Questions
& ANSWERS
Q1. In which important
countries were novels first published?
A1. England and France are the countries wherenovels were first
published.
Q2. What are the reasons for popularity of novels?
A2. (a) Since novels were about ordinary people and their
everyday life, the readers could easily identify with the fictitious
characters. The world created by novels was really absorbing and believable.
(b) Besides,
novels allowed individuals the pleasure of reading in private as well as in
public. Sometimes people would gather and a person would read out the novel. So
novels produced a number of common interests.
(c) Novels were available in vernacular
languages, used and understood by common people. Sometimes a novel may take a
classic language and combine it with street language and so bring together many
cultures.
(d) Novels encouraged people to criticize the
ills of society or an inefficient administration. They would also suggest
remedies to the readers.
(e)
Novels became popular due to
introduction of circulating libraries and low prices due to technological
improvements in printing. Readership also grew due to innovations in marketing
like hiring out novels by the hour. Improved transport and systems of communication
helped to send novels to far off places.
Q3. Explain the two types
of novels. Name one author and book for each.
A3. (a) Epistolary – in this style the narration of
the novel is in the form of a series of private and personal letters, which
tell the story e.g. the 18th Century Novel – Pamela by Samuel
Richardson.
(b) Serialized – In a serialized novel, the story
is published in installments. Each part is published in a new issue of a magazine or journal.
Magazines are cheaper and allowed readers to relish the suspense, discuss the
characters and live for weeks with the story. Quite similar to the television
soaps now a days. Example Charles Dickens Pickwick Papers-1836.
Q4. Discuss some of the
social changes in the 19th Century Britain which Thomas Hardy and
Charles Dickens wrote about. OR
How did most 19th century English Novelist
represent a true picture of English society?
A4. (a) Charles Dickens novels focused on
-
The terrible conditions of overcrowded and
polluted urban life under industrial capitalism.
-
He is deeply concerned about the poor economic
conditions of the unpaid as well as low paid workers. In the novel Hard Times,
he criticized the factory owners for neglecting workers and for reducing human
beings into simple instruments of production. He excuses them of being greedy
for profits and riches.
-
His famous novel Oliver Twist reflects his anguish
at the plight of children, mostly destitute and orphans in cruel work houses.
He is concerned about their hardships in the world of beggars and petty
criminals.
(b) Thomas Hardy –
- Another
19th century novelist is concerned about the fast vanishing old
rural culture in England. In his novel, Mayor of CasterBridge, he mourns the
loss of more personalized world which is disappearing.
- At
the same time he is aware of the problems and advantages of the industrial
order.
Q5. Outline the changes in technology and society which led to an
increase in readers of the novel in 18th Century Europe.
A5. (a) Perfection in
mechanical printing technology helped to produce multiple copies of books
quickly at low cost.
(b) Improvement in means of transport and
communication made is possible to send books to far off places.
(c) New groups of lower middle class people such
as shopkeepers, clerks as well as traditional gentlemanly classes formed the
new readership of novels in England.
(d) As the market for books expanded the earnings
of author increased and they became financial independent. They depended on
aristocratic patronage earlier. But now they could independently experiment
with new literary styles.
(e) Novels also appealed to people especially
women readers as they dealt with major issues like marriages, love etc. and
also suggested remedies.
Q6. “Social changes in
Britain led to an increase in women readers”. Explain.
A6. (a) The middle classes became more prosperous in
the 18th Century. This gave women more leisure to read and write
novels.
(b) Novels began to explore the world of women,
their domestic life, emotions, identities, experiences and problems e.g. Jane
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
(c) Women novelists earned publish recognition
often their novels were about assertive and independent women who broke
established norms of society and protested against the hypocrisy of elders e.g.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Women preferred reading such novels as they got
of feeling of self-worth.
Q7. Describe any two
themes on which women writers wrote in the 19th Century.
A7. (a) Domestic life – was a popular theme on which
women spoke with authority. They drew upon their experience and wrote about
family life and marriage with wealthy propertied husbands’ example Jane
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice gives the glimpse of such genteel rural society of
19th Century Britain.
(b) The independent assertive women
- Some novelists wrote about the women
being bold and independent minded who dared to break the established norms of
the society.
- Such women were shown protesting against
the hypocrisy of the conservative elders with startling bluntness. Example; the
novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
Q8. What were the themes of the novels for young people in the
19th century?
A8. (a) Novels for young boys idealized a new type of man who
was powerful, assertive, independent, daring, heroic and honorable.
(b) Most novels were about the excitement and adventure of
conquering strange lands, military action, some historical events etc.
(c) They glorified colonialism – confronting ‘native’ peoples and
strangesurroundings, colonizing territories and then developing nations there e.g.
