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| Home > English Literature in India
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| | English Literature in India
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Indian English literature refers to that corpus of literature that has been written in the English language by native Indian writers who belong to one of the many regons of India and speak a different language.
Indian English literature is just about a century old and is said to have begun with the colonization of India by the British in the 19thcentury.The first book written by an Indian in English was by sake Dean Mahomet titled "travels of Dean Mahomet", it was published in 1793 in England. The genre of novel, greatly influenced the early Indian writings in English. The early Indian writers used English in its purest form unadulterated by Indaian words.
The earliest known English writers of Indian origin are as follows;
Rabindranath Tagore who wrote in Bengali and English with equal ease and translated his own works into English. Nirad C Chaudhari`s The Autobiography Of An Unknown Indian` relates his mental and intellectual development in the changing Indian scenario where the British rule was about to an end. A self declared Anglophile.his book makes for a delightful reading. R.K.Narayan enthralled the readers with his portrayal of contemporary socirty in a language that was lucid and simple. Like Hardy`s Wessex, Narayan created the fictitious town of Malgudi where he set his novels. His descriptions of small townlife through the eyes and experiences of child protagonist Swaminathan in Swami and His Friends depicts the Indian culture and philosophy to the world with an ease and charm that mesmerizes his readers.
The trends in English literature,written by Indians has undergone vast changes over the years. Earlier it was more influenced by colonial and western philosophy. Also the genre of novel and short stories had become hugely popular and writers were exploring themes within this genre. The advent of the printing press had ensured a vast readership and also encouraged writers to explore their talent.
The newspaper publishing educated the masses on current topics and increasd their socio-political awareness and encouraging the genre of writing in the newspapers.
The opening of schools by the British to impart English education helped in broadening the horizons of their mind and English was taught in schools and people began to read books that were publishedin the west. Gradually they began to explore this medium to put forth their own opinions and ideas on various subjects. Their works were being read by a western audience too who were awakening to a fact that India was more than a colonial conquest, it was rich in cultuire and heritage and its glorious past was fundamental in shaping its golden future.
Authors and poets alike were being influenced by the western system hence we have poets have poets like Madhusudan Dutt who wrote blank verse in the manner of Byron and experimented successfully with the sonnet form as well. Tagore showed the world that Indian writers were capable of expressing their literary aspirations in a foreign language with consummate ease.
The western influence in Indian literature is undeniable. It inspired the writers to think beyond their own little world of vernacular language and absorb ideas that were revolutionizing the western world, it also forced them to question the orthodox society norms in their works. The literary world was instrumental in effecting a social emancipation in India, for example; the abolishment of sati pratha, education of women, ban against child marriage etc.
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