Novels, Society and History class 12 ncert history MCQ & SAQ

Novels, Society and History class 12 ncert history NCERT SOLUTION:

1. Explain the following:

(a) Social changes in Britain which led to an increase in women readers

(b) What actions of Robinson Crusoe make us see him as a typical colonizer.

(d) Novelists in colonial India wrote for a political cause.

(a) As the middle classes became more affluent, women got more leisure time to read and write novels. Also, novels began to explore the world of women, their emotions, identities, experiences and problems. Domestic life became an essential subject of novels- a field women had an authority to speak about.

(b) Robinson Crusoe's actions that make us see him as a typical colonizer are many. Shipwrecked on an island inhabited by coloured people, Crusoe treats them as inferior beings. He is portrayed as "rescuing" a native and then making him a slave. He gives him the name Friday, without even caring to ask for his name. Colonized people were seen as barbaric and primitive, and colonialism became their self-professed civiliser. Crusoe was a direct representation of this ideology of colonizers.

(c) After 1740, the readership of novels began to include poorer people because of the introduction of circulating libraries, low-priced books, and also because of the system of hiring out of books by the hour. This made books easily available to the poor people, who could not afford books earlier due to high costs and absence of lending libraries.

(d) Novelists in colonial India wrote for a political cause because the novel was a powerful medium for expressing social defects and suggesting remedies for the same. It also helped establish a relationship with the past. Since people from all walks of life could read novels, it was an easy way to popularize anti-colonial ideas. It also helped bring about a sense of national unity among the people.

2. Outline the changes in technology and society which led to an increase in readers of the novel in eighteenth-century Europe.

→ Print made novels to be read widely and become popular quickly.

→ Novels produced a number of common interests and a variety of readers.

→ Readers were drawn into the story and identified themselves with the lives of fictitious characters. They now could think about issues like love and marriage, proper conduct for men and women.

→ Prosperity, due to industrialisation, made new groups join the readership for novels. Besides the aristocratic and gentlemanly classes, new groups of lower-middle-class people such as shopkeepers and clerks joined in.

→ The rise in the earnings of authors freed them from the patronage of aristocrats. They could now experiment with different literary styles. Epistolary novel – Samuel Richardson’s Pamela – written in the 18th century was the first of its kind. It was a story told through letters.

→ Books became cheap and even the poor could buy them. Circulating libraries made books easily accessible. Publishers also started hiring out novels. Books could now be read in private or could be heard by more people, while one of them read it out.

→ Magazines serialized stories (Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers was the first), illustrated them and sold them cheap.

All these changes increased the number of readers.

3. Write a note on:

(a) The Oriya novel

(b) Jane Austen's portrayal of women

(a) In 1877-78, Ramashankar Ray started to serialize the first Oriya novel, "Saudamini"; but it remained incomplete. Orissa's first major novelist was Fakir Mohan Senapati. He wrote "Chaa Mana Atha Guntha '' that deals with land and its possession. This novel illustrated that rural issues could be an important part of urban concerns.

(b) The novels of Jane Austen give us a glimpse of the world of women in genteel rural society in mid nineteenth century Britain. Women, at that time, were encouraged to look for a good marriage and find a wealthy and propertied husband. Her famous novel 'Pride and Prejudice' depicts this well. It writes 'it is the truth, universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a good wife'. The main characters are shown to be preoccupied with marriage and money.

(c) The novel "Pariksha-Guru" portrays the difficulties of the new middle class in adapting to colonized society while preserving its cultural identity. It emphasizes that Western ideals must be inculcated, but without sacrificing the traditional values of middle-class households. The characters in this Hindi novel by Srinivas Das are seen endeavoring to bridge the two different worlds of modern education and traditional ethics.

Discuss

1. Discuss some of the social changes in nineteenth-century Britain which Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens wrote about.

Social changes in 19th century Britain highlighted by Thomas Hardy

→ The breaking up of rural communities because of industrialization. Due to industrialization, peasants who toiled with their lands were disappearing as large or big farmers enclosed lands, bought machines and employed laborers to produce for the market.

→ In his novel ‘Mayor of Casterbridge’, Hardy mourns the loss of the more personalized world which is being replaced by a more efficiently managed urban culture.

Social Changes Highlighted by Charles Dickens

→ Charles Dickens wrote mainly about the emergence of the industrial age and its effects on society and the common people.

→ Growth of factories and expanded cities led to the growth of business and economy and increased the profits of capitalists.

→ At the same time workers faced immense problems. Use of machines resulted in unemployment of ordinary labor; they became homeless, creating a problem of housing. Pursuit of profit became the goal of factory owners while the workers were undervalued and almost lost their identity. Human beings were reduced to being mere instruments of production.

2. Summarize the concern in both nineteenth-century Europe and India about women reading novels. What does this suggest about how women were viewed?

The concern in both nineteenth-century Europe and India about women reading novels bore more or less similar fears. Women were seen as easily corruptible and an imaginary world that the novel provided was seen as a dangerous opening for the imaginations of its readers. In certain Indian communities, it was felt that women who read novels would leave their domestic environments and aspire to be part of the outside world- the male domain.

This suggests that women were viewed as delicate and incapable of being independent. They were merely expected to marry a man who could take care of their financial needs while they maintained his household and remained subservient to him.

3. In what ways was the novel in colonial India useful for both the colonizers as well as the nationalists?

The novel in colonial India was useful for both the colonizers as well as the nationalists on account of a variety of reasons. Colonial rulers found "vernacular" novels illuminating for the information they provided on native customs and life. It was useful in the governance of this diverse country. Indian nationalists used the form of the novel to criticize colonial rule and instill a sense of national pride and unity amongst the people.

4. Describe how the issue of caste was included in novels in India. By referring to any two novels, discuss the ways in which they tried to make readers think about existing social issues.

Indians used the novel as a powerful medium to criticize what they considered defects in their society and to suggest remedies. The issue of caste was included in Indian novels for this same purpose. Novels like Indirabai and Indulekha were written by members of the upper castes with upper-caste characters.

→ Potheri Kunjambu, a lower-caste writer from north Kerala, wrote a novel called Saraswativijayam in 1892. It was a direct attack on caste oppression. The novel’s hero, an ‘untouchable’ , leaves his village to escape from the cruelty of a Brahmin overlord. He converts to Christianity, receives modern education and returns to his village as a judge of a local court. In the meantime, the villagers bring the landlord to his court, they believe the landlord’s men had killed the hero. The judge reveals himself and the Nambuthri landlord repents and promises to reform. The novel emphasizes the role of education in uplifting the lower classes.

→ In 1920, a Bengali novel Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (1956) written by Advaita Malla Burman takes up the cause of ‘low castes’. The people described are the Mallas - community of fishermen. The story covers three generations and describes the oppression of the upper castes. The lives of the Mallas are tied with river Titash. As the river dries, the community dies too. This novel is special because the author himself is a ‘low caste’ describing the anguish of low-caste people.

5. Describe the ways in which the novel in India attempted to create a sense of pan-Indian belonging.

The ways in which the novel in India attempted to create a sense of pan-Indian belonging were:

→ Many historical novels were about Marathas and the Rajputs which produced a sense of a pan—Indian belonging to Bengal. They imagined the nation to be full of adventure, heroism, romance and sacrifice. The novel allowed the colonized to give a shape to their desires.

