LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DLIGHT. 38. RETURNING TO OLD FAVOURITES!

LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT

38. RETURNING TO OLD FAVOURITES

How many of us return to an old piece of literature- be it a poem, or novel or drama again, after many years?

I think most of us don't. Almost all of us are introduced to literature through school and college . If the poem or story is interesting ( ie if we like it) or if the teacher is good and makes it interesting, it may leave an impression with  us and we may take it up later. But the universal experience with schooling is otherwise: most teachers are boring and have no interest in the subject; there is the irritation of completing the prescribed portion on schedule; the pressure of having to write the test. Above all, what counts for admission to higher studies, especially professional courses is the marks obtained in the subjects and not the languages where just 'a pass'  is all we aim at. So, there is neither  incentive, nor occasion  to return to literature, unless we take up literature as our subject in graduation and beyond. But now a days, with the emphasis on the professional courses, most youngsters do not opt for literature at all.. The novel we have read at school or college remains just a story we have read. We do not grow to appreciate it as a work of art or literature.

Till about half a century ago, our Universities had the idea or ideal of 'liberal education'. There was a smattering of a large number of subjects. None was covered at great depth even at graduation level, but we were exposed to a fairly wide spectrum of modern thought.  The basic idea was that  students at that stage should get exposure to arts, humanities, maths and science.  It was expected that once introduced to a subject, an 'educated' person would pursue it on his own. Life long interest in learning is considered a mark of true education.Later on, one could specialise in any area of choice. But in India, education is always thought of in the context of school or college, and that as a necessary ticket for a job. Most jobs ( especially in the govt.services) do not call for any advanced skills- except perhaps the ability to be negative and as unhelpful to people as possible! So most people do not pursue any serious reading after leaving school or college, unless their jobs require it. There are however a few who pursue studies vigorously, even while having an active career.

Both at the pre-university and  at graduation levels, one had to study English as a compulsory language, in the same pattern: selection of poetry, selection of prose, two texts for non-detailed study- one usually a classic novel, and the second, biography of some famous figure. And Shakespeare- a comedy and a tragedy I had read Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer, Dickens' 'Great Expectations', Hardy's Trumpet Major, a biography of Schweitzer; and Macbeth, with Much Ado About Nothing! .In poetry, one usually came across most of the great English poets- Milton, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats,Browning, Shelley, Byron, Tennyson, Pope! And a host of others: Goldsmith, Francis Thompson, James Elroy Flecker, Wilfred Wilson Gibson, Walter Savage Landor, Thomas Gray, Matthew Arnold! . All this, while we were not 'majoring ' in language and literature, but merely studying it as one of the two languages, the other being the regional language or mother tongue! Whatever might be our taste or preference, we were likely to find some one or the other interesting.If we had any literary bent at all, we would read them further.

Often, liking for a subject or author develops due to a good teacher or lecturer. Teacher's attitudes can also affect us negatively, when it combines with  authority. In the Catholic colleges, some Jesuits teaching economics had strong antipathy towards Keynes, though he was the most famous economist of the century. He had made the greatest practical contribution in two areas: prescribing a solution for the Depression ( overcoming 'secular stagnation' or ' secular (ie long-term) under- employment equilibrium'- incorporated in the New Deal Policies of President Franklin Roosevelt), and founding a new world economic order by way of the Bretton Woods Institutions. Keynes had died only in 1946, and in the 50s he was still the reigning economic colossus. Practically the entire academic world was his estate, though there were outstanding critics like Sir Dennis Robertson in the UK and Milton Friedman and his Chicago School in the States. But the general wisdom was, if you were not a Keynesian, you were not an economist.. But our Jesuit professor would not discuss Keynes! He would refer us to some books: Keynes' own General Theory was rather tough (at that stage) ; while explanatory books like that of Dudley Dillard was scintillating, others like those of Alvin Hansen needed some elucidation, but we could not discuss it in the class. So for two years , we had to plod on, on our own. It was only after leaving college that we could see such delightful books like 'The Age of Keynes' (Robert Lekachman) and 'Keynes and After' (Michael Stewart). We wasted two precious years in college, unable to study Keynes in detail because of the attitude of our teacher! 

