Realism in the Twentieth-Century Indian Novel
Colonial Difference and Literary Form

This book shows how realism in twentieth-century Indian literature functioned as a mode of experimentation and aesthetic innovation.

Ulka Anjaria (Author)

9781107027633, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 October 2012

219 pages, 2 b/w illus.
23.6 x 15.9 x 1.6 cm, 0.45 kg

"Anajaria's limpid writing, sparkling with layers of intricate examples from a range of Indian novels, will not disappoint." --P.Venkateswaran Choice

Early twentieth-century Indian novels often depict the harsh material conditions of life under British colonial rule. Even so, these 'realist' novels are profoundly imaginative. In this study, Ulka Anjaria challenges the distinction between early twentieth-century social realism and modern-day magical realism, arguing that realism in the colony functioned as a mode of experimentation and aesthetic innovation – not merely as mimesis of the 'real world'. By examining novels from the 1930s across several Indian languages, Anjaria reveals how Indian authors used realist techniques to imagine alternate worlds, to invent new subjectivities and relationships with the Indian nation and to question some of the most entrenched values of modernity. Addressing issues of colonialism, Indian nationalism, the rise of Gandhi, religion and politics, and the role of literature in society, Anjaria's careful analysis will complement graduate study and research in English literature, South Asian studies and postcolonial studies.

Acknowledgments
1. Realism in the colony
Part I. Itineraries of Character: 2. The contours of the human
3. Experiments with Gandhi
Part II. History and the Future: 4. Staging realism and the ambivalence of nationalism
5. Aimless bildung and the longing for form
Afterword
Works cited
Notes.

Subject Areas: Black & Asian studies [JFSL3], Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers [DSK], Literary studies: general [DSB]