English Literature

Q01. Discuss Bana Bhatta as a novelist. Q02. Discuss Bana Bhatta as one of the greatest masters of prose. Q03. Discuss the theme of Kadambari. Q04. Discuss Kadambari as an imaginative prose epic. Q05. Give a character sketch of Kadambari. Q06. Discuss Cervantes as a novelist. Q07. Discuss Don Quixote a parody of Chivalry. Q08. Give a character sketch of Sancho Panza. Q09. Give a character sketch of Don Quixote. Q10. Discuss Henry Fielding as the father of English novel. Q11. Discuss Tom Jones as a picaresque novel. Q12. Discuss Tom Jones as a comic epic in prose. Q13. Give a character sketch of Tom Jones. Q14. Give a character sketch of Sophia Western. Q15. Give a character sketch of Molly. Q16. Discuss Tom Jones as mirror of 18th century society. Q17. Discuss Daniel Defoe as a novelist. Q18. Discuss plot construction of Robinson Crusoe. Q19. Discuss Robinson Crusoe as a novel of adventures. Q20. Give a character sketch of Robinson Crusoe. Q21. Give a character sketch of Fri...

 Banabhatta is the most illustrious example of prose writer in Sanskrit. He belongs to the 7th century India. He is a towering figure in classical sanskrit literature. It is he who is the celebrated author of Kadambari and Harshacharita. Kadambari is his masterpiece. He was the court author and poet of a very famous Indian Emperor named Harshavardhan. Banabhatta's Kadambari is one of the best romantic fictions. It is a detailed, exquisite novel in the Sanskrit language. It is one of the world's earliest novels. The title of this fiction is named after its heroine. The presentation is made in seven chapters. It is an imaginative romantic story of love in the katha form. Kadambari is a fantastic prose romance. This work transcends the bounds of mortal existence. It moves through three- lives until deep and passionate love attains its fulfilment. In due course Banabhatta has depicted the fanciful fusion of the world. Here animals, birds, human beings, semi divine and divine ...

 In English literature, there are four novelists who are popularly known as the four wheels of the novel. Henry fielding is one of them. Tom Jones is his best novel. Fielding himself calls it a comic epic in prose.   When Henry Fielding started writing, novel was not a  acceptable  genre of literature. To make it acceptable he propounded a new theory of the novel. He says that the novel is a comic epic in prose. In the preface to Joseph Andrews , Fielding is of the opinion that the epic is divisible like drama as comic epic and tragic epic. Homer's Marquites is a comic epic and his Iliad is a tragic epic. As an epic may be comic or tragic, so it may also be either in prose or in verse. A work might be styled as a prose epic if it had all the parts of an epic poem - fable, action, character, sentiment, diction. Only meter will be absent. Combining these ideas of the comic epic and the prose epic, Fielding evolves a new genre - comic epic in prose. Thus comic...

Sir Walter Scott is one of the greatest novelists of the world literature. He is popularly known as historical novelist. Most of his novels are historical in the sense that they deal with historical events and characters. It is he who showed his interest in the past and developed an almost a new genre, the historical novel. For this reason he is called as the father of historical novel. In this field his contribution is memorable and notable. Before Scott few novelists tried to write historical fiction. None of these writers possessed any feeling for historical realism. It is Scott who combined the elements of real life with elements of wonder from old romance. His first novel Waverley deals with the ancient Scottish manners. Guy Mannering and the Antiquary also deal with the past. Old Morality presents the picture of the trouble times of Charles II. It is a historical monument of the finest pictures of the past, its men, its ideas and manners. In Ivanhoe the real picture of the...

Charles Dickens is one of the greatest novelists of England. He is well known for his art of characterization. As a creator of characters Dickens has no rival among Victorian novelists. Dickens has created numerous characters. His characters can make a city populous enough to send its members to parliament. This novelist does not deal with character but with characters. He does not analyse the individual but he portrays innumerable kinds of human beings. His books are like mob. David Copperfield is also full of numerous characters. It is very difficult to mention all the names here. Among them David, Micawber, Heep, Betsey, Peggotty, James, Edward, Emily, Dora, Agnes, Dick and Rosa are important. It is said that Dickens' characters lack complexity and psychological depth. Dickens may lack psychological insight but he knows how to draw characters vividly. He vividly describes every detail of manners, appearance, dress and other external details of his characters. He dwells only...

 Is Tom Jones a picaresque novel? To know the answer of this question, it is essential to know the details of the term picaresque. The term picaresque has been derived from a Spanish word 'Picaro' . Its meaning is - a rouge or knave or a villain etc. Thus a picaresque novel is an episodic depiction of the adventures and the misadventures of a picaro. Mostly he wanders on the highways. He moves from one place to the other. The picaresque form gives ample scope to the novelist. This form does not require a well organised plot. The movements of the protagonist give an opportunity to introduce a wide variety of events and characters. The hero is now in the country, now on the highways, now in London. He confronts thieves, rescues beautiful damsels and falls in love. He fights duels, suffers arresting and comes in touch with a vast variety of people. In fact, the novelist paints the society as a whole. This form gives the novelist enough scope to throw light on the life, cu...

Charles Dickens is the representative novelist. He represents the tendencies, manners, vices and virtues of his age. For the first time he introduced the poor and the oppressed. He felt the suffering of the poor and depicted pictures of their lives in his novels. He aroused the conscience of the people. He is considered to be the greatest creative genius of England. He is among the greatest humorists of the world. For Sheer variety and abundance of invention he has no equal.           Realism: Dickens is the pioneer of realism. His keen observation makes him a realist of high order. As a realist he centred his eyes on London and low life. To him London was the epitome of contemporary English life. He knew London thoroughly. Thus he was the first genuine storyteller  of London life. His best characters belong to the lower class. In his novel we find workhouses, slums, prisons, cruel laws and poverty. As a realist, he exposes the...

Richardson, Fielding, Smollet and Stern are known as the four wheels of the novel. Among them Fielding's contribution to English novel is noteworthy. It is true that even before Fielding, Bunyan, Defoe and Richardson had written novels. But none deserve to be called the father of English novel. It is Fielding who gave a definite form and proper shape to the English novel. He formulated the theory of novel writing. He made invaluable contributions to the development of plot construction and the art of characterisation. He made the novel an effective weapon of social criticism. He tried to advocate a healthy philosophy of life. He imbued his writings with a very solemn purpose. On these grounds Sir Walter Scott rightly calls him the father of English novel. Plot: Plot before Fielding did not hold much importance. But Fielding revolutionised the concept of plot construction. He employs very coherent and organic plots. He conducts them with utmo...

Sir Walter Scott is a great novelist. He has been called the father of historical novel in England. In his works we find a more serious and responsible approach towards history. He blended facts and fiction, history and romance. His Kenilworth is also a beautiful blend of history and romance.           It seems that Kenilworth is a historical novel. It is because it deals with historical events and characters. It is set against a historical background. The time of the plot is 1575. The locale is England. The time is that of Queen Elizabeth's reign. The characters bear historical names. Here we have an excellent picture of Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Leicester. The main events are also distilled from history. Above all the spirit of Elizabeth's age is exhibited most artistically and realistically. On the basis of these facts, Kenilworth is categorised as a historical novel.     ...