The Rise of the Novel
Novel
is a modern form of literature. It is born because of print which is a
mechanical invention. Novels could reach a larger audience because of print.
Novels
began to be written from the seventeenth century and flowered in the eighteenth
century. New groups of lower-middle-class; along with the traditional
aristocratic and gentlemanly classes in England and France formed the new
readership of novels.
With
the growing readership, the earnings of authors increased. This made them free
from financial dependence on patronage of aristocrats. They became independent
to experiment with different literary styles.
The
Publishing Market
Initially,
novels did not come cheap and were out of reach for the poor classes. With the
introduction of circulating libraries in 1740; people could get easier access
to books. Apart from various innovations in printing, innovations in marketing
also helped in increasing the sales and bringing down the prices. For example;
the publishers in France realized that they could make high profits by hiring
out novels by the hour.
The
worlds created by novels were more realistic and believable. While reading a novel,
the reader was transported to another person's world. Novels allowed
individuals the pleasure of reading in private. It also allowed the joy of
publicly reading and discussing stories. People often got deeply involved in
the lives of characters.
In 1836,
Charles Dicken's Pickwick Papers was serialized in a magazine. Magazines were
cheaper and illustrated. Moreover, serialization allowed readers to relish the
suspense. They could live for weeks in anticipation of the next plot of the
story.
The
World of the Novel
Unlike
earlier forms of writing, novels were not about kings or empires rather they
were about ordinary people. In the nineteenth century, Europe entered the
industrial age. While industrialization created new opportunities of growth and
development, it also created new problems for the workers and the city life. It
was the ordinary worker, who always suffered in the mad race for profits. Many
novelists created stories around the problems of ordinary people in the new
cities. Charles Dickens and Emile Zola were the notable authors of this period.
Community
and Society
The
novels reflected the contemporary developments in the society. Many novelists
wrote about the problems of city life. Many others wrote about the various
changes witnessed in the rural life because of advent of modern technology.
People were becoming more professional and the personal values were eroding at
a faster pace. Thomas Hardy's Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) is novel written in
the rural backdrop.
The
novel by Hardy has use of vernacular language which is the language spoken by
common people. Use of vernacular helped Hardy in correlating with the common
people who lived in that period.
The
New Woman
During
the eighteenth century, the middle class became more prosperous. Women could
get more spare time which they utilised to read and write novels. That is how
the novels began to explore the world of women. Many novels were about domestic
life. A woman writer could write about domestic life with more authority than a
male writer. Many women novelists also began to raise questions about the
established norms of society. Many novels began to ask questions about
hypocrisy which was prevalent in the contemporary society.
Novels
for the Young
Novels
for the young boys were based on heroism. The hero of such novels used to be a
powerful, assertive, independent and daring person. As this was the period of
expansion of colonialism, most of the novels tried to glorify colonialism.
Books; like R. L. Stevenson's Treasure Island (1883) and Rudyard Kipling's
Jungle Book (1894) became great hits. G. A. Henry's historical adventure novels
for boys were very popular at the height of the British Empire. These novels
were always about young boys who witness grand historical events and get involved
in some military action. Love stories for adolescent girls also became popular
during this period.
Colonialism
and After
During
the rise of colonialism, most of the novels glorified the conquests of the
Europeans. Later, in the twentieth century, some novels showed the darker side
of colonial occupation. Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) was one such author.
The
Novel Comes to India
The
modern novel form developed in India in the nineteenth century, once the
Western novels were introduced in India. Many Indian authors initially tried to
translate the English novels but they apparently did not enjoy doing that.
Later many of them decided to write novels in their own language and on their
own social background.
Some
of the earliest novels in India were written in Bengali and Marathi. Baba
Padmanji's Yamuna Paryatan (1857) was the earliest Marathi novel. This was
followed by Muktamala by Lakshman Moreshar Halbe (1861).
Leading
novelists of the nineteenth century wrote to develop a modern literature of the
country. They wanted to produce a sense of national belonging and cultural
equality with their colonial masters.
Novel
in South India
O. Chandu Menon wrote the first Malayalam novel Indulekhs in 1889.
Kandukuri
Viresalingam (1848-1919) wrote the Telugu novel Rajasekhara Caritamu in 1878.