  This idea of  'liberal' education was the typical British attitude which we followed; it was rooted in the British historical experience of a developing civil society with enlightened citizenship. It did emphasise the study of arts, language and literature and humanities. Most people passing through it acquired certain values and attitudes which were basic to a well ordered civic society. But in the 50s thinkers like C.P.Snow, a scientist and novelist, accused the British education system of favouring humanities at the expense of science, and spoke of 'The Two Cultures'. The cliche caught on. But once the Soviets sent up the Sputnik, the West (USA) thought they were behind in the race and had to catch up; the science subjects got a boost. But there was a reaction to this too later on. One is not sure whether a balance has been restored but at no stage was the study of language and literature entirely neglected.

It may seem strange, but it is a fact that the fact of English being their mother tongue does not offer them any special advantage in the study of their own literature! The average Englishman or American can no more understand Shakespeare or Milton, Browning or Shelley unaided, than an Indian! And for that matter, how many Indians can understand their own classic literature unaided? This is the beauty and difficulty of good, serious literature in any language- one has to acquire a taste for it, its study calls for application and time, only parts can be mastered by any one even in a lifetime, and one keeps coming back to it! Truly was it said in the olden days: 'Art is long, life is short!'

 The average graduate of the old times had a fairly good idea of many subjects, though his knowledge was not deep enough in any. Real specialisation was only at the post-graduate level. But every graduate had an idea of the intellectual foundations of modern society. And almost every one had some minimum standard in reading and writing English and mother tongue.Later on this pattern changed. Narrow specialisation and the consequent tunnel vision has started even at the graduation level.Today,the majority of  our graduates, including Engineering graduates, is considered unemployable! Even in the States, we had books  such  as: "Why Johnny Can't Read", "Why Johnny Can't Add", "Why Johnny Still Can't Read", etc. 

People today cannot appreciate the value and role of a liberal scholar. The academic world is split into too many areas of specialisation, even within a discipline. Writings of most scholars are intelligible only to their peers within the discipline. These academics are so arrogant (Why not, they are so well paid, after all) they will not consider the work of a non-academic as worthy of respect. Nor will they accept one speaking on a subject other than his own specialisation. The PhD culture ( or racket?) has ensured that one can earn it only by questioning what some one else has done, subject to the over all prejudice or value embraced by the university, or his guide! There is thus no possibility of a liberal scholar today.But there are some telling examples of  liberal scholars.

Dr. A.Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar, the famed Vice-Chancellor of Madras University was a medical doctor by basic academic qualification, but with many honorary degrees.He was once presiding over a conference of UNESCO. One representative of a country, in the course of his speech, made the statement "there must really be something rotten in the state of Denmark". The representative of Denmark immediately stood up,protesting how Denmark could be insulted in this way! Dr. Mudaliar knew his Shakespeare, and so pacified him, explaining that this statement was an expression occurring in Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet' , and it was now part of general English usage, and merely meant that something was wrong in the system, and that it had no reference to Denmark at all! His liberal education had saved the day.

During the 1962 General Elections, Rajaji (in his eighties) was on election tour for his Swatantra Party making public speeches. In one speech, he made the remark" Catch the blackest crow!". Immediately, the local Tamil papers, which were mainly anti-Brahmin, jumped into the fray, saying Rajaji had insulted Kamaraj, then Chief Minister in this way! ( It was well known that Kamaraj was of a dark complexion) Nobody who knew Rajaji would accuse him of such low acts, but what did the sensation-seeking local press care? There was a huge controversy and ugly debates. Finally, Rajaji himself gave the explanation: 'To catch the blackest crow' was an English idiom which only meant that one must engage the strongest opponent in a combat, and in the context of the elections, it meant the Congress Party which was both the largest and the ruling party! 

Thus we see that a liberal education helps improve the general level of awareness and quality of public debate and discourse. And study of literature does provide a strong foundation for such liberal education. But with the focus now on increasing specialisation, serious study of literature is confined to formal students of literature. English at least continues to get some attention because it is the language of higher learning; the other Indian languages suffer neglect because they are not useful for higher studies, or even as vehicles for the expression of modern thought in science or any other field.This is a historical development and no one can be blamed. There are people in every state who want the local language to be used everywhere for everything. Even such people quietly educate their children in the English medium, and use local language mania to whip the linguistic minorities! In the process, even the old literature of these languages are increasingly neglected by the younger generations.

