Indian Postmodern English Novels: a Diachronic Survey [PP: 63-76]

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Journal homepage: http://www.eltsjournal.org Indian Postmodern English Novels: A Diachronic Survey [PP: 63-76] M. Subha Bharathi Women’s College, Chennai, India Dr. T. Jayasudha Bharathi Women’s College, Chennai, India ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History The Indian literary scenario, after 1980, is typically The paper received postmodern in all walks of life as it has been with the rest of on: 19/02/2014 the world. There are a number of rationales that have gone Accepted after peer- into the making of it. And its outcome has also been multi- review on: 02/06/2014 directional. In India, more than post world war Published on: 01/09/2014 circumstances, postcolonial pressures have played a crucial Keywords: and unique role. It is a fact that a genre called Indian Writing in English is unlimitedly and enormously flourished and Indian Novels, Diachronic continues to do so only during this period i.e. after 1980 to Survey, Postmodern Novels, 2010. Under this background, this paper documents Translated Indian Novels, Postmodern Indian English Novel highlighting its past, and Indian Criticism. other aspects like Translated (regional vernacular) Novels into English, and the contemporary books on criticism. Suggested Citation: Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey. International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76 Retrieved from http://www.eltsjournal.org IJ-ELTS Volume: 2 Issue: 3 July-September, 2014 1. Introduction wrest a meaning from the world through This study aims at consolidating the Indian myth, symbol, or formal complexity, the English Literature after 1980. There are a post modernist greets the absurd or number of books produced by literary meaningless confusion of contemporary stalwarts like Srinivasa Iyengar, C. D. existence with a certain numbed or flippant indifference, favouring self-consciously Narasimmaiya, M. K. Naik etc., explaining ‘depthless’ works of fabulation, pastiche, the beginning and the progress up to 1980. bricolage, or aleatory disconnections But till date, tentative compilation is lacking described above …(P: 174-175) and this paper will be handy for a briefing In India, post 1980 is described as the over the contemporary literary pedalling of postmodern period. After 1980s, India around three and a half decades. Apart from realized itself as a multi-cultural, Multi- the deficit of proper published source of ethnic, Multi-lingual, Post-colonial, and works consulted than Wikipedia, every now Postmodern nation. Its past evolves out of the and then, periodically this kind of history is King’s Regime, failure of one kingdom lead mandatory. to the success of another. The fall of the Postmodernism is the term used to Mughal Empire paved way for the denote the depiction of life after world war-II establishment of East India Company. The in Art, Literature and Culture and the kind of British Colonisers entered India for trading, changes that manifested due to this in all but gradually established colonial rule in walks of life across the world. Postcolonial India. India was one of the British colonized features also come under this account. The countries nearly for two centuries. During the depiction finds place in fine arts, time of colonial regime, Lord Macaulay architecture, literature, philosophy, ethics, introduced English Education in India in culture, custom etc. The study of these 1835. Coincidentally, it was during the same features and its consequent outcome in man’s time that the formal education system in creations, foregrounding fragmentation, and England was also established. a sense of alienation is postmodernism. The Literary history is tightly intertwined Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms with the social history of India. Previously (1990) explains the features of too, India had education system called postmodernism in literature as: ‘Gurukula’. India had rich cultural and Post modernity is said to be a culture of economical heritage. Sanskrit was the fragmentary sensations, eclectic nostalgia, medium of education; ‘the Ramayana’ and disposable simulacra, and promiscuous ‘the Mahabharatha’ were the ancient epics. superficiality, in which the traditionally valued qualities of depth, coherence, The major drawback during the ancient meaning, originality, and authenticity are period was the four divisions of caste system evacuated or dissolved amid the random which divided the people of India. To add swirl of empty signals…. Postmodernism fuel to the fire, Mughal and British people may be seen as a continuation of found inroads in India. At this juncture, India modernism’s alienated mood and had various languages. They included Tamil, disorienting techniques and at the same Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu, time as an abandonment of its determined Persian, English etc. The introduction of quest for artistic coherence in a fragmented English as the ruler’s language as the world: in very crude terms, where a medium of official and administrative modernist artist or writer would try to Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey. International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76 Retrieved from http://www.eltsjournal.org Page | 64 IJ-ELTS Volume: 2 Issue: 3 July-September, 2014 communication gained supremacy. Ram Gradually, Indian writers outgrew imitation Mohan Roy heralded the advent of English and found their own ethos and emotions Language and Rajaji recommended it. expressed in their artifacts. 