HI SHIVAJI UNIVERSITY, KOLHAPUR CENTRE FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION M. A. Part-I : English Semester-I : Group-III Paper E-1 Indian English Literature Semester-II : Group-III Paper E-2 English Literature of SAARC Nations (Academic Year 2018-19 onwards) KJ Unit-1 Narrative Experiments in Postmodern Indian English Novel Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children Contents 1.0 Objectives 1.1 Indian English novel 1.1.1 Literature of diaspora 1.1.2 Narrative Experiments in Post Modern Indian English Novel 1.2 Life and works of Salman Rushdie 1.3 Brief Introduction to Midnight's Children Check your progress Answer key Glossary and notes 1.4 Characters in Midnight's Children 1.5 Brief Summary of Midnight's Children 1.6 Chapter-Wise Summary of Midnight's Children 1.6.1 Summary of Book One Check your progress Answer key 1.6.2 Summary of Book Two Check your progress Answer key 1.6.3 Summary of Book Three Check your progress Answer key 1 1.7 Plot Construction of Midnight's Children : Check your progress Answer key 1.8 Characters in Midnight's Children: Check your progress Answer key 1.9 Themes in Midnight's Children 1.9.1 Symbols and Motifs in the novel Check your progress Answer key 1.9.2 Long answer type questions 1.9.3 Short Notes 1.10 References for further study 1.0 Objectives : After studying this unit, you will be able to • understand the development of novel after Salman Rushdie. • know about the life and works of Salman Rushdie • know the detailed summary of the novel Midnight's Children • understand themes and characters in the novel • know about the symbols and techniques of the novel • able to answer the question in this unit 1.1 Indian English Novel : English language was transplanted in India as the East India Company, soon after establishing their rule in India, began to feel a communication gap between the British rulers and the natives. In order to solve the communication problem, Charles Grant, one of the directors of East India Company, pleaded for adoption of the 2 English language in 1792. Later on the English language was adopted in 1835 by a brief resolution of the Governor-General in Council for ‘the promotion of European literature and science among the natives of India’. The history of India entered into a new era with this announcement on lord William Bentinck to impart Indians ‘the knowledge of the English literature and science through the medium of English’. Lord Macaulay thought that the product of such education would be ‘Indian in blood and colour but English in taste, in opinion, in morals and intellect’. In the mid of the Nineteenth century, Ram Mohan Roy had initiated social reform programmes and process, favoured the English language for spreading the wealth of information and culture available in British publications. Roy, though a master of Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic language, felt that all renaissance knowledges were compiled in the European languages. He encouraged, with the help of William Bentinck, nurturing the European culture in English language. Lord Macaulay initially introduced English language in the courses of study in Culcutta University, which was to become the model for the other universities in British India. Thereafter, many other educational institutions were opened for the spread of western literature and knowledge among the Indians. These institutions attracted the natives of India on large scale in the metropolitan cities. The class of intellectuals who received their education through the medium of English lived under the impact of western culture. This was the reason that early novels in Bengali were inspired by British fiction. Young intellectuals like Nirad C. Choudhary, who favoured English strongly in the later stages, could read English novels with interest in their university syllabus. They also read Shakespeare’s plays and British poetry. Moreover, the interest shown by British officials in Indian culture, such as Sir William Jones and Horace Haymon Wilson translated Kalidas’s Shakuntala , Shudraka’s Mrichhkatika as The Little Clay Cart respectively and Sir John Wood roof translated Indian cultural Tantra, philosophical text into English, has encouraged Indians to reciprocate by studying English literature. The British rulers thought that by converting the top levels of the Indian society into English knowing people, they would convert the mass intellectuals. They hoped that the new civilization will provide them support but in fact a new class of intellectuals was being formed which was considerably more conscious of their personal rights and duty to their nation. Knowing fully this, Mahatma Jyotirao Govindrao Phuley, another great social reformer came forward insisting on education 3 especially primary education to all the masses including the untouchables and women. He said that Lord Macaulay’s model of the filtration theory i.e. after getting English education, the upper class of India will enlighten the lower classes was not working in caste- based