In England, in the Victorian era, with the spread of literacy, women emerged as a strong reading force,with a preference for light romantic and domestic novels. Women writers also emerged in large numbers, as men considered it below them to write such stuff. At one stage, women writers outnumbered men. I am inclined to think that a similar situation prevailed in Tamil Nad in the last century, from the 30s to the mid-80s- till the rise of the TV- serial culture. Women , and most men,  of all age groups were avid readers of periodical Tamil magazines - gulping down short stories and serial novels. There were at least 5 such top magazines competing , with 3 emerging with large readership- Ananda Vikatan, Kalki and Kumudam- the last one finally overtaking all others. Kalaimagal was more literary and always a step behind. The serialisation of the novel had started early, but caught on when Kalki and Devan appeared on the scene. Kalki's historical novels were tremendously popular, so were Devan's social novels. But my point is: Kalki's novels were serialised several times: Ponniyin Selvan, perhaps the most popular, first appeared in the late 40s and early 50s. It ran for over 4 years! It had tremendous illustrations by Maniam, a great artist. It ran a second time in the late 60s- again for 4 years, with illustrations by Vinu; a third time in the next decade with illustrations by Maniam Selvan- the son of the original artist! It ran again in the next decade with illustrations by another artist- Padmavasan. It is being serialised once again now , with illustrations by yet another artist! It is one case where people are returning to the same stories repeatedly over 60 years! All over the world, many novels had been serialised, or appeared in instalments, including the works of Dickens and Hardy. But I am not aware whether any work of any other author was  serialised repeatedly- to enthusiastic reception every time! Personally, I am disappointed that Devan's works were not so repeated, with the illustrations of Gopulu! Ananda Vikatan which Devan served till the end with such devotion and skill, did not honour him at all with such a gesture! Now with the rise of the TV culture, reading habit has been killed. Today the diversions and attractions are many, but the younger generation does not read, unless it be in connection with their work which cannot be avoided.

But the state of Sanskrit education is the worst. It is not only the language of  our religion and philosophy;it is also the language of our arts, sciences, culture: all the ideas in all the books in all the Indian languages are originally in Sanskrit. There is no Indian language- including Tamil- which does not contain at least 50% from Sanskrit sources. As a literary language, it exceeds Greek, Latin and every other language in extent, range and volume, as also in antiquity. Every Hindu of every sect and persuasion uses Sanskrit in his rituals, mantras and prayers. Yet, the Hindu is reluctant to acknowledge these openly and to take up its study even as a third language. This is indeed pathetic. Many Hindus read many versions of the Ramayana as a religious book; but few take up the original Valmiki, either as a religious text or as literature! The heart aches when one sees the neglect of the legendary Vyasa and the classical Sanskrit poets like Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti, Bana, Bartruhari, who stand head and shoulders above most English poets, and not less than Shakespeare and Milton. We devote so much time to reading the English poets - it is good, because they are good; but what about the good among us?  But at least some of us who have had some exposure in the past could come back to them! 

Those who are enthusiastically advocating Sanskrit study lack practical vision and plan.Study of language need not involve grammar at once.We may learn  to appreciate music without learning its technicalities, or to enjoy a Tennis match without playing it ourselves! Sanskrit verses could be taken up and explained- after all how many Indians can read and understand a passage even from any English poet-old or new-without explanation? The state of the study of our regional languages is such that most of the old literature in these languages cannot be understood without annotations. Why then should we be reluctant to bring out annotated editions of  Sanskrit works in English? At present, it is difficult to find even a book of Subhashitams in good English translations. Panchatantra and Hitopadesa are not available in good English translations , along with the originals.

The problem is present in all languages in respect of good literature. Even among students majoring in English literature in Western universities, there is reluctance to study poems and sonnets of Shakespeare, in contrast to a major play, even in the class room, unless the book makes reading simpler, by printing the annotations on the same page or side by side with the original! How much more difficult will it be in respect of Shakespeare, if we do not simplify the language, and have the book attractively designed and printed? Yet look at some of the books even from the reputed publishers- how badly produced the Sanskrit books are, in comparison to the English books they publish!

But the greatest problem in India is the absence of the habit of reading serious literature, except as part of some school or college course. A generation ago, at least short stories and serial novels used to be read widely in the periodical magazines. This has almost totally disappeared among the so called 'techie' generation- they are with their gadgets all the waking hours- no reading, no writing. The older generation is with the TV channels. Almost no one returns to any form of literary studies after leaving school or college. Which is so sad!

LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT. 26.DECIDING WHAT TO READ

LITERATURE- LIGHT AND DELIGHT

26.  DECIDING WHAT TO READ

Most of us have a weakness for something or the other. The celluloid poet Shailendra once wrote:

Kisi ko har har note ka nasha hai
Kisi ko suit boot coat ka nasha hai

(Some are intoxicated by the sight of fresh currency notes; some by good dress).Our books tell us that major weaknesses are mainly the three Ws.(They also speak of three attachments-Ishanatrayam) Modern civilisation has given us a few more : stamp collection, photography, keeping pets, simply collecting exotic things, hunting autographs, collecting pens, watches,etc. You name it 'hobby', and anything acquires respectability, and a following!