→ Bankim’s Anandmath is a novel about a secret Hindu militia that fights Muslims to establish a Hindu kingdom. It was a novel that inspired many kinds of freedom fighters.

→ Shivaji, the hero of the novel Anguriya Binimoy (1857) written by Budhadeb Mukhopadhyaya’s (1827-94) engages in many battles against clever and treacherous Aurangzeb, what gives him courage and grit is his belief that he is a nationalist fighting for the freedom of Hindus.

→ Imagining a heroic past was one way in which the novel helped in popularizing the sense of belonging to a common nation. It was another way to include various classes in the novel so that they could be seen as belonging to a shared world. Premchand’s novels, for instance, are filled with all kinds of powerful characters drawn from all levels of society.

Novels, Society and History class 12 ncert history MCQ

Question : What is an ‘Epistolary novel’?

(a) Novel written in the series of letters.

(b) Novel based on a biographical account

(d) None of these.

Answer : A

Question : It is truly universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. The above lines have been illustrated from the novel –

(a) Pride and Prejudice (b) Mayor of caster bridge

Answer : A

Question : Who wrote ‘Hard Times’?

(a) Charles Dickens (b) Walter Scott

Answer : A

Question : What did “Kissa Goi” means—

(a) The art of storytelling (b) Moralizing

Answer : A

Question : The first novel to be serialized was—

(a) Hard Times (b) Oliver Twist

Answer : C

Question : The first Indian novel was written in—

(a) Malayalam (b) Bhojpuri

Answer : D

Question : The first modern novel in Malayalam is –

(a) Sevasadan (b) Pariksha Guru

Answer : C

Question : Who is the author of ‘Pamela’?

(a) Leo Tolstoy (b) Samuel Richardson

Answer : B

Question : In which year was Emile Zola’s ‘Germinal’ published?

(a) 1584 (b) 1885 (c) 1886 (d) 1874

Answer : B

Question : Who wrote the famous novel ‘Jungle Book’?

(a) Rudyard Kipling (b) R. L. Stevenson

Answer : A

1. Which of the following novels deals with caste oppression?

(a) Sultana’s Dream

(b) Indu Lekha

(d) Godan

Answer: c

2. Which was the first historical novel written in Bengal?

(a) Anandamath

(b) Anguriya Binimoy

(d) Durgesh Nandini

Answer: b

3. Who was the central character of Prem Chand’s Rangbhoomi?

(a) Tulsidas

(b) Surdas

(d) None of these

Answer: b

4. Which of the following novels was not written by Munshi Premchand?

(a) Rangbhoomi

(b) Godan

(d) Pariksha-Guru

Answer: d

5. Name the novel which was based on the effect of industrialization.

(a) Hard Times

(b) Oliver Twist

(d) Pickwick Papers

Answer: a

6. What is an ‘epistolary novel’?

(a) Novel written in the series of letters.

(b) Novel based on a biographical account

(d) None of these.

Answer: a

7. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. The above lines have been illustrated from the novel –

(a) Pride and Prejudice

(b) Mayor of CasterBridge

(d) Treasure Island

Answer: a

8. Who wrote ‘Hard Times’?

(a) Charles Dickens

(b) Walter scott

(d) Emile Zola

Answer: a

9. What did “Kissa Goi” mean—?

(a) The art of storytelling

(b) Moralizing

(d) Vagabond

Answer: a

10. The first novel to be serialized was—

(a) Hard Times

(b) Oliver Twist

(d) Mayor of CasterBridge

Answer: c

11. The first Indian novel was written in—

(a) Malayalam

(b) Bhojpuri

(d) Marathi

Answer: d

12. The first modern novel in Malayalam is –

(a) Sevasadan

(b) Pariksha Guru

(d) Rajasekhara

Answer: c

13. Who is the author of ‘Pamela’?

(a) Leo Tolstoy

(b) Samuel Richardson

(d) Charles Dicken

Answer: b

14. In which year was Emile Zola’s ‘Germinal’ published?

(a) 1584

(b) 1885

(d) 1874

Answer: b

15. Who wrote the famous novel ‘Jungle Book’?

(a) Rudyard Kipling

(b) R. L. Stevenson

(d) Jane Austen

Answer: a

16. Who wrote ‘Pariksha Guru?’

(a) Srinivas Das

(b) Viresalingam

(d) Devki Nandan Khatri

Answer: a

17. Who wrote ‘Kadambari’?

(a) Banabhatta

(b) Chandu Manan

(d) Munchi Prem Chand

Answer: a

18. Which of the following novels represent colonialism as Heroic and Honorable?

(a) Pride and prejudice

(b) Mayor of Caster bridge

(d) Treasures Island

Answer: d

19. Hari and Dhania are famous characters of the novel—

(a) Godan

(b) Indulekha

(d) Seva Sadan

Answer: a

20. The first historical novel written in Bengali was –

(a) Titash Ekti Nadir Naam

(b) Anguriya Binimoy

(d) Saraswativijayam

Answer: b

21. Oliver Twist was written by

(a) Emile Zola

(b) Thomas Hardy

(d) Charles Dickens

Answer: d

22. Jane Austin’s famous novel was

(a) Hard Times

(b) Pride and Prejudice

(d) Jungle Book

Answer: b

23. Which of the following novels was not written by Charles Dickens?

(a) Hard Times

(b) Germinal

(d) Pickwick Papers

Answer: b

24. Who wrote ‘Jungle Book’?

(a) Charlotte Bronte

(b) R. L. Stevenson

(d) None of these

Answer: c

25. The earliest Indian novel was written in which of the following languages?

(a) Tamil

(b) Hindi

(d) Telugu

Answer: c

26. The first modern novel in Malayalam

(a)Swarna Lekha

(b) Indu Lekha

(d) None of these

Answer: b

27. Who is the pioneer of modern Hindi literature?

(a) Bharatendu Harishchandra

(b) Srinivas Das

(d) Munshi Premchand

Answer: a

28. The first modern Hindi novel is:

(a) Pariksha-Guru

(b) Godan

(d) Sevasadan

Answer: a

29. Which was the first novel written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee?

(a) Anandmath

(b) Sultana’s Dream

(d) Durgeshnandini

Answer: d

30. Which one of the following novels is written by Rokeya Hussein?

(a) Pariksha Guru

(b) Godan

(d) Sultana’s Dream

Answer: d

Novels, Society and History class 12 ncert history SAQ

“The novels bring together many cultures”. Explain. [CBSE 2010, 11]

How did the novels bring together different cultures ?

(i) Language : The novel uses the vernacular, the language that is spoken by common people. By coming closer to the different spoken languages of the people, the novel produces the sense of a shared world between diverse people in a nation. Novels also draw from different styles of language. A novel may take a classical language and combine it with the language of the streets and make them all a part of the vernacular that it uses.

(ii) Bridging the gap between rural and urban culture : Many novelists like Thomas Hardy write exclusively about vanishing rural communities.

(iiI) New culture : Under colonial rule, many of the English educated class found new Western ways of living and thinking attractive. So many Indian novelists started writing about this new culture developing in India.

What did G.A. Henty wrote about in his novel ? [CBSE Sept. 2010]

How did novels for young boys idealize a new type of man ? Explain. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

(i) He wrote about strange lands being conquered by the young Englishmen.

(ii) He wrote novels for young boys idealizing a new type of man; someone who was powerful, assertive, independent and daring.

