pashto written literature, three major periods have been identified: the ancient, the classical, and the contemporary. The literature of these periods has been categorized on the basis of political, cultural, and social conditions, and with changes in these conditions, the literature of one period differs significantly from that of another at various points in history. The personality and behavior of individuals develop within prevailing conditions, and under their influence, the imagination and thought of a poet or writer tend to incline in a particular direction. To express and communicate these ideas, the writer or poet adopts a specific mode of expression, which is generally referred to as “style.” In addition to external conditions, personal taste and study also play a crucial role in the formation of style. An individual who, in accordance with their personal taste, appreciates another person’s manner of speech and writing tends to engage with and study that individual’s works; with the passage of time, they may come to follow the same path, and their own style of expression develops in similarity to that of the same person. If we examine the works of the three aforementioned periods, we will observe that, in general, the works of each period share similarities with one another. For instance, if we consider the works of the classical period, the works of the Roshani period are stylistically similar to one another, and likewise, the works of Khushal Khan Khattak and his followers in the subsequent period also show a comparable resemblance This similarity may be described as imitation of an individual style, in the sense that the poets of the Roshani School, following Peer Roshan, adopted his stylistic approach, whereas the followers of Khushal Khan Khattak followed his style. Consequently, the works of poets from both schools differ stylistically, yet remain similar in terms of their respective literary schools or traditions.