Novels in Indian writing in English & Major Novelists

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Assignment  Topic -
Novels in Indian writing in English &
Major Novelists

Name: Khasatiya  Reena K.
Roll No.: 36
Enrollment No. : 2069108420180032
Semester : M.A. 1
Year :2017-18
Email Id: khasatiyamili21@gmail.com
Submitted to. : Maharaja Krishnkumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Paper No.:4  Indian writing in English

Novels in Indian writing in English &
Major Novelists

•Introduction
In the 19th century India was caught in the grip of the superstitions, blind faith, ignorance evil customs and the caste system. In the narrow minded and conservative set up of the society, the plight of women was even worse. The evil customs of female infanticide, Sati, ban on widow remarriage etc., were prevalent everywhere.

 As a result of English education a new consciousness was born in 19th century for the eradication of these evils, and movements for social and religious reforms were started with the knowledge of their education and reading. These reforms brought cultural and religious awareness by their writing… they spread idea of independence. 

This period is also compared with the Elizabethan period of English in England when new literature was born. Indian first learned to read and speak and comprehend ,and they soon started writing also… thus,  The seed of Indian writing in English was sown during the period of British rule in India. 

Now a days the seed blossomed into a large tree it’s  ripe fruit and fragrance of flowers attracts not only Indian but also a Foreigners .Indian English literature also being chewed and digested by readers. There are many fingers who feeding this seed and made it ever green large tree. From the pamphlets to books many writing increase  including the news papers many short stories… drama… and Novels started writing..

• The Novel : Themes, Background  and Types.
The Novel is an old form of the history of English literature. Novels was started during the time of Elizabethan age. The first English novel is Pamela by Richardson in 1740. Then the novel rapidly increase in 19th e field of English literature but ‘novel’ as a literary form is new to India. It was practically non-existance in the Indian language besides the Sanskrit novels, the first Indian novel appeared in 1864 and it is Bankimchndra chetarjee’s Rajmohan’s  wife. 

•Background of the Novel
The urge for social reformer was an important theme in some early Indian English fiction, Matter or subject like the position of women, the decay of the old aristocracy and the plight of peasants.
The Indian English novel of the early 19th century was deeply influenced by the political, social and ideological ferment caused by the Gandhian movement.  The novelists of the Gandhian age were so much preoccupied with the politics.

  In those days freedom struggle,  the landless poor,  east west relationship. The communal problem, the plight of untouchable etc. these all very significant themes. K.S. Venkatarmani’s novel Marugan the Tiller was the first come up under this influence Bankimchandra’s first published Raj Mohan’s wife in 1864 meanwhile, Raj Laxmi Devi’s The Hindu wife was published in 1881. Besides it Kapalkundala, Vishvriksh,  Anandmath,  and Devi Chaudhrani and other novels appeared between 1866 to 1886.

 
Rabindranath Tagore was also Considerable novelist in India. Tagore achieved his first success with chokher Bali 1902. Many other his famous novels like Gora 1910, Naukadubi 1906,  Gharebaire 1916, jogajog 1929 etc.,

Variety of theme and types:
•After the independence the more serious novelist has shown how the joy of freedom have been neutralized  by the tragedy of Partition. The problem of choice of subject, the choice of the medium,  the choice of technique,  the choice of audience this problem of choice at various levels bristle with the endless difficulty.
•Historical theme
•Novels of Polities
•Theme of Partition
•Novels of social criticism
These all are the various theme or subject matter of Novels. Some novels covered the second world war period in India,  the growing charm between the Hindu and Muslim communities. Two of the best novels about the Gandhian civil disobedience movements in the early thirties are… K.S. Vankatrmani’s Kandan and Patriot and Raja Rao’s Kanthapura.

 
One of the most satisfying imaginative records of the partition is khushvant Singh’s ‘Train to Pakistan'1956 . Like the historical novels the social criticism and social protest also form a distinctive group. Ramesh chunder dutt's The lake of Palms is a study of social life in Bengal towards the close of the 19th century . T.Ramkrishna’s The dive for the Death is woven around certain superstitions.

Style and technique of Indian Novels

The Indian novelist is not usually attracted to the new techniques in plotting, narration or characterization. The stream of Conscious method of narration is hardly tried by the Indian novelist, except G.V.Desani’s all about H.  Hatter. And Anita Desai’s cry the peacock and the Vices in the city. 

Numberless novels are published and they are clearly of unequal quality. The best novels are not many but…  there are some very good novels. Thus Indo Anglian literature continuous to grow and flourish with the great writers. There is three major novelist in pretty independence era of Indian writing in English.

(1)Mulk Raj Anand.(12dec. 1905 - 28sept. 2004)

Mulk Raj Anand was an Indian writer in English. He is admired for his novels and short stories,  which have acquired the status of being classic works of modern Indian English literature.
•Literary Style
Associated with communism, he used his novels  to make broad attacks on various elements of India’s social structure and on British rule in India.
•Novels
-Untouchable 1935
-Two leaves and bud 1937
-The Village  1939
-Across the Black waters 1939
-The swoard and the sickle 1942
-The big Heart. 1945
-The private life of an Indian prince 1953
-The Road 1961.

He wrote autobiographies also and for the morning face  1968 he won the Sanity Academy Award. He was also recipients of the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan Award.
“silent suffering and agony in Mulk Raj Annand’s Untouchable. “
                                - shailaja B.wadikar

(2)R.K.Narayan

Rasipuram Krishnaswami iyer Narayan swami 

Narayan among the best known and most widely read Indian novelist who wrote in English and known for his works set in the fictional south Indian town of malagudi.  Narayan highlights the social context and everyday life of his characters. He has been compared to William Faulkner  who also created a similar fictional town and likewise explored with houmour and compassion the energy of  ordinary life.

•Literary style
Narayan’s writing technique was unpretentious with a natural element of humour about it. It focused on ordinary people, reminding the reader of next door, neighbors and cousins.
Critics have considered Narayan to be the Indian Chekhov ,due to the similarities in their writings the simplicity and the gentle beauty and humour in Tragic situation.  Critic have also noted that Narayan’s writings tend to be more descriptive and less analytical, the objective style, rooted in a, detached spirit, providing for a more authentic and realistic narration. 

•Major Novels
-Swami and friends  1935
-The bachelor of Arts 1937
-The Dark Room 1938
-The English Teacher 1945
-Mr. Sampath 1948
-The financial experts 1952
-Waiting for Mahatma 1955
-The Guide 1958
-The Man eater of Malagudi 1961
-Talkative Man 1986
-Grandmother’s Tale 1992

In a career that spanned over sixty years Narayan received many awards and honours including the A c Benson Medal  from the Royal society of literature, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma vibhushan and he also achieved India’s third and second highest Civilian Awards.

(3) Raja Rao (8nov 1908 – 8july 2006)

Raja Rao was an Indian writer of English language novels and short stories, whose works are deeply rooted in metaphysics.
•Novels
-Kanthapura 1938
-The serpent and the rope 1960
- The cat and the Shakespeare : A tale of India 1965
- Comrade Kirillov  1976
-The Chess Master and his moves 1988

The serpent and the rope a semi auto biographical Novel recounting a search for spiritual truth in Europe and India, established him as one of the finest Indian prose stylist and won him the sahity Academy Award in 1964.for the entire body of his work Rao was awarded the Neustadt  international Prize for literature in 1988.

•Conclusion
By discussing all this major point about Indian English novel with the three major Novelist we can conclude it. 

•Reference
Wikipedia