(iii) He represented the colonizers heroic and honorable.

(iv) His novels were about young boys who witness grand historical events, get involved in some military action and show what they called English courage

Who was Charlotte Bronte ? How has she presented the picture of a woman in her novels ?

Describe the depiction of women in the novels of Charlotte Bronte. [CBSE 2013]

In which way were women depicted in Charlotte Bronte’s novel ‘Jane Eyre’? [CBSE 2011]

Charlotte Bronte was an English novelist. Her novels dealt with women who broke the established norms of the society before adjusting to them. Such stories allowed women readers to sympathize with rebellious actions. In Charlotte Bronte’s, Jane Eyre, published in 1874, young Jane is shown as an independent and assertive woman or girl. While girls of her time were expected to be quiet and well behaved, Jane at the age of ten protests against the hypocrisy of her elders with startling bluntness. She tells her aunt, who is always unkind to Jane: “People think you a good woman, but you are bad You are

deceitful ! I will never call you aunt as long as I live.”

Describe how the works of Munshi Premchand reflect the social conditions of the Indian society in the early 20th Century. (2010)

State the significance of the novels of Premchand. [2011 (T-1)]

Ans. Works of Premchand lifted the Hindi novel from the realm of fantasy, moralizing and simple entertainment to a serious reflection on the lives of ordinary people and social issues. His novel Sevasadan deals mainly with conditions of women, child marriage and dowry. His novel Godan tells the story of a poor peasant Hori, how he was exploited by the zamindar, moneylender and officials.

Read the following passage and answer the questions given below it : (2010)

‘Dear children, don’t read these novels, don’t even touch them. Your life will be ruined. You will suffer disease and ailments. Why did the good Lord make you – to wither away at a tender age? To suffer from disease? To be despised by your brothers, relatives and those around you. No. No. You must become mothers; you must lead happy lives; this is the divine purpose. You, who were born to fulfill this sublime goal, should you ruin your life by going crazy after despicable novels?’

(a) Analyze the message given by the writer to children.

(b) Name the writer when this was published.

Ans.

(i) The writer advises children (girls) not to read novels, not even touch them. Their life would be ruined and they would suffer diseases and ailments.

(ii) The writer advises children (girls) to fulfill the divine purpose of becoming good mothers and leading a happy life. They should not read novels and be despised by one and all. Women should not ruin their lives by going crazy after novels.

(iii) The writer is Thiru V. Vi. Ka. The essay was published in 1927.

“Colonial administrators found vernacular novels a valuable source of information on native life and customs.” Support the statement with suitable examples. (2010)

“Novels were useful for both the colonial administrators and Indians in colonial India.” Support the statement with examples. (2010)

Colonizers : Colonial administration found the vernacular novels a valuable source of information on native life and customs. This information was useful for them in governing Indian society which had various communities and castes. The British knew little about life inside Indian households. The new novels in Indian languages described how people lived, dressed, worshiped, and their beliefs and practices. Some of these novels were translated into English.

Indian Nationalists used the novel as a powerful medium to criticize the defects in society, to suggest remedies. Novels also helped in creating pride in the nation’s past. Through glorified accounts of India’s past these novels helped in creating a national pride among the readers. The novels also created a sense of collective belonging on the basis of one’s language – the novels made the readers share a common language. The novels brought people together by making the readers familiar with the ways in which people in other parts of land spoke, wrote and lived. Many historical novels like Bankim Chandra’s Anandamath, Bhudeb Mukherjee S Anguriyo Binimoy described people’s fight against oppressive rulers and encouraged nationalism. Novels brought together people from varied backgrounds and produced a sense of shared community – the most notable form of this community is the nation. This helped the progress of nationalism.

Explain any three reasons for the popularity of the novel in the 18th century. (2009)

Novels became popular from the 18th century in Europe.

(i) The number of readership increased as new groups of lower middle-class people such as shopkeepers and clerks, along with the traditional aristocratic and gentlemanly classes in England formed the new readership for novels.

(ii) As readership grew, markets for books expanded, the earnings of authors increased. They now had the freedom to experiment with different literary styles. They were no longer dependent on the patronage of the aristocrats. The novel allowed flexibility in form of writing. Samuel Richardson’s Pamela was an epistolary novel; Walter Scott wrote historical novels and Henry Fielding wrote Tom Jones and called himself a founder of a new province of writing. The different styles and experiments added to the popularity of the novel.

(iii) Third and most important was that technological improvements brought down the price of books. The novel became the first mass produced item to be sold. The world created by novels was absorbing, believable and seemingly real. People could read them in private or in public and have a group discussion.

Describe any three features of Bengali novels of the 19th century. (2009)

Early 19th century, Bengali novels portrayed two worlds :

(i) Love stories based on historical events, and

(ii) The inner world of domestic life, social problems and man-woman relationship in marriage.

The old rich elite of Calcutta liked and patronized early forms of entertainment such as Kabir Larai and musical soirees and dance performances.

The new ‘Bhadralok’ preferred reading novels in their own private world. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was the first to arrange a reading of his novel Durgeshnandini (1865) in his own room, before a small group of friends. Bankim’s novel used a colloquial style, using meyeli associated with women’s speech. The style was the vernacular style. It was appreciated as much as the plot with its twists and turns; Bankim made the best of both worlds. He used to hold jatras in the courtyard before family members and private readings of his novels in his private room.

Describe in brief the role of novels in popularizing the sense of belongingness to a common nation. (2009)

(i) Imagining a heroic past was one way in which the novel helped in popularizing the sense of belonging to a common nation.

(ii) Another was to include various classes in the novel so that they could be seen to belong to a shared world. Premchand’s novels, for example, were filled with all kinds of powerful characters drawn from all levels of society.

(iii) The novels promoted an understanding of different people, different values and different communities. Bhudeb Mukhopadhyay’s – Anguriyo Binimoy (1857) was the first historical novel written in Bengali. It glorifies Shivaji and his many battles against the clever and treacherous Aurangzeb, the Mughal ruler. It describes how Shivaji escaped from the clutches of Aurangzeb. It helped the reader in imagining a nation full of adventure, heroism, romance and sacrifice. Shivaji became a nationalist figure fighting for the freedom of the Hindus.

How was the involvement of women, the most important event of the novel in the 18th century? (2009)

The 18th century saw the middle-classes become more prosperous. Women got more leisure to read as well as write novels. They began exploring the world of women – their emotions and identities, their experiences and problems. Many novels were about domestic life – a theme about which they could speak with authority. Women did not simply write about the domestic role of women, they wrote about women who broke the established norms of society.

Example : Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre published in 1874. The heroine is shown as independent and assertive. George Eliot (pen-name of Mary Ann Evans) thought novels gave a special opportunity to women to express themselves freely. In India also, women started writing freely.

How did novels explore and depict the world of women? Explain it by giving examples. [2010, 2011 (T-1)]

Ans. Many novels were written about domestic life and novels began exploring the world of women– their emotions and identifies, their experiences and problems. Women got more leisure to read as well as write roods. The novels of Jane Austen give a glimpse of the world of women in genteel rural society in the early 19th century. They made us think about society which encouraged women to look for good marriages and find wealthy or propertied husbands. Women novelists also dealt with women who broke established norms of society before adjusting to them.

