Talkative Man” is too long to be a short story, but is it too short for a novel? I prefer the shorter form because it gives me scope for elaboration of details, but within certain limits; I can take up a variety of subjects and get through each in a reasonable time, while a novel ties me down to a single theme for at least two years (1983,p.120)
The above comment exhibits Narayan’s concern for the centrality of the theme in a novel. He ties himself to a single theme for at least two years while writing a novel. Theme in the novels of Narayan is the focal point around which constituent and characteristics elements like plot, character, narration, story, dialogue, humour, fate, society and regional qualities function. He exhibits the same pattern in his last but not least novel Talkative Man. This novel also possesses thematic architectonic quality because the constituents and the characteristic elements run into one another harmoniously to achieve the architectonic quality. The theme of the novel, as Narayan himself writes, is “a wife’s attempt to reclaim her erratic, elusive husband. Who is a wanderer, a philanderer on a global scale, abandoning women right and left.”(1983 p.121) Thus, we can say that separation and loneliness are the themes of this novel. Almost all the constituents and characteristic elements run into one another to achieve this theme. I will discuss the theme first and then proceed to relate the other elements with the theme so that we can appreciate the architectonic quality which is the essence of this novel.
Seperation and lonliness are the essence of Narayan’s philosophy. They get expressed in most of his novels, among which The English Teacher, The Vendor of Sweets, the Guide and The Tiger fo...
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...Albert Mission School, New Extension, Kismet Club, Lotus club are significant.
Thus plot, character, Malgudi and society are harmoniously blended to achieve architectonic quality.
Works Cited
Narayan R.K Talkative Man , Indian Thought publication, Mysore: 1983
Mukherjee, Meenakshi. The Twice Born Fiction :Themes and Techniques of the Indian Novel in English. London : Heinemann, 1971.
Mehta, Ved, “The Train Had Just Arrived at Malgudi Station”. John is Easy to Please. New York : farrar, 1971.
Parameswaran, Uma. A Study of Representative Indo – English Novelists. New Delhi: Vikas, 1969.
Raizada, Harish, R.K. Narayan : A Critical Study of His Works. New Delhi : Young India
1969.
Ramana, P.S. Message in Design : A Study of R.K. Narayan, Mysore : Indian Thought, 1984
Walsh, William. R.K. Narayan: ACritical Appreciation. New Delhi: Allied, 1982.
The novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a timeless story about one man’s journey of finding peace in his way of life and thoughts. Siddharta is a young Brahmin’s son, who is dissatisfied with his worship and in turn sets out to find the lifestyle that is right for him. Siddhartha is faced with many external, physical conflicts, yet that is not the most prominent type of conflict in the story. Hesse builds excitement and suspense through Siddhartha’s internal journey to create an emotional response usually associated with external conflict.
Narayanan, Vasudha. “The Hindu Tradition.” A Concise Introduction to World Religions. Ed. Willard G. Oxtoby and Alan F. Segal. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2007.
The most important theme was the self-discovery of the protagonist. The reader is brought into the life of this young man and is shown all of the high and the low points. From the very beginning of this novel, Siddhartha was in. search for the truth of the truth. What he had in store for himself was many years of discontent, but finally he found what he was looking for.
Rudolf, Lloyd L., and Susanne Hoeber Rudolf. Post Modern Gandhi and other essays. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2006. 92-120. Print.
...t the novel imparts a systematic, methodical tone to Siddhartha, and together with the consciously created form unifies the experiences of Siddhartha, permitting a feeling of closure and meditation on the thoughts and ideas presented therein. There is certainly a unique rhythm to Siddhartha which is skillfully communicated both consciously and subconsciously. One can appreciate the conscious craftmanship" of the novel's structure and style, while at the same time allowing the rhythm, feelings, and experiences to sift into one's mind on a deeper, more subconscious level.