1960 to 1980 was As Gandhiji remarked, language is to the time of transition from Indian Modernism say what you want to say, use whatever the to Postmodernism. In the year 1981, Indian language that comes in handy and Diasporic writer Salman Rushdie’s accomplish the task (Iyengar, 1994). In the “Midnight’s Children” announced the birth early phase of Indian Writing in English, of Postmodernism with its unique magical- Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and realism. Madhusudhan Dutt repented for having made 2. Themes of Earlier Indian Novels in a wrong beginning with English Language as English they found the ambience was not to be Though an imported form, it deals favourable. But later on, particularly the with the story of an Indian, or Indian child second generation, after Independence, life, or a native Christian’s life. Even prior to started using English to expose their this, Bible was translated by the Christian creativity to the world not only to their local missionaries. It was an important event in the reading audiences. Thus, ‘Indian Writing in annals of history of Indian writing in English. English’, evolved gradually as a subdivision Freedom struggle, East-west encounter, of English Literature as well as Indian allusion to Indian history, allusion to Indian Literature. mythology, abolition of ‘sati’ system, As K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar (1994) highlighting lingual, ethnic, religious, caste opined: it (Indian Writing in English) should clashes along with the deep-rooted feel like Indian literature to an Indian reader corruption, and eroding ethical system are and should read like English for an English some areas that novels portray. The novels reader. In the year 1913, Tagore proved even covered the success story of Indian men and a century ago that an Indian, whose mother women, both in India as well as abroad, and tongue is any one of the Indian Languages, their utter failures too. can write and excel in English by receiving It is the multi ethnic and multi Nobel Prize for Literature. Indian Writing in cultural backdrop that provided something English primarily deals with the emotions for every reader. Indian novelists could and experiences of an Indian, expressed broadly be divided into patriots, non-patriots through the medium of English. Undeniably, and re-patriots. Indian Diaspora cannot be it is the Standard written English that is used strictly expected to be patriotic. So their unlike the various non-standard registers that staunch criticism on India like India: a are used in England. Initially, when Indian Million Mutinies Now, and India: an Area of writers started writing in English, from 1864 Darkness of V. S. Naipaul were banned in up to 1930, it was the period of imitation. India. Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses also They imitated the English authors like Defoe, had a similar fate. And there are a few who Fielding etc. Particularly it is the Victorians have lived overseas for a while, before they who influenced Indian writers. From 1930 to got back to India. 1960, it was the period of Indian freedom An Indian writer has no alternative struggle. During this time, Gandhian waves but to manipulate English to his requirement. filled the writings. East-West encounter was He communicates to the universe crossing the predominating theme of the times. national boundaries. Language is a boon for Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey. International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76 Retrieved from http://www.eltsjournal.org Page | 65 IJ-ELTS Volume: 2 Issue: 3 July-September, 2014 an Indian to make his expression self- Man-Eater of Malgudi (1961), The Vendor of sufficient. Novel is a long narrative in prose Sweets (1967), The Painter of Signs (1977), with plot, sub-plot, characterization, theme A Tiger for Malgudi (1983), Talkative etc. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Man (1986), The World of Nagaraj (1990), Rajmohan’s Wife (1864) is the first Indian and Grandmother's Tale (1992). novel in English. It is noticeable that when Raja Rao’s Kanthapura (1938) tells Modernism was the trend in the world the story of the village kanthapur. His Literature, India produced its first novel in Serpent and the Rope (1960) won the English. Anandamath was the second novel. coveted Sahitya Akademy Award. Cat and It had “Vande Mataram” the Indian patriotic Shakespeare is also his notable work.

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