R.L. Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
(d) Novels were about young boys who witnessed grand
historical events, got involved in some military action and show what they
called ‘English’ courage.
(e) Novels about love stories
were popular among young girls. E.g. Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson and a series
entitled What Katy Did by Sarah Coolidge.
Q9. How did European novels contribute to the growth of
colonialism?
A9. (a) The novels originated in the 19th century
when Europeans were colonizing the world.
(b) The stories of adventure s into new lands made readers
feel superior, heroic, courageous and honorable.
(c) They felt that it was necessary to bring civilization to
the backward and primitive natives of civilized areas (called the civilizing
mission).
(d) They therefore considered this civilizing mission their
natural duty.
(e) On the other hand colonial
people believed that the novel allowed them to explore their own identities,
problems and national concerns.
Q10. When did
modern novel form develop in India and How?
A10. (a) The modern novel form developed in India
when India became familiar with the western novel i.e. in the 19th
Century.
(b) Novels became popular with the translation of
novels into vernaculars.
(c) Development of print led to the production
of more copies.
(d) There was growth of a small reading public in
India.
(e) A need was felt by social reformers and
political activists and nationalists to promote social causes and political
nationalism.
Q11. Discuss the
contribution of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhayay?
A11. (a) Reading and discussing novels in literary
groups – Bankim read his first novel DurgeshNandini to his literary friends. It
had suspense and was in pros style which was based on Sanskrit and the
vernaculars i.e. ordinary language.
(b) He also hosted jatras i.e. open air theaters
in his courtyard.
(c) He wrote the novel Anandmath, which inspired
many freedom fighters with the spirit of nationalism. It had the words of
Vendematram.
Q12. Describe the ways in which the novels in
India attempted to create a sense of pan Indian belonging.
A12. (a) For colonizers – the vernacular novels were
a valuable source of information on Indian native life, customs, religion,
beliefs, and practices. This knowledge
was useful for governing Indian society with its large varieties of community
and casts.
(b) For the nationalists – novels created a sense
of pan Indian belonging.
- novels helped to criticize
defeats and evils in society and also suggested remedies. They revealed the
problems of thinking about the nation e.g. who or which religious community
should form the Indian nation etc. Some novels attack divisive forces like the
caste system or low status of women as compared to men. They helped to develop
a new concept of womanhood and dignity for the oppressed classes, values and
knowledge of various people.
- Some novels
attempted to glorify India’s past to create a sense of self-worth and self-pride. They featured adventures and basic characters
from history ready for sacrifice. Such historical novels especially in Bengal
like BankimsAnandmathdepictingShivaji courage, novels about the velour of
Rajputs and Prem Chands novels involving different section of societycreated
sense of pan Indian belonging. They inspired freedom fighters and political
movements. The qualities such as sacrifice, heroism, romance and courage in the
characters of the novels could be found even in the common man of 19th
and 20th century and this inspired nationalism.
(c) Novels also
inspired nationalistic feelings by the use of languages example – people from
all walks of life could read novels and benefit from their subject matters if
they shared a common languages. They became familiar with the ways in which
people of other parts of the land spoke their language and also know about
their life style.
(d) many nationalist novels allowed Indians to explore their own
identities and problems and national concerns. They tried to promote cultural
equality with the colonizers.
Q13. What were the
contributions of Indian women to literacy activities in the 19th
century in India?
A13. (a) Some Indian women of the 19th
century got interested in reading and writing novels but were suspected of
losing their domestic positions and also getting corrupted by new ideas.
(b) While some women received the patronage of
their husbands like Sailabala of Bengal,
other had to write in secret like Hannah Mullens, the Christian Missionary who
wrote Karuna O PhulmonirBibaran - reputed the first novel in Bengal 1852.
(c) Some women authors wrote about those women
who changed the world of both, men and women e.g. RokeyaHussein’s Sultan’s
Dream in which women take the place of men.
Q14. Write the main contributions of VaikkamMuhaammad Bashar
as a Novelist of Malayalam Literature.
A14. (a) Bashar had little formal education and based his
works in his own rich personal experience rather than on books from the past.
He would ever sell his books himself which displays fortitude. He also took
part in Salt Satyagarh.
(b) His novels spoke of the details of everyday life of Muslim
households.
(c)he introduced thr writing of themes which were unusual at
that time like poverty, insanity and
life in prison.
(d) His short Novels and stories were written in Malayalam ,
the ordinary language of conversation.
(e) He became one of the early Muslim writers of 20th
century to gain wide renown as a novelist in Malayalam.
Q15. Which is Premchand ‘s best known work? What does it
reflect about Indian society?