The
Novel in Hindi
Bharatendu
Harishchandra was the pioneer of modern Hindi literature. He encouraged many
members of his circle of poets and writers to recreate and translate novels
from other languages. The first proper novel in Hindi was written by Srinivas
Das of Delhi. It was titled Pariksha Guru and was published in 1882. This novel
highlights the pitfalls of blind copying of the western culture and advocates
preserving the traditional Indian culture. The characters in this novel attempt
to bridge the western and the eastern world and try to make a balance between
the two cultures.
The
writings of Devaki Nandan Khatri created a novel-reading public in Hindi. Chandralekha
was his best-seller. This novel is believed to have immensely contributed in
popularizing the Hindi language and the Nagari script among the educated
classes of that time.
The
Hindi novel achieved excellence with the writing of Premchand. He began to
write in Urdu and later shifted to Hindi. He took a leaf from the traditional
art of kissa-goi (storytelling). Simple language was the hallmark of his
writings. Moreover, he portrayed people from all sections of the society. In
many of his writings, the main character belonged to oppressed classes.
Novels
in Bengal
Many
Bengali writers excelled in writing on historical topics, while many other
writers focused on contemporary themes. The new bhadralok enjoyed the private
world of reading novels. Durgeshnandini (1865) was written by Bankim and this
novel was much appreciated for its literary excellence.
The
initial Bengali novels used a colloquial style associated with urban life.
Meyeli, the language associated with women's lingo was also used in those novels.
But Bankim's prose was Sanskritised and contained a more vernacular style.
Sarat
Chandra Chattopadhyay (1876-1938) became the most popular novelist in Bengal
and probably in the rest of India because of his expertise in storytelling in
simple language.
Novels
in the Colonial World
Uses
of Novel: For the colonial administrators, novels provided a good source to
understand about the life and social hierarchy in India. They could understand
different aspects of the Indian society through novels. Some of the novels were
translated into English; by British administrators or Christian missionaries.
Many
novels highlighted the social ills and suggested remedies. Many novels told
stories about the past so that people could establish a relationship with the
past.
People
from all walks of life could read novels. This helped in creating a sense of
collective identity on the basis of one's language. Novels also helped people
to understand about the culture of other parts of the country.
Pleasures
of Reading
Novels
became a popular medium of entertainment among the middle class. Detective and
mystery novels often had be sent for reprints to meet the demand of readers.
Many novels were printed as many as twenty two times.
The
novel also helped in spreading the silent reading. As late as the nineteenth
century and probably in the early twentieth century, people often read out a
text for several people to hear. But gradually, people adapted to read in
silence.
Women
and the Novel
Novels
were viewed as having negative impact on people's mind. Women and children were
often prohibited from reading novels. Some parents kept novels at secret places
so that children could not lay their hands on novels. Young people had to read
them in secret. Older women took the services of their grandchildren to enjoy
listening to a novel.
However,
many women turned into writers and wrote poetry, essays and autobiographies. In
the early decades of the twentieth century, women in India also began to write
novels and short stories. Many women writers had to write the novel in secret
because the society did not permit it.
Caste
Practices
Many
authors began to highlight the plight of lower caste people in their novel. In
some of the novels, conflicts arising out of marriage between a lower caste and
an upper caste were highlighted. Some people from the lower caste also became
authors; like Potheri Kunjambu from Kerala. Many communities got space in the
literary scene through novels.
Nation
and Its History
In
Bengal, many historical novels were about Marathas and Rajputs. These novels
portrayed the nation to be full of adventure, heroism romance and sacrifice.
The novel thus allowed the colonized subjects to give shape to their desires.
Bhudeb Mukhopadhyat's Anguriya Binimoy (1857) is about Shivaji's adventures
against Aurangzeb.
Bankim's
Anandamath (1882) is a novel about secret Hindu militia which fights Muslims to
establish a Hindu kingdom. This novel inspired many kinds of freedom fighters.
Many
of these novels also reveal the problems associated with thinking about the
nation. We know that India cannot be a nation of only a single religious
community.
