Question
How Indians became familiar with the Western novel?
Solution
The modern novel form developed in India in the nineteenth century, as Indians became familiar with the Western novel.
(i)The development of the vernaculars, print and a reading public helped in this process.
(ii)Some of the earliest Indian novels were written in Bengali and Marathi. The earliest novel in Marathi was Baba Padmanji’s 'Yamuna Paryatan', which used a simple style of storytelling to speak about the plight of widows.
(iii)This was followed by Lakshman Moreshwar Halbe’s Muktamala. This was not a realistic novel; it presented an imaginary ‘romance’ narrative with a moral purpose.
(i)The development of the vernaculars, print and a reading public helped in this process.
(ii)Some of the earliest Indian novels were written in Bengali and Marathi. The earliest novel in Marathi was Baba Padmanji’s 'Yamuna Paryatan', which used a simple style of storytelling to speak about the plight of widows.
(iii)This was followed by Lakshman Moreshwar Halbe’s Muktamala. This was not a realistic novel; it presented an imaginary ‘romance’ narrative with a moral purpose.