Name the first modern Hindi novel which became a bestseller? Who was its writer? Why was it so popular? [2010 (T-1)]

The first Indian novel in Hindu become a best seller was Chandrakanta. A romance with dazzling elements of familiarity, it is believed to have contributed immensely in popularizing the Hindu language and the Nagari script among the educated classes of those times. Although it was written poorly for the pleasure of reading. This novel also gives some interesting insights into the fears and delights of its reading public.

What did G.A. Henty wrote about in his novel? [2010 (T-1)]

G.A. Henry wrote historical novels for boys. They aroused the excitement and adventure of conquering strange lands. They were set in exotic locales like Mexico, Alexandria, Siberia and many other countries. They were always about young boys who witness grand historical events get involved in some military action and show what they called ‘English’ courage Henry was widely popular during the height of the British empire.

What were the issues raised by the novel Indulekha written in Malayalam? [2010 (T-1)]

The issues raised in by the novel Indulekha written in Malayalam were :

(i) How could the Indians face, under colonial rule, the trouble of safeguarding their cultural identity and traditions. How could they accept modern colonial culture without setting aside their own culture could they accept modern colonial heritage? The heroine and how of the novel had received western education and were fantastic and highly cultural. Besides English, they both knew Sanskrit also. Though he wore western dress, the hero, Madhavan, kept a long lift of hair as was the tradition of his clan, the Nayars.

(ii) It also was about one issue, hotly debated at that time, the marriage practices of copper caste Hindus in Kerala, specially the Nambuthiri Brahmins and the Nayars. Nambuthiri’s were the landlords in Kerala and Nayars’ their tenants. In late 19th century Kerala, the younger generations of Nayars, with English education, objected strongly against marriages between Nambuthiris and Nayars. They wanted new laws regarding marriages and property. The Nayars had acquired property and wealth on their own. Chandu Menon clearly wanted his readers to appreciate new values of hero and heroine and criticize the ignorance of the Nambuthiris and challenge old traditions.

Describe the two kinds of novels that came to be written in Bengali in the 19th century? Name any two famous novelists of Bengal. [2010, 2011 (T-1)]

In what ways did the characters of the novel Indulekha show that Indian and foreign ‘lifestyles could be brought together in an ideal combination? [2010 (T-1)]

Two kinds of novels in Bengali, popular in 19th century Bengal were :

(i) Love stories based on historical events, located in the past, as well as their characters and events.

(ii) The second group of novels depicted the inner world of domestic life in contemporary settings. Domestic novels dealt with the social problems and romantic relations between men and women.

Two famous Bengali writers were Bankim Chandra Chattopadhayay (1876-7930). Bankim Chandra chattopadhyay (1876-1930) . Bankim Chandra wrote Durgeshnandini, Anandmath which belonged to the first kind of Bengali novels. Sarat Chandra wrote Sreekanta, Biraj Bahu, novels that were about domestic and social problems.

How did novels promote colonialism? Explain with an example of a novel. [2010, 2011 (T-1)]

How were novels in colonial India useful for colonizers. [2011 (T-1)]

With the help of an example show how the early novel in Europe contributed to colonialism. [2011 (T-1)]

Novels contributed to colonialism by making the readers feel they were part of a superior community of fellow colonists. For example, the new of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is an adventurer and a slave trader. Shipwrecked on an island, he hates coloured people as inferior creatures, not human beings equal to him.

The colonizers were always depicted as heroic and honorable – confronting ‘native’ peoples, strange surroundings, adapting to native life, changing it. They coloured territories only to develop them. R.L. Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, G.A. Henry’s adventure novels, all glorified colonialism.

Explain the themes and issues of the novels of Charles Dickens with examples. [2010 (T-1)]

Charles Dickens wrote about the terrible effects of industrialization on people’s lives and characters. His novel Hard Times described Lake Town, a fictitious industrial town, as a grim place of machinery, smoking chimneys, rivers polluted purple and buildings that all looked the same. His workers were known as ‘hands’, as if they had no other identity than the operations of machines. He criticized the greed for profits and ideas that reduced human beings into simple instruments of production.

Dickens also focussed on the terrible conditions of urban life under industrial Capitalism Oliver Twist tells the tale of a poor orphan who lived in the world of criminals and beggars. Though Oliver Twist had a happy ending, not all novels about the poor ended happily.

Name one famous woman novelist in 19th century England. Describe the different ways in which women novelists portrayed women. [2010, 2011 (T-1)]

Famous 19th century woman novelist – Jane Austen. She wrote about the world of women in gentle rural society which encouraged women to look for ‘good’ marriages and find wealthy or propertied husbands. As the first sentence of Pride and Prejudice says, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

Other women novelists did not simply popularize the domestic role of women. Their novels dealt with women who broke established norms of society before adjusting to them. Such novels allowed women readers to sympathize with rebellion's actions. Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre young Jane as independent and assertive. She often gave protests against the hypoon of her elders with startling bluntness. He tells her aunt, “People think you are a good woman but you are bad – You are deceitful I will never call you aunt as long as I live.”

Name the first novel written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya. Describe his contribution to the Bengali novel. [2010 (T-1)]

First Novel written by Bankim Chandra was Durgesh Nandini 91865). He wrote love stories based on historical events. To popularize novels he hosted a Jatra in the courtyard where members of the family would be gathered, to read, discuss and judge literary works. The gathering, when they first heard Bankim readout Durgesh Nandini were stunned to realize that the Bengali Novel had achieved excellence so quickly. Bankim prose was Sanskritised but also contained a more Vernacular style. He replaced Meyeli (the language associated with women’s speech). His Anandmath inspired many kinds of freedom fighters.

What were the various uses of novels from the Indian point of view? [2010, 2011 (T-1)]

Explain any three uses of novels in the colonial world. [2011 (T-1)]

Ans. Indians used the novel as a powerful medium to criticize what they considered as defects in them and to suggest remedies writers like Viresalingnam used the novel mainly to propagate their ideas about society among a wider readership. Novels also helped in establishing a relationship with the past. Many of them told thrilling stories of adventures and intrigues set in the past. Glorifying the past created a sense of national pride among their readers.

People from all walks of life could read novels so they shared a common language. It created a sense of collective belonging on the basis of one’s language. The ways the characters spoke in a novel began to indicate their region, class or caste. Thus novels made their readers familiar with the ways in which people in other parts of their lands spoke their language.

“The novels bring together many cultures.” Explain. [2010, 2011 (T-1)]

The Novel brings together many cultures, like the nations. First the use of Vernacular, the language spoken by the common people. By coming closer to the different spoken languages of the people, the novel produces the sense of shared world between diverse people in a nation. Novels also draw from different styles of language. A language may take a classical language and combine it with the language of the streets and make them all a part of the Vernacular that it uses.

Assess the contribution of Munshi Premchand in Hindi novels. [2010, 2011 (T-1)]

With Munshi Premchand the Hindu novel achieved excellence. He drew on the traditional art of kissa-goi (story telling). He lifted the Hindu novel from the realm of fantasy, moralizing and simple entertainment to a serious reflection on the lives of ordinary people and social issues. Sevasadan dealt with the poor condition of women in society. Issues like child marriage and dowry are women into the story of the novel. In his novel Gidan wrote a moving story of Hari and his wife Dhania, or peasant couple and their struggle against landlords, moneylenders, priests and colonial bureaucrats.

How did the novels of Munshi Premchand promote the feeling of nationalism? Explain. [2010 (T-1)]

Characters of Premchand’s novels were drawn from various strata of society. Explain from any two of his novels. [2011 (T-1)]

Premchand drew characters from various strata of society in his novels. His characters gave the image of a world shared by all, a world based on democratic values. In his novel one meets landlords, aristocrats, middle level peasants, landless laborers, middle class professionals and people from the margins of society. The central character of his novel Rangabhoomi, Surdas is from an untouchable class and blind. Choosing him as a hero is significant. The story of Surdas is inspired by Gandhi's personality and ideas. His novels revealed the problems of thinking about the nation : was India to be a nation of only a single religious community? Who had natural claims to belong to the nation?

Explain briefly the history of Hindi novel from starting to excellence. [2010, 2011 (T-1)]

Bharatendu Harishchandra was the pioneer of modern Hindu literature. He encouraged writers to recreate and translate novels from other languages.

First proper modern Hindu novel was Pariksha Guru written by Srinivas Das of Delhi in 1882. The novel tries to teach the young readers the right way to live and expects all ‘sensible men’ to remain worldly wise and practical and to remain rooted in the valves of their own tradition and culture. It was too moralizing in its style and did not become popular. Devakinandan Khatri created a novel for the public to read. His Chandrakanta was a bestselling romance mixed with dazzling fantasy. It made Hindu language and script popular. This novel, though written purely for ‘pleasure of reading’, gave some interesting insight into the fears and desires of its reading public.

It was Premchand who made Hindi novels achieve excellence. He took Hindi novels away from the realm of fantasy, moralizing and simple entertainment to a serious reflection on the lives of ordinary people and social issues. His novels Sevasadan, Godan, and Rangabhoomi had powerful characters drawn from all strata of society. His female characters were powerfully drawn. He chose the poor and downtrodden as his heroes, discussed every kind of oppression, modeled his characters on Gandhiji and made us think of India as one nation.

“Leading Indian novelists of the 19th century wrote for a national cause.” Do you agree with the statement? Justify your answer. [2010 (T-1)]

Many historical novels were about India’s glorious past. Many historical novels were written about Marathas and Rajputs which produced a sense of pan-Indian belonging. They imagined the nation to be full of adventure, heroism, romance and sacrifice – qualities that could not be found in the offices and sheets of the 19th century. Bhudev Mukhopadhay’s Anguriya Binimoy (1857) was the first historical novel written in Bengal. Its hero Shivaji fought many battles against a clever and treacherous belief that he was a nationalist fighting for the freedom of Hindus.

Bankim Chandra's Anandmath was about a Hindu militia that fought Muslims to establish a Hindu kingdom. It was a novel that inspired many kinds of freedom fighters. Writers like Premchand wrote novels which included various classes in the novels. He created characters who believed in a community based on democratic values. He made us think of social issues like caste oppression. All the above was written for a national cause.

How did novels inspire the freedom fighters? Explain with two examples. [2010, 2011 (T-1)]

How did the novels in India encourage nationalism explain any three points.

Novels like Anandmath written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Bhudev Mukhopadhyay’s, Anguriya Binimoy inspired many kinds of freedom fighters; these forical novels were about Marathas and Rajputs and they inspired adventure heroism, romance and sacrifice. Both the novels portrayed a fight against Muslims to establish a Hindu kingdom. Anandmath with its song “Vande Mataram” inspired the nationalists to fight against the British. Buddy's book described how Shivaji fought against Aurangzeb. They were written to show that Indians could be independent minded and had been so in the past. Indians were not weak, divided and dependent on are British. It made them think of India as a nation.

How were the stories in prose not new in India? [2010 (T-1)]

Stories in prose were not new to India. Banbhatta’s Kadambari, written in Sanskrit in the 7th century, is an example. Panctantra is another example, Tales of adventures written in Persian and Urdu called “Dastan”.

Why were many people worried about the effects of the novels on readers? Mention any three reasons. [2010 (T-1)]

The three reasons for worry about the effects of the novel on readers were :

(i) The critics were worried about the immoral influence of the novels. They took people away from real surroundings to an imaginary world where anything happened.

(ii) Women and children were considered as soft targets who could be corrupted easily. They were singled out for advice. They were warned against ailments and diseases which would ruin their lives if they wasted their time reading novels.

(iii) Men were suspicious of women reading or writing novels. This suspicion cut across communities. Many thought women would become rebellious and refuse to conform to traditions.

Why did Chandu Menon decide to write a novel in Malayalam instead of translating the English novel? [2010 (T-1)]

What led Chandu Menon to write Indulekha?

Chandu Menon tries to translate an English novel Henrielta Temple written by Benjamin Disraeli into Malayalam. But he quickly realized that readers in Kerala will not understand how the characters in English novels lived : their clothes, ways of speaking, manners were unknown to them. They would find a direct translation from English boring. So he gave up the idea of translation and wrote a story in Malayalam in the “manner of English Novels”. This was his delightful first novel called Indulekha, published in 1889.

How did novels depict the lives of peasants and low castes? Explain with examples from India. [2011 (T-1)]

Novels in all vernacular languages including Hindi threw light on the lives of peasants and low castes. Godan written by Premchand, is an epic of Indian peasantry. The novel tells the story of a peasant couple who are exploited and robbed of their land by landlords and moneylenders. They turn into landless laborers and Hori dies. The central character of Prem Chand’s novel Rangbhoomi is Surdas a blind beggar from an untouchable caste. The very act of choosing such a person as the ‘hew’ of the novel is significant. Potheri Kunjambu, a ‘lower-caste’ writer from Kerala wrote the novel Saraswativijayam in 1892 mounting a strong attack on caste oppression.

‘Novels created a sense of social awareness in India.’ Explain. [2011 (T-1)]

Most of the novels in India described class and caste struggle. They depicted societal changes within colonial society. Almost all novels of Premchand, Bankim Chandra and Sharat Chandra created a sense of social awareness amongst their readers. The awareness was about caste, class, oppression, colonial rule.

What actions of Robinson Crusoe made him a typical colonizer? Explain. [2011 (T-1)]

The novel originated in Europe at a time when it was colonizing the rest of the world. The hero of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is an adventurer and slave trader. Ship-wrecked on an island, Crusoe treats coloured people not as human beings equal to him, but as inferior creatures. He rescues a native and makes him his slave. He does not ask for his name but arrogantly gives him the name Friday. But during that time, Crusoe’s behavior was seen as acceptable and normal. This is because colonized people were seen as primitive, barbaric, less than human and colonial rule was considered necessary to civilize them, to make them fully human.

Novels, Society and History class 12 ncert history LONG QUESTION

Name the first modern novel of Hindi. Who wrote this novel? State four characteristics of this novel. (2008)

The first modern novel in Hindi was ‘Pariksha Guru’ written by Srinivas Das of Delhi. It was published in 1882.

(i) The novel depicted the conflict between the ideas of new society emerging under colonial rule and the old cultural values.

(ii) The characters find the new world fascinating, yet frightening. They take to new methods of cultivation, try to be modern in their practices, try to make their language capable of teaching western sciences. The young develop healthy habits of reading newspapers.

(iii) The morals pointed out by the writer to choose the right to live with dignity and honor. Stick to your roots but be wise and practical.

(iv) It was too preachy and did not become too popular.