Indian society. These two largest sections were denied education for centuries together under the name of great Indian culture which resulted in utter miseries, poverty and tremendous exploitation and abuse. These intellectuals like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Jyotirao Phuley and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar at later stage aroused a new awareness of exploitations and lead a new period of renaissance. Yet creative writings were done in the regional languages since English language was not much in vogue. English language, with the support of some big leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy came gradually on the literary scene driving out Sanskrit and Persian as the medium of enlightenment and study. English became popular in a very short period among Indian populace. People used English frequently for speeches and articles, pamphlets discussing current problems. Even veteran nationalists and freedom fighters used the language for their expressions. Even in the meeting of Indian National Congress, resolutions were passed all in English. The time came when Indians could express their literary urge in English. Even some eminent scholars in Hindi like Ageya, Harivansh Rai Bachhan etc preferred to be an M.A. in English. The Indian-English fiction is actually last to be born in the whole of Indian English literature. The Indo English novels could not be written till the second half of nineteenth century though English was quite popular by now. Barring of the first Indian novel in English Bankimchandra Chatterjee’s Rajmohan’s Wife (1864), no Indo Anglian could try talent for more than a half century to come mainly because they could not overcome the inferiority complex instilled into them by the centuries of foreign rule. Secondly, since the English language was still considered by a considerable population, a language of British rulers. So it was anti-nationalism to use English as a medium for the creative writing. Such bitter feeling still exists in many. Hence almost every article on Indo-Anglian writing begins with an apology for the writers who prefer to use English for the expression of their creative genius. We have to bear in mind that Indian English fiction is the product of two parent traditions. It is a part of the Indian English literature which is very recent phenomenon. Indo-Anglian fiction continued to grow with variety. The early novelists were experimenting to provide recognition to Indo-Anglian fiction. They 4 wrote social, historical and detective novels but historical romances were much popular. The period between 1920-1950 was dominated by novels with political social themes. During the 1950-1970,the next generation of novelists like Raja Rao, R.K.Narayan, Mulkraj Anand, Kamla Markandaya, Nayantara Sehgal, Anita Desai Bhabani Bhattacharya, Manohar Malgaonkar. Ruth Prawar Jhabwala, Arun Joshi, Khushwant Singh and host of others were trying their art of fiction writing with unlimited and unrestricted themes. The recent generation of Indian English novelists such as Salman Rushdie, V.S. Naipaul, Vikram Seth, Rohinton Mistry, Bharati Mukharjee, Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Chandra, Arundhati Roy, Shobha De, Kiran Desai, Chitra Banerjee- Divakaruni, Amit Choudhary and others are expressing their creative urge in the form of fiction and earning world-wide reputation. If we presume the major trio Raja Rao, R.K. Narayan and Mulkraj Anand as the ‘First Generation’ of the Indo English novelists, the ‘Second Generation’ may be said to consists of the great writers like Khushwant Singh, Bhabani Bhattacharya, Manohar Malgaonkar, Kamla Markandaya, Nayantara Sehgal, Anita Desai. Ruth Prawar Jhabwala, Arun Joshi, G. V. Desani, K. Abbas, B. Rajan and others. The ‘Third Generation’ (1970 onwards) of the novelists such as Salman Rushdie, Chaman Nahal, V. S. Naipaul, Shashi Deshpande, Arun Joshi, Shobha De, Aundhati Roy, Vikram Seth and many others have earned global fame for their quality writing. Chaman Nahal’s first novel My True Faces (1973) made him famous as a novelist. But his next novel Azadi (1975) dealing with historical theme of Indo -Pak partition brought him lasting fame. Into Another Dawn (1977) The English Queens (1979), The Crown and the Lioncloth (1981) follow in quick succession. His vision is ironic. He looks at history, politics and society in the satrical manner. Arun Joshi’s Foreigner (1968) is his first novel. His second novel The Strange Case of Billy Biswas (1971) has carried the exploration of the consciousness of hopeless, rootless people and further. He has revealed to our gaze new gas chambers of self forged misery. His next two novels The Apprentice (1974) and The Last Labyrinth (1981) are in the same direction. Shobha De has earned a respectable place along the Indian English novelists in a short while. The novels to her credit are Socialite Evenings ( 1988), Starry Nights (1990) Sisters ( 1992) Strange Obsession (1992) Sultry Days (1994) and Speed Post (1999).