Introduction to Indian writing in English, inclusive of fiction: Indian English Literature is defined as the contribution of Indian writers to the Literature in English. With the consolidation of the British power in India, English, the language of rulers also began to exercise its influence on the intellectuals of the country. To the educated people, English language is a gateway to western knowledge. English provided a window for the Indian intellectuals to have a look at the wide world.
Indian English Literature is a literature which is a combination of Indian literature and Indian literature written in English. Indian writings in English are a product of the historical encounter between the two cultures – Indian and the western—for
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The first book with a title Travels of Dean Mahornet was written in English by Sake Dean Mahomet. It was published in 1793 in England. After publication of this book the English Parliament felt to rectify and equalize some of the materialistic of the East India Com servants. The England Parliament had approved the Charter Act. It made England responsible for the educational betterment of the natives. The English Education Act was prompted by Thomas Babington Macaulay’s ill—famed “minute” on Indian education. It made English the medium of Indian education system and English literature a disciplinary subject in Indian educational institutions. Indian English Literature has matured from a sapling to a firmly rooted tree that blooms with its entirety still awaiting its yet-to-come metamorphosis. Indians took countless events and spotlight notable personalities to bring Indian writing in English to its contemporary fame. Indian literature in English and its transformation had happened in company with the consolidation of British imperialism in India. The critics come to the agreement that Indian English literature dates back to at least the early 19th century. In its early stages, the narration was influenced by the Western art form of the “novel”. Early Indian writers made English by Indian words to communicate an experience and understanding which was fundamentally and in essence of Indian. In the beginning acceptance of English language and literature by upper-class Indians. First, there were the educational reforms called forth by both the Charter Act of 1813 and the 1835 English Education Act of William
1~ Even if the indias change in looks, in the hearts they are still savages
Sherman Alexie is a Native American man who is well known for his novels and short stories based on his experiences as a member of many different Native American tribes. In his short story “Indian Education”, Alexie details the struggles with bullying and discrimination one Native American boy went through during his time in school. Although “Indian Education” is written differently from other short stories it still conveys a solid theme and has a well written plot. Alexie’s style is also a benefit to the reader as they make their way through grade school with the main character, Victor.
To promote the loyalty of their newly won Indian subjects, the British crown passed the English Education Act of 1835, the act required that all education paid by British funds to be taught in English. The act also took measures to promote the English as the language of higher education, especially in the realms of administration and law. Even if this act was started before the Victorian era, it was supported by the children of Victoria. For example in 1844 by the approval of the crown, English became the official language of India and to work for public employment mastery of the language was required. By forcing the children of India to learn English over their natural tongues, England was subverting Indian culture with their own. After all, language is the heart of a culture and everything involved in a culture is based on verbiage and literature, written or oral. Therefore the best way to change a culture of a people is to change their language and literature. Even in 21st century, English remains one of the most used language on the Indian subcontinent. Seeing the
The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian is a realistic fiction novel based on the childhood experiences of author Sherman Alexie. The book is based in Wellpinit, Washington on a Spokane Indian tribe. In a world where alcoholism, domestic abuse and underachievement is considered normal, Junior finds a way to rise above the labels put on him. I personally thought this novel, though tragic, was enjoyable and hilarious. For a rating I think it deserves 4 out of 5 stars because it dealt with real issues and horrible events that really made me think but was told in the voice of a 14 year old boy who although had been through a lot, was still able to find humour in the darkest of situations. Some of reasons that this is a good book are that
Passions drive people, and the townspeople in “The Lottery” and Paul in “The Rocking-Horse Winner” are no different. Each of the members of the unnamed town has a strong passion for tradition. The original black box used for the lottery is described as being, “lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born” (Jackson 251). This sentence gives the reader an understanding that the lottery is an ancient tradition that has become an integral part of the town’s lifestyle. Such a tradition can only be carried on for this length of time if the people are passionate about preserving the tradition. Paul had a passion to be wealthy as a way to prove to his mother that he was lucky. From a young age, he saw that his family always wanted more money to support a better lifestyle, yet
When it comes to demographics, India is home to two noteworthy dialect families. These two languages are Indo-Aryan and Dravidian. The different dialects used in India originated from the Austroasiatic and Sino-Tibetan dialect families. The discussed country has no designated national language but utilize several more often than not (Dharwadker, 2010). The language with the most amount of speakers is Hindi which has become the nation’s government’s official language. English is utilized broadly in corporate and organizational settings and has been deemed as the alternate language of India. English is also critical in school as it is seen as a level of advancement in education. India’s religious population consists of several different
“Indian Camp” by Ernest Hemingway and “Two Words” by Isabel Allende both exhibit the nine aspects of literature. In “Indian Camp” the themes, characters, and descriptions sound naive and childish. “Two Words” takes a more complex approach to these topics. Hemingway's “Indian Camp” features simpler themes and characters than Allende's
E.M. Forster’s classic novel “A Passage to India” tells the story of a young doctor, Dr. Aziz, and his interactions with the British citizens who are residing in India during the time of the British Raj. Throughout the novel, the reader gets many different viewpoints on the people and the culture of India during this point in history. The reader sees through the eyes of the Indian people primarily through the character of Dr. Aziz, and the perceptions of the British through the characters of Mr. Fielding, Adela Quested, and Mrs. Moore. Through the different characters, and their differing viewpoints, the reader can see that Forster was creating a work that expressed a criticism that he held of the behavior of the British towards their Indian subjects.