Describe how the works of Munshi Premchand reflect the social conditions of Indian society in the early 20th century? (2008)

The central theme of Munshi Premchand’s novels was life in the villages as it then existed. His works have a social purpose. They are intended to awaken the reader to the harsh realities of life in rural India. His characters are not imaginary but lifted from real-life situations. His themes cover the curse of untouchability as practiced, especially in rural India. In addition, the problems of tenant farmers, the oppressive culture of the zamindars and the struggles of ordinary people have been highlighted in his works. He was in this sense a social reformer and also a great novelist.

Describe any two popular themes on which women writers in England wrote in the 19th century. (2008)

Women novelists like Jane Austin, George Eliot and Charlotte Bronte projected a new species of women who were strong in their determination and had a personality of their own. Their novels dealt with the women who broke established norms of society before adjusting to them. Such stories allowed women readers to sympathize with rebellious actions. Yet another set of special magazines popularized articles on housekeeping. Many novels were written on domestic life. Thus, women were allowed to speak with authority. They drew upon their experiences, wrote about family life and earned public recognition.

“Premchand’s novels are filled with all kinds of powerful characters drawn from all strata of society.” Support the statement by giving suitable examples. (2009)

Ans. Premchand has created very powerful characters in his novels and they cover the whole spectrum of society. In his novels, we meet with aristocrats and landlords, middle-level peasants and landless laborers, middle-class professionals and people from the margins of society. The women characters are very strong individuals, especially those who come from the lower classes of rural society. His characters create a community based on democratic values. The central character of his novel Rangbhoomi, Surdas is a blind beggar from a so-called ‘untouchable’ caste. Premchand’s choice of such a character as his ‘hero’ is very significant. We see Surdas\ struggling against the forcible takeover of his land for establishing a tobacco factory. The story of Surdas, inspired by Gandhi's personality and ideas, makes us think about industrialisation and its impact on society.

In his novel, Godan, published in 1936, Premchand writes an epic, a moving story of Hori and his wife Dhania, a peasant couple and their struggle against landlords, moneylenders, priests and colonial bureaucrats – all symbols of power and oppression in society. Hori and Dhania retain their dignity till the end though they were robbed of their land and turned into landless laborers.

His novel Sewasadan, published in 1916, lifted Hindi novels from the realm of fantasy to serious reflection on the lives of ordinary people and social issues. It mainly dealt with the poor condition of women in India, with issues like dowry, child marriage woven into the story of the novel.

Mention some important reasons for the popularity of the novels. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Explain, how did novels become a popular medium of entertainment among the middle class during the late nineteenth century in India. [CBSE 2010 (D), Sept. 2013]

Why were the novels widely read and become popular very quickly ? [CBSE Sept. 2011, 2012]

How did novels become popular among the masses ? (CBSE 2013)

Assess the reasons for the popularity of the novel in Europe ?

(i) Cheap : Novels were very cheap as compared to manuscripts. These circulated among few people. In contrast, because of being printed, novels were widely read and became popular very quickly.

(ii) Novels catered to the needs of common people : Printing created an appetite for new kinds of writing. As more and more people could now read, they wanted to see their own lives, experiences, emotions and relationships reflected in what they read. Novels, ideally catered to this need. It soon acquired distinctively Indian forms and styles. For readers, it opened up new worlds

of experience, and gave a vivid sense of the diversity of human lives.

(iii) New Readers : The novel first took firm root in England and France. Novels began to be written from the seventeenth century, but they really flowered from the eighteenth century. New groups of lower-middle-class people such as shopkeepers and clerks, along with the traditional aristocratic and gentlemanly classes in England and France now formed the new readership for novels.

(iv) Hiring novels : Technological improvements in printing brought down the price of books and innovations in marketing led to expanded sales. In France, publishers found that they could make super profits by hiring out novels by the hour. The novel was one of the first mass-produced items to be sold.

(v) New absorbing and believable world : The worlds created by novels were absorbing and believable, and seemingly real. While reading novels, the reader was transported to another person’s world, and began looking at life as it was experienced by the characters of the novel. Besides, novels allowed individuals the pleasure of reading in private, as well as the joy of publicly reading or discussing stories with friends or relatives. In rural areas people would gather to hear one of them reading a novel aloud, often becoming deeply involved in the lives of the characters.

How did Charles Dickens focus on the life of the industrial workers and the terrible conditions of urban life in his novels ? Explain with examples. [CBSE 2008 (O)]

Explain the themes and issues of the . novels of Charles Dickens with examples. [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Elaborate upon the contribution of Charles Dickens in the field of novel writing. [CBSE-2012]

Novels of Charles Dickens deal with which changes of 19th century Britain ? Mention any three such changes. [CBSE-2013]

Which type of problems were highlighted by the novelist Charles Dickens through his novel? Explain from any of his two novels. [CBSE-2013]

Explain any three aspects highlighted by Charles Dickens in his novel “Hard Times”. [CBSE-2012]

Charles Dickens was the foremost English novelist of the Victorian era. He wrote about the terrible effects of industrialisation on people’s lives and characters. His novels Hard Times and Oliver Twist became world famous,

(i) Hard Times : His novel Hard Times (1854) describes Coketown, a fictitious industrial town, as a grim place full of machinery, smoking chimneys, rivers polluted purple and buildings that all looked the same. Here workers are known as ‘hands’, as if they had no identity other than as operators of machines. Dickens criticized not just the greed for profits but also the ideas that reduced human beings into simple instruments of production.

(ii) Oliver Twist : In other novels too, Dickens focused on the terrible conditions of urban life . life under industrial capitalism. His Oliver Twist (1838) is the tale of a poor orphan who lived in a world of petty criminals and beggars. Brought up in a cruel workhouse, Oliver was finally adopted by a wealthy man and lived happily ever after.

. Who was Jane Austen ? How do her novels give us a glimpse of the world of women in the general rural society in early 19th century Britain ?

How did Jane Austen portray the women of the 19th century in her novel ? [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2012]

Jane Austen was an English novelist who gave us a glimpse of the world of women in general rural society in the early 19th century. Her novels make us think about a society which encouraged women to look for ‘good’ marriages, and find wealthy or propertied husbands. The first sentence of Jane Austen’s (1775-1817) Pride and Prejudice states : ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.’ This observation allows us to see the behavior of the protagonists, who are preoccupied with marriage and money, as typifying Austen’s society.

How did novels promote colonialism ? Explain with an example of a novel. [CBSE Sept. 2010]

What kind of novels were written for young boys in the 19th century ? Explain. [CBSE Sept. 2010]

How did novels make themselves relevant to young boys ? [CBSE Sept. 2011]

Explain any five features of novels written for the young in the last stage of 19 th century. [CBSE 2012]

(i) New type of man : Novels for young boys idealized a new type of man : Someone who was powerful, assertive, independent and daring. Most of these novels were full of adventure set in places remote from Europe.

(ii) Colonizers as hero and honorable :

The colonizers appear heroic and honorable-Books like R.L. Stevenson's Treasure Island (1883) or Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book (1894) became great hits.

(iii) English Courage : G.A. Henty’s historical adventure novels for boys were also widely popular during the height of the British empire. They aroused the excitement and adventure of conquering strange lands. They were always about young boys who witness grand historical events, get involved in some military action, and show what they called the ‘English’ courage.

(Iv) Love stories and the young : Love stories written for adolescent girls also first became popular in this period, especially in the United States, notably Ramona (1884) by Helen Hunt Jackson and a series entitles What Katy Did (1872) by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, who wrote under the pen-name Susan Coolidge.

