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Seth's Novels Journal of Indian Research (ISSN: 2320-7000) Vol.5, No.4, October-December, 2017, 104-109 Literature SETH’S NOVELS: AN AMALGAMATION OF FACT AND FICTION Dr. Mohammad Nazzar* Isha Sapra** ABSTRACT Indian English Literature has been penned down in various genres. After 1980s, the second boost to Indian English started with magnificent works of Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Chetan Bhagat, Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri and many more. Their works generated resurgence for Indian English writings. These writers have raised an international bulk of readers for the Indian English writers. Because of the cosmic approach of these writers and their global ideas, this new crop of Indian English writers have done their best to raise a new platform for the English literature via producing works belonging to different genres. Earlier Indian English writers were only restricted to the pure essence of Indians and India’s rich mythical traditions available to rewrite about the same in abundance. Certainly, mixing fact and fiction in literature isn’t all that unusual, and authors often indicate to readers very distinctly what the book is suggesting. This paper examines Vikram Seth’s magnum opus, “A Suitable Boy” (1993) and other works like “The Golden Gate” and “Two Lives” to explore the narrative of realistic fiction across his writings. Keywords : A Suitable Boy, cyberculture, jati, The Golden Gate, Two Lives, Yuppie. INTRODUCTION Indian English Literature has been penned down in various genres. After 1980s, the sec- ond boost to Indian English started with magnificent works of Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Chetan Bhagat, Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri and many more. Their works generated resur- gence for Indian English writings. These writers have raised an international bulk of readers for the Indian English writers. Because of the cosmic approach of these writers and their global ideas, this new crop of Indian English writers have done their best to raise a new platform for the English literature via producing works belonging to different genres. Earlier Indian *Dr. Mohammad Nazzar is Associate Professor at Department of English, Meerut University, UP, India. **Isha Sapra is a Ph.D Scholar at the Department of English, Mewar University, Gangrar, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India. 104 Journal of Indian Research Vol.5, No.4, October-December, 2017 English writers were only restricted to the pure essence of Indians and India’s rich mythical traditions available to rewrite about the same in abundance. Certainly, mixing fact and fiction in literature isn’t all that unusual, and authors often indicate to readers very distinctly what the book is suggesting. Both literary nonfiction and the nonfiction novels hyperbolize the concrete events and real people, but—in theory, at least—stick imminent to originality. These must contribute to mag- nify and can make queries to find loopholes from where the work departs from reality. Some readers find such fiction difficult because fact cannot be readily separated from fictionaliza- tion. And these distinctions can be important. Other readers have no problem with this, seeing historical fiction as a means to carry through huge facts. Personal memoirs that blend fact and fiction run into these same difficulties. And while this combination will always leave readers wondering where the story steps over into fiction, one should depose one’s ideas candidly. All these writers have similar qualities that they hover across the globe and they divide their life time in between different oceans, because of miscellaneous confrontations. The subsistence of plurality is always there in their produced work. Vikram Seth is one of those writers who have created many literary works of literature. A Suitable Boy that breaks many records in the field of Indian English Literature is Seth’s most appreciated work. It is a magnificent novel and a literary mammoth in size and content. A Suitable Boy is the record of post-independent Indian society in every aspect. When a reader reads this novel, he gets entertainment and knowledge of history side by side and he suddenly starts comparing his novels with real history. From begining to end this novel satisfies its cross check that nothing is ornamented in this novel. This novel talks closely to a number of readers at a time and this novel starts with a very impressive line that grabs the attention of reader with the very first sentence of this novel ‘You too will marry a boy I choose’, said Mrs Rupa Mehra to her younger daughter. (A Suitable Boy 3) The above indented lines clarify that Indian youngsters depend upon or have to take per- mission of their respective families especially of their parents . If one talks about the criteria of selection of better half for them. Above mentioned fact is an original fact of post-Independent India and daughter of Mrs. Mehra points towards the conventional arranged marriages which are proposed by parents, guardians and family members with no involvement of the destined bride or (less often) groom. Second, a more recent adaptation is the semi-arranged marriage in which parents and family members screen prospective brides/grooms and their family seeks their children’s consent of the mate selected from them. This novel points towards different old and new emerging trends of a particular famous historic period as Vikram Seth himself admits in an interview that he has to make deep research on history to write a history-laced story. The extent to which youth are permitted to make choice for their marriage partner has been depicted in this novel. Lata avoided the maternal imperative. By looking around…’ I know what your hmms mean, young lady, and I can tell you I will not stand for hmms in this matter. (A Suitable Boy 3) Dr. Mohammad Nazzar, Isha Sapra 105 Journal of Indian Research Vol.5, No.4, October-December, 2017 These lines point towards generation gap that was getting wider at the time of indepen- dence of India because of western influence on Indian education system. The Indian family institution has been approached as an organization of role, influence, power, and status and relationships in the family which depends upon the socio-economic background of the family members and family itself, and extent of urbanization. Marriage decisions are primarily over casting subjects such as marriage patterns, selec- tion of marriage partner, age of marriage, age at consummation of marriage, marriage rituals, financial exchanges, economic status, family background, character of family members and number of divorcees in the family. In spite of long span of British rule and Western education of Indian society, still the family institution has a major role to play in the lives of people. According to the customary Hindu view, marriage is a sacrament. A number of studies have been conducted in an attempt to inspect the effect of modern trends illustrated by formal education, urbanization, and industrialization. Changing systems are being observed in areas such as age of marriage, inter-caste marriage, arranged versus love matches, matching horoscopes. Inter-religious marriages do take place in India and there is a special law to support such marriages because society was deeply against such marriages. However, they are extremely small in number. Marriage is always within one’s religious and caste group, and the family also, therefore, establishes within it. Out of caste and religion, marriages were most accepted by society of that time. These religious groups have evolved since the turn of this century as legal, and some even as constitutional entities and some better consequences based on marriage and family have been generated by them. The novel A Suitable Boy is a way to deal with the problems so that a reader is left with insights about an individual and society. PRESENCE OF REAL AND FICTIONAL CHARACTERS A Suitable Boy falls into the category of realistic fiction and being one of the most successful novels of this genre it serves various features of realistic fiction. Presence of realistic characters and characterization needs serious attention in realistic fiction and it is the chief and foremost ingredient of writing a great story. The novel starts with description of peculiarity of each character that is highlighted by writer in the chat and dialogues among different characters and for many important characters in it. For example, the novel starts with specific physical description of each character. It doesn’t have to be long and it doesn’t have to occur when an author introduces the character; and various features of the characters along with physical description must match the time which tends to be shown by the writer and Vikram Seth exactly does the same to make his readers believe the story as ultimate truth. After creating a strong visual image of characters, he writes down all the qualities each one of them has. This can be a biography of sorts. What kind of music do they like? What’s their favourite food? Where are they born and how do they like to spend their spare time? Don’t put it in all at once, How do characters react emotionally? Are they easily angered or unflappable? Are they sentimental and romantic? All traits of different historical characters must depend upon the original attitudes of historical characters. And a writer has to show a reason behind every character’s temperament or expound on the emotional state of characters. By telling your reader how your characters feel, you’re making them three-dimensional and identifiable. 106 Journal of Indian Research Vol.5, No.4, October-December, 2017 If you want us to love or hate your hero, start by telling us how he feels and why the historical fiction writer focuses more on the events that have taken place in a given place and time but would create fictional characters who then become interwoven in those historical events.
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