A15. Godan (the gift of cow) ,
published in 1936, is considered to be Prem Chand ‘s best known work. It is an
epic of the Indian peasants. The novel tells about the story of Hari& his
wife Dhania , a peasant couple. Landlords, moneylenders, priests and colonial bureaucrats,
all those who hold power in the society-form a network of oppression who rob
their land and make them into landless laborers. Yet Hari and Dhania retain
their dignity till the end.
Q16. How did the Indian novels deal with the issue of caste?
A16. (a) Many novels like Indirabai and Indulekha
were written by the members of the upper caste and were primarily about upper
caste characters. Indulekha dealt with the unfair marriage practices of upper
castes in Kerala.
(b) However, most other novels were also written
by writers of lower caste and were about the lives of lower caste e.g.
PothariKunjambu’sSaraswatiVijayam; Mala Burman’sTitashEkti Nadir Naam and Prem
Chand’s Rang Bhoomi.
(c) These writers made the lives of mostoppressed
sections of the society worthy of mention in novels e.g. in Rang Bhoomi the
main character was a beggar from an untouchable caste. Novels like these
encouraged the lower castes to retain their dignity e.g. Godan. Most novels
gave the message of social reforms. They strongly attacked the oppression of
the lower caste by the upper caste. They stressed on the importance of
education for upliftment.
(d) Prem Chand included characters from various
classes and levels of society so that they could be seen to belong to a shared
and common world. This promoted a sense of unity.
(e) In Prem Chand’s novels even women from lower
castes are shown as strong characters and individuals even though they are not
modern.
NCERT QUESTIONS
Q1B. Explain what
actions of Robinson Crusoe make us see him as a typical colonizer.
Ans. Daniel Defoe’s
Novel Robinson Crusoe reflects the colonization of the time.
(a)
Robinson Crusoe was depicted as a slave trader.
(b)
He treats colored people not as equals or as human
beings but as inferiors creatures.
(c)
He rescues a native and salves him calls him
Friday arrogantly and does not ask his name.
Q1C. Explain
after 1740 the readership of novels begum to include poorer people.
Ans. Novels became
popular due to the introduction of circulating libraries and low prices due to
technological improvement in printing. Readership also grew due to innovations
in marketing like hiring out the novels by the hour, improved transport and
system of communication helped to send novels to far off places.
Q3. Write a note on
A)
The Oriya novel
(a)
Ramachandra first attempted to serialize the Oriya
novel Saudamini but failed.
(b)
The first major Oriya novelist was Faqir Mohan Senapati
who wrote with a new topic i.e. the question of land ad its possession.
(c)
He made rural issues an important part of urban
pre occupation.
B)
Jane Austen’s portrayal of women
The novelist Jane Austen
popularized the traditionally accepted domestic role of women in the early 19th
century Britain who were preoccupied with marriage to a man with a good fortune.
C)
The picture of the new middle class which the
novel Pariksha Guru portray
The
first proper Hindi novel was written by Srinivas Das called pariksha guru:-
(a)
Cautioned Youngman of well to do families against
the dangerous influence of bad company and consequently lose moral.
(b)
It teaches the right way to live with honor and
dignity and how to be practical and worldly wise.
(c)
It also teaches how to be modern while still
preserving traditional values and cultural identity.
Q5. Summarize the concern in both
19th century europae and India about women reading novel. What does
this suggest about how women were viewed?
Ans. (a) conservative men
believed that women would get corrupted by novels which dealt with stories
about rebellious, assertive and independent women who broke established norms
of society.
(b) In India, people were worried
about the immoral influence of novels on women and children. Novels about luv stories
showed how women could control their lives to some extent by choosing or
refusing partners and relationship.
(c) Some novels showed the need
for women to reform their conditions by their own actions. E.g. The novel
Padmarag written by a social reformer.
(d) All this was resented by
suspecting orthodox men who believed that women’s place was in the homes only.
They felt threatened by the idea of women’s independence as India has a male
dominated society which gives low status to women.
(e) Even in the Europe people
feared that women would neglect their traditional role of wives and mothers at
home and there would be disorder in the homes if they started writing.
Q7. Describe how the
issue of caste was included in novels in India.
A7. (a) Many Indian novels offered suggestions on
social reforms. The Novel InduLekha was about a burning issue of that time i.e.
marriage practices of upper caste Nambuthiri Brahmins of Kerala. The Novelist
ChanduMenon criticized the immorality of upper castes. He upheld the new values
of independence of individuals and their right to education even if they were
not upper castes.
(b) Novel also reflected the poor conditions,
oppression and exploitation of lower castes by upper castes. The novel of the
Kerala writer PotheriKunjambu called SaraswatiVijayam gave the message of
upliftment through education.
(c) Some novels like Prem Chand’s Rangbhoomi gave importance to lower caste by making them the main characters in the novel.
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