NA, . "A Critical Analysis of Robert Frost's "Design"." Academic Help. Academic Help, 08 October 2010. Web. 16 Feb 2012. .
Recent years have witnessed a large number of Indian English fiction writers who have stunned the literary world with their works. The topics dealt with are contemporary and populist and the English is functional, communicative and unpretentious. Novels have always served as a guide, a beacon in a conflicting, chaotic world and continue to do so. A careful study of Indian English fiction writers show that there are two kinds of writers who contribute to the genre of novels: The first group of writers include those who are global Indians, the diasporic writers, who are Indians by birth but have lived abroad, so they see Indian problems and reality objectively. The second group of writers are those born and brought up in India, exposed to the attitudes, morale and values of the society. Hence their works focus on the various social problems of India like the plight of women, unemployment, poverty, class discrimination, social dogmas, rigid religious norms, inter caste marriages, breakdown of relationships etc.
Prasad, Amar Nath. “Identity Crisis in V.S.Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas”. Critical Response to V. S. Naipaul and Mulk Raj Anand. Edited by Prasad, Amar Nath. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons, 2003. Print.
Right from the ancient epics and legends to modern fiction, the most characteristic and powerful form of literary expression in modern time, literary endeavour has been to portray this relationship along with its concomitants. Twentieth century novelists treat this subject in a different manner from those of earlier writers. They portray the relationship between man and woman as it is, whereas earlier writers concentrated on as it should be. Now-a-days this theme is developing more important due to rapid industrialization and growing awareness among women of their rights to individuality, empowerment, employment and marriage by choice etc. The contemporary Indian novelists in English like Anita Desai, Sashi Deshpande, Sashi Tharoor, Salman Rusdie, Shobha De, Manju Kapoor, Amitav Ghosh etc. deal with this theme minutely in Indian social milieu.
The protagonist in this novel is very simple man who comes to the city with lots of hope to get a good and respected job. Contrary to his expectations, in reality he has to face number of hardships to survive in the city .He is disillusioned in this course of job search. Gradually all his ideals, morals and enthusiasm wane and he started a life full of compromises. Ratan Rathore is a young man whose soul has two distinct aspects- the higher self and the lower self. All through the course of novel, his soul is torn by these conflicting pulls of lower and higher self, between idealism and realism. In fact he is the child of double inheritance. He has taken the patriotic and idealistic values from his father and worldly wisdom from his mother. H...
Rohinton Mistry’s “Such A Long Journey” is the story of turbulent life of Gustad Noble and his family, who lives in Khodadad Building north of Bombay. The story portrays the series of events such as his son Sohrab’s refusal to attend Indian Institution of Technology, hardships faced by his friends and family, political turmoil and chaos caused by the war between India and Pakistan. Gustad transforms from a stubborn, materialistic and awful person to an open-minded and more adaptive to circumstantial changes in his life. Ultimately, Gustad Noble journeys to a greater understanding of his role as a father, friend and citizen of India.
The Guide, a novel by R.K. Narayan is rooted in everyday, down-to-earth characters in which he believes depicts the Indian way of life. This Bildungsroman novel is told in chronological manner with two stories in one plot. It reflects upon Raju’s life since he was a little boy to the present day. Set in Narayan’s fictional town, Malgudi, Raju tells the story of his past in the first person narration while his experience as a swami is told in the third person narration.
The measured dialogue between Reader and Editor serves as the framework through which Gandhi seeks to discredit accepted terms of civilization and denounce the English. These principle characters amply assist in the development o...
Scott, Paul. The Jewel in the Crown. [1966.] Vol. 1 of the Raj Quartet. Rpt. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
They are rebels and their rebellion is not so much directed against society as against individuals. Their problems are neither physical nor social. They are psychical and emotional” (Kunhambu 277). Of course, in a society, knit with power relations, their places promise different levels of freedom and consequences. The novel is important in displaying that in a universe of big things, an individual can hardly find oneself existing.