Explain the history of the growth of novels in India. [CBSE 2014]

Explain briefly the history of Hindi novels from starting to excellence. [CBSE 2011 ]

(i) Beginning of the novels:- The modern novel form developed in India in the nineteenth century, as Indians became familiar with the Western novel. The development of the vernaculars, print and a reading public helped in this process.

(ii) Earliest Novels : Some of the earliest Indian novels were written in Bengali and Marathi. The earliest novel in Marathi was Baba Padmanji’s Yamuna Paryatan (1857), which used a simple style of storytelling to speak about the plight of widows. This was followed by Lakshman Moreshwar Halbe’s Muktamala (1861). This was not a realistic novel; it presented an imaginary ‘romance’ narrative with a moral purpose.

(iii) Colonial period and novels : Novels began appearing in south Indian languages during the period of colonial rule. Quite a few early novels came out of attempts to translate English novels into Indian languages. For example, 0. Chandu Menon, a subjudge from Malabar, tried to translate an English novel called Henrietta Temple written by Benjamin Disraeli into Malayalam. But he quickly realized that his readers in Kerala were not familiar with the way in which the characters in English novels lived. So, he gave up this idea and wrote a delightful novel called Indulekha, which was published in 1889 and was the first modern novel in Malayalam.

(iv) First Hindi novel : Many novels were actually translated and adapted from English and Bengali, but the first proper modern novel i.e. Pariksha Guru was written by Srinivas Das of Delhi.

Q.7. Explain briefly the history of Hindi novels. [CBSE. Sep 2010, 12]

Ans. (i) Pioneer of modern Hindi literature : In the north, Bharatendu Harishchandra, the pioneer of modern Hindi literature, encouraged many members of his circle of poets and writers to recreate and translated novels from other languages. Many novels were actually translated and adapted from English and Bengali under his influence, but the first proper modem novel was written by Srinivas Das of Delhi.

(ii) Writings of Srinivas Das : Srinivas Das’s novel, Published in 1882, reflected the inner and outer world of the newly emerging middle class.

(iii) Writings of Devaki Nandan Khatri : The writings of Devaki Nandan Khatri created a novel-reading public in Hindi. His best-seller, Chandrakanta – a romance with dazzling elements of fantasy – is believed to have contributed immensely in popularizing the Hindi language and the Nagari script among the educated classes of those times.

Although it was apparently written purely for the ‘pleasure of reading’, this novel also gives some interesting insights into the fears and desires of its reading public.

(iv) Munshi Premchand : It was with the writing of Premchand that the Hindi novel achieved excellence. He began writing in Urdu and then shifted to Hindi, remaining an immensely influential writer in both languages. He drew on the traditional art of kissa-goi (storytelling). Many critics think that his novel Sevasadan (The Abode of Service), published in 1916, lifted the Hindi novel from the realm of fantasy, moralizing and simple entertainment to a serious reflection on the lives of ordinary people and social issues. Seva Sadan deals mainly with the poor condition of women in society. Issues like child marriage and dowry.

Write about some of the important characteristics of the Hindi novels. [CBSE Sept. 2010]

How did the Hindi novels reflect the true picture of the Indian society of the 19th century ?

Explain the teachings given by Srinivas Das in his novel ‘Pariksha Guru’. [CBSE 2010 (F), 2014]

In what ways did novels help to give the people a vision of being ideal characters without losing one’s identity ? Explain. [CBSE 2012]

Pariksha Guru reflects the inner and outer world of the newly emerging middle classes. The characters in the novel are caught in the difficulty of adapting to the colonized society, and at the same time preserving their own cultural identity. The world of colonial modernity seems to be both frightening and irresistible to the characters.

In the novel, we see the characters attempting to bridge two different worlds through their actions: they take to new agricultural technology, modernize trading practices, change the use of Indian language, making them capable of transmitting both Western sciences and Indian wisdom. But the novel emphasizes that all this must be achieved without sacrificing the traditional values of the middle class household.

(ii) Munshi Premchand’s novel Sewasadan (The Abode of Service), published in 1916, lifted the Hindi novel from the realm of fantasy, moralism and simple entertainment to a serious reflection on the lives of ordinary people and social issues. Seva Sadan deals mainly with the poor condition of women . in society. Premchand wrote on the realistic issues of the day, i.e., communalism, corruption, zamindari, debt, poverty, colonialism, etc. It also tells us about the ways in which the Indian upper classes used the space created by partial self-governance allowed under colonial rule. Godan, another novel written by Munshi Prem Chand, is an epic of the Indian peasantry. The novel tells the moving story of Hori and his wife Dhania, a peasant couple. Landlords, moneylenders, priests and colonial bureaucrats-all those who hold power in society-form a network of oppression, rob their land and make them into landless laborers. Ye Hori and Dhania retain their dignity to the end.

What was the importance of novels ?

In what ways was the novel in colonial India useful for both the colonizers as well as the nationalists ? [CBSE 2009 (O), Sept. 2010, 2011, 2012]

“Novels were useful for both the colonial administrators and Indians in colonial India.” Support the statement with an example. [CBSE 2010 (O)]

What Were the various uses of novels from the Indian point of view ? [CBSE Sept. 2010]

(i) Source of Information : Colonial administrators found the ‘vernacular’ novels a valuable source of information on native life and customs. Such information was useful for them in governing Indian society, with its large and a variety of communities and castes.

As outsiders, the British knew little about life inside Indian households. The novels in Indian languages often had descriptions of domestic life.

(ii) Novels and colonialism : The novel originated in Europe at a time when it was colonizing the rest of the world. The early novel contributed to colonialism by marking the readers feel they were part of a superior community of fellow colonialists.

(iii) The novel and nation making : The history written by colonial historians tended to depict Indians as weak, divided, and dependent on the British. These histories could not satisfy the tastes of the new Indian administrators and intellectuals. Nor did the traditional Puranic stories of the past- people by gods and demons, filled with the fantastic and the supernatural- seem convincing to those educated and working under the English system. Such minds wanted a new view of the past that would show that Indians could be independent minded and had been so in history. The novel provided a solution. In it, the nation could be imagined in a past that also featured historical characters, places, events and dates.

(iv) Novels and struggle for freedom : The imagined nation of the novel was so powerful that it could inspire actual political movements. Bankim's Anandamath (1882) is-a novel about a secret Hindu militia that fights Muslims to establish a Hindu Kingdom. It was a novel that inspired many kinds of freedom fighters.

(v) Novels and common sharing novelists included : Various classes in the novel in such a way that they could be seen to belong to a shared world. Premchand’s novels, for instance, are filled with all kinds of powerful characters drawn from all levels of society. In his novels you meet aristocrats and landlords, middle level peasants and landless laborers, middle class professionals and people from the margins of society. The women characters are strong individuals, especially those who come from the lower classes and are not modernized.

Discuss how the issue of caste was included in the novels in India. [CBSE Sept. 2011]

Describe the theme of the novel . ‘Saraswativijayam’ written by Potheri Kunjambu.

Who is the author of the novel “Saraswati vijayam” ? Describe the theme of it.

How does ‘Saraswativijayam’ lay stress upon the importance of education for the upliftment of the lower castes ? [CBSE 2012]

How did authors from so called low castes gain recognition in the world of literature? Explain with examples of any two such authors. [CBSE 2012]

(i) Novels like Indirabai and Indulekha were written by members of the upper castes, and were primarily about the uppercase characters. But all novels were not of this kind.

