A narrative of major political aspects in twentieth-century Maltese literature

Abstract

Word use and meaning inexorably change, relentlessly moving forward as if on a tightrope balancing act between life and decay. Socially constructed and contested, word meanings have their trajectories and seductive power. Like fashion, words are marked by time and usage, their semantics ‘shift’. Confusion arises due to misunderstandings and lack of agreement on their meaning/s.

Literature and politics are value-laden, highly charged and contested words. Investing in their definition would require book-length expositions and probably this would still be an open-ended enterprise. Different groups have a vested, often-concealed, interest in their definition and appropriation. Any value judgement is bound to be rooted and affected by social ideology, the beliefs and prejudices one holds, thus making their understanding rather complex and at times ramified in various discourses. [excerpt]