An Investigative Study of the Characteristics of Realism and Modernism Reflected in Ajith Thilakasena’s Short Stories (Based on a Few Selected Short Stories)

Abstract

Realism and modernism are two concepts evident in Sinhala literature and art. Realism aims to present life as it is. The concept of realism was born against idealism and aestheticism. Modernism can be described as an art movement that consciously tried to separate itself from the limitation of realism that can be identified. As the concept of realism and modernism began as an art movement, novels and short stories, these elements entered almost every field, such as songs. It can be said that this Purana influenced Western literature, and the art sector also underwent a new change. As a Sri Lankan creator who used elements of realism and modernism in his works, we can identify Ajith Thilakasena, who entered into short stories in 1960. Thilakasena is a writer who has experimented in various ways in his art of creating petitions. Because Thilakasena made various experiments in his art of short stories, both readers and critics recognise him as a creator who changed the tradition. The purpose of this research is to study how Thilakasena has used the features of realism and modernism in his short stories. The research problem here is to find out how Thilakasena has used the features of modernism in his short story by going beyond the limits of realism. A lot of primary and secondary sourced information was used through the qualitative research method as research method. Accordingly, we can't conclude that Thilakasena is a writer who tried to be independent of the traditional art of Storytelling by using elements of realism and modernism in his works.