Indo-Anglian literature forms an integral part of English and it has attained a distinct place in the literary landscape in the literary landscape of India. It is a synthesis of two great literary traditions-Indian and Anglian. It is an offshoot of colonial rule and in more or less a synthesis of two great cultural traditions. For the past two decades it has grown from strength to strength and acquired a new change and life with the emergence of talented second generation of writers who are at home in English language more than the native speakers. Among the second generation of writers may be included Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth, Upamanyu Chatterjee, Shashi Tharoor, Shashi
Similarly, Harish Trivedi offers a fourfold division of the Indian literature in translation. (i) Indic and Indological works, (ii) the translations of late ancient and medieval works of bhakti traditions, (iii) fictional works depicting realistic aspects of modern India and (iv) modernist writers translated into English (Trivedi: 1996: 51-52). G. N. Devy’s fourfold division of the history of translation includes: (i) the colonial phase (1776-1910), (ii) the revivalist phase (1876-1950), (iii) the nationalist phase (1902-1929) and (iv) the formalist phase (1912 onwards) (Devy 1993: 120). Devy is interested in the colonial historical context of translation activities, whereas Trivedi is interested in the cultural context, stating how translations were marked by aspiration and desire rather than achievement and performance. Further, Ramesh Krishnamurthy divides the history of translation in India into six periods namely: (i) The Ancient Period (c. 2500-800 BC), (ii) The Pre-Classical Period (c. 800 BC to AD 100), (iii) The Classical Period (c. 100 to 1000), (iv) The
Being under the British rule, English language was used as a language of education and a medium of expression among Indians. It is the Indian writing in English which gave the voice of Indian culture to the outside world. India’s Linguistic diversity adds to the richness of Indian culture and every region of India has a highly developed literary tradition with excellent writers of national, and a few of international fame. The regional literature of India since the ancient times has travelled an extensive path to gain the shape that it possesses in present Indian panorama.
After independence in 1947, India adopted Hindi as its national language and decided to make it an official language too. But in a multilingual country like India, establishing an official language was not an easy task. There were, however, several problems with selecting Hindi. After independence, the hatred feelings for British rule indulged with English languages, it reminds Indian mass of the colonial rulers. However, there was also a section of people who believed that the English language has contributed somehow in the freedom struggle of India and is having the capacity to do much good for independent India too. The difference in opinion of these two sections of Indians was one of the causes of language dispute. All these had created
English is a very adaptable medium. And it is so adaptable that it can take on the tint of any country. Critics frequently praise the unaffected Standard English with which Narayan captures the Indian society, sensibility, particularly the South Indian ambiance. His unpretentious style, his deliberate avoidance of convoluted expressions and complicated grammatical constructions, his gentle and subtle humour- all this gives writing an elegant, unforced simplicity that is perfectly suited to the portrayal of ordinary life, of all classes and segments of Indian society- household servants, herdsmen, saints, crooks, merchants, beggars, thieves, hapless
As we know that learning English in India it is gradually becomes very important due to century as well as techno-age is concerned. We all knew that English is taught either as Second Language or Target Language. It is very difficult for student-beginner who recently starts to learn English language as foreign language. One of the vital and pivotal pivot roles of learning Foreign Language is to open the treasure hidden in the literature of a particular language. To reveal such treasure one needs to be mastered in different methods of teaching the foreign languages. This makes easy full for learners to learn foreign language. If we want to understand different method of teaching foreign language things linguistically we can understand it as “A method in linguistics and language teaching determines what and how much is taught. The order in which it
modernism. Anand was a socially commited novelist, through his novels he has very strongly made Indians try to understand those traditional vices which are biggest hurdles of India becoming modern. Layers of oppressions, humiliation and economic disparity burdened Indian society so much that British colonialism seemed to be lesser factor in India’s progress rather than own Indian internal colonialism. From his works he has always tried to educate Indians to forcing their consciousness to think about the social problems that disseminated because of religious beliefs. We can see the India under British raj in his novels but he emphasizes on the decayed Indian society which is more responsible for India’s deterioting societal condition. Anand