(ii) Potheri Kunjambu, a ‘lower-caste’ writer from north Kerala, wrote a novel called Saraswativijayam in 1892, mounting a strong blow on caste oppression. This novel shows a young man from an ‘untouchable’ caste, leaving his village to escape the cruelty of his Brahmin landlord.

He converted himself to Christianity, obtained modem education and returned as the judge in the local court. Saraswativijayam stressed the importance of education for the upliftment of the lower castes.

(iii) From the 1920s, in Bengal too a new kind of novel emerged that depicted the lives of peasants and ‘low’ castes. Advaita Malla Burmaris (1914-51) Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (1956) is an epic about the Mallas, a community of fisherfolk who live off fishing in the river Titash.

(iv) While novelists before Advaita Malla had featured ‘low castes’ as their main character, Titash is special because the author is himself a ‘low caste’.

(v) The central character of Munshi Premchand’s novel Rangboomi, Surdas is. a visually impaired beggar from a so-called ‘untouchable caste.’

What did the novels in the nineteenth- century India mean to :

(a) Women

(b) Children

What was the attitude of people in India in the 19th century towards women reading ? How did women respond to this ? [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

(i) Many people got worried about the effects of the novel on readers who were taken away from their real surroundings into an imaginary world where anything could happen. Women and children were advised not to read novels as they were seen as easily corruptible.

(ii) Some parents kept novels in the lofts of their houses, out of their children’s reach. Young people often read them in secret. This passion was not limited only to the youth. Older women-some of whom could not read— listened with fascinated attention to popular Tamil novels read out to them by their grandchildren.

(iii) But women did not remain mere readers of stories written by men. Soon they also began to write novels.

(iv) A reason for the popularity of novels among women was that it allowed for a new conception of womanhood. Stories of

love-which was a staple theme of many novels-showed women who could choose or refuse their partners and relationships. Some women authors also wrote about women who changed the world of both men and women. .

(v) Rokeya Hossein (1880-1932) in Sultana’s Dream (1905) showed a topsy turvy world in which women take the place of men. Her novel, Padmarag also showed the need for women to reform their condition by their own actions.

(vi) Hannah Mullens, a Christian missionary and the author of Karunao Phulmonir Bibaran (1852), reputedly the first novel in Bengali, tells her readers that she wrote in secret.

(vii) In the twentieth century, Sailabala Ghosh Jaya, a popular novelist, could only write because her husband protected her. As we have seen in the case of the south, women and girls were often discouraged from reading novels.

Q.15. Why were children prevented from reading novels ? Explain. (CBSE-2012)

Ans. (i) Children would get carried away from their real surroundings into an imaginary world.

(ii) It was feared that children would stay away from normal, disciplined life and would become rebels. .

(iii) The novel would have immoral influences on children and they would become corrupt.

(iv) Women and children were seen as easily corruptible, so they were advised to stay away from novels.

Who is the author of the novel “Titash Ekti Nadir Naam”? Why is it considered a special novel ? Explain any four reasons. [CBSE 2013, 2014]

Or:

Who is the author of the novel “Titash Ekti Nadir Naam”? Describe the theme of this novel. [CBSE 2012]

Advaita Malla Burman.

(i) This book is an epic about the Mallas, a community of fisherfolk in the river Titash.

(ii) The novel is about three generations of the Mallas.

(iii) It describes the community life of Mallas, their religious traditions, festivals and relationships.

(iv) It discusses circumstances due to which they slowly broke up.

(v) Their end comes together, as the river dries up.

This is special because the author is himself from a low caste fisherfolk community.

Describe the ways in which the novels in India attempted to create a sense of pan- Indian belonging.[CBSE Sept. 2011, 2014]

“Leading Indian novelists of the 19th century wrote for a National cause”. Do you agree with the statement ? Justify your answer. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

How did novels fulfill the task of nation building in India ? Explain. [CBSE 2012] Or

How did the novels in India encourage nationalism ? Explain any three points. [CBSE 2010]

(i) To create a sense of equality : Colonial rulers regarded the contemporary culture of India as inferior, On the other hand, Indian novelists wrote to develop a modern literature of the country that could produce a sense of national belonging and cultural equality with their colonial masters.

(ii) To protect values of India’s tradition and culture : Many novelists like that of Srinivas Das had expressed their fear and anger about the intermining of Indian and Western culture. The world of colonial modernity seems to be both frightening and irresistible to the characters. The novel tries to teach the reader the ‘right way’ to live and expects all ‘sensible men’ to be worldly- wise and practical, to remain rooted in the values of their own tradition and culture, and to live with dignity and honor.

(iii) Women novelists : But women did not remain mere readers of stories written by men; soon they also began to write novels. In some languages, the early creations of women were poems, essays or autobiographical pieces. In the early decades of the twentieth century, women in south India also began writing novels and short stories. A reason for the popularity of novels among women was that it allowed for a new conception of womanhood. Stories of love – which was a staple theme of many novels – showed women who could choose or refuse their partners and relationships. It showed women who could to some extent control their lives. Some women authors also wrote about women who changed the world of both men and women.

(iv) Novels for low castes and peasants :

From the 1920s, in Bengal too a new kind of novel emerged that depicted the lives of peasants and ‘low’ castes. Advaita Malla Burman (1914-51) Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (1956) is an epic about the Mallas, a community of fisherfolk who live off fishing in the river Titash. The novel is about three generations of the Mallas, about their recurring tragedies and the story of Ananta, a child born of parents who were tragically separated after their wedding night. Ananta leaves the community to get educated in the city. The novel describes the community life of the Mallas in great detail, their Holi and Kali Puja festivals, boat races, bhatiali songs, their relationships of friendship and animosity with the peasants and the oppression of the upper castes.

(v) The novel and nation making : Many novelists wrote about Marathas and Rajputs. These novels produced a sense of a pan Indian belonging. The imagined nation of the novel was so powerful that it could inspire actual political movements. Bankim’s Anandamath (1882) is a novel about a secret Hindu militia that fights Muslims to establish a Hindu kingdom. It was a novel that inspired many kinds of freedom fighters.

Explain how the writings of Munshi Premchand promoted the sense of nationalism among the Indians.

How did the novels of Munshi Premchand promote the feeling of nationalism ? Explain. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

(i) Munshi Premchand’s novels are filled with all kinds of powerful characters drawn from all levels of the society. In his novels, one can meet aristocrats and landlords, middle- level peasants and landless laborers, middle-class professionals, and people from all the sections of the society.

(ii) The women characters are strong individuals, especially those who come from the lower classes, and are not modernized.

(iii) Premchand’s novels look towards the future without forgetting the importance of the past.

(iv) Drawn from various strata of the society, Premchand’s characters create a community based on democratic values. The central character of his novel Rangbhoomi (The Arena), Surdas, is a visually impaired beggar from a so-called ‘untouchable’ caste. One can see Surdas struggling against the forcible takeover of his land for establishing a tobacco factory.

(v) Godan (The Gift of Cow), published in 1936, remains Premchand’s best-known work. It is an epic of the Indian peasantry. The novel tells the moving story of Hori, and his wife, Dhania, a peasant couple, who fought against landlords, moneylenders, priests and the colonial bureaucrats.

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