With some of us, reading literature is a madness, not just weakness.It is difficult to say how one acquires this. May be the influence of a teacher, or example of a family member was at work.In my own case, my mother was a voracious reader and I think she bequeathed this wealth to me, fully!

Yes, you may read all you like, but why buy books- which can put a hole in your roof, not just pocket? We do not have good libraries. The needed books may not be available. In college, my lecturer recommended a book on the pricing of public utilities: by Martin Glaser and said where it was available: Connemara Library, Madras. When we went to Madras, I visited the library and saw the book.But the particular chapter was missing: it had been nicely prised away with blade! In the big cities, for the cost of transportation , you may almost buy a book! And in the time spent, you may finish reading it,too!

If you are a serious reader, you would like to mark things as you go along- may be a  word here, a sentence there, an expression; or you may disagree with something and mark it. Often such markings help you to recapitulate the subject at a glance even years later. I have found mark-worthy matters even in the novels of Harold Robbins! So the markings make the book personal! It is not possible to mark library books, and not desirable in the case of borrowed books. ( I remember, Rajaji once borrowed a book from TTK,but could not resist marking or making some noting, and apologized to TTK!)It used to be said of newspapers that they are like woman: every one must have his own, and not look to his neighbour's! It is even more so in the case of books. And 'neither a borrower, nor a lender be' is especially applicable to books: you may get your money back, and not lose a friend, but a lost or spoiled book is difficult to replace. So there is no way other than buying a book, and holding on to it!

How do we decide  which book to read - fiction or non-fiction? We read non-fiction out of necessity, and since most of us in jobs or retirement do not have any such compelling reason, most of us do not read serious non-fiction at all. We do not read up even on subjects which we majored in at the university. For most of us serious study ends with college. Only professionals like lawyers, doctors, university professors (?),accountants  have to keep reading to remain in practice.

But many of us read fiction. However, in Tamilian middle class circles, it has taken the form of reading the periodicals carrying serials and short stories. This is a fairly well established tradition.There are avid readers, and I remember that in my school days the elders would eagerly await the arrival of the vendor bringing the latest issue of the magazine Kalki on Thursday mornings, when Kalki's novel Ponniyin Selvan was serialised in it- it ran for four years! Once it arrived, they would vie with each other to read it first; if any elder was not well and unable to read, some of us boys would have to read it aloud! That was the craze!  (But we boys would beat them: we would quietly slip out, meet the vendor at the street corner and snatch the magazine from him, stand quietly in a corner and read it, before bringing it home!)It would then be shared with two or three other families. 'Kalaimagal' magazine also carried good stories. But such craze was not for it. But 'Ananda Vikatan'  was  eagerly awaited every week, when Devan's novels  like 'Thuppariyum Saambu' or CID Chanduru were serialised! Such novels were not published as books then. So, many families collected the weekly articles and got them bound. We ourselves had at one time more than 300 such bound volumes collected over 30 years! Unfortunately, they were all printed on cheap newsprint and deteriorated fast. I mention this because it would help us understand that most of us do not have the habit of buying books-even fiction! At the most, we may have a Ramayana or some other religious books. In my visits to the  houses of friends and relatives over the last 55 years  in 7 cities across India,that I remember, I have seen not more than about ten houses with some books- (other than school books) and only two with a library, of mostly non-fiction.

So how do we decide to buy books at all?  We decide about seeing films after some one tells us about it- some one whose judgement we rely upon. But now most newspapers carry film reviews, so we can form an opinion. Most of us watch it on the TV any way,so it really does not matter. We attend music performances on the basis of the artist we like. It is only later that we read a review in a magazine  or newspaper. As for books, some newspapers carry reviews. The Hindu used to carry reviews and also lists of books received for review, earlier on Sundays, but later on other days. But this has dwindled now. They bring out a literary supplement, but it is all slanted, and holds appeal only to some niches. There is no book-review at all in the Times of India! All this only shows how much our media cares for fostering love of books or serious reading habits!

It is indeed a miracle that we decide to buy a book at all! Even those given to buying books found it difficult to get to know about new books, and then getting an idea about them, in the absence of review. In the cities we would visit book shops, scan the shelves, pick up the books that appealed, and browse through the contents, introduction, preface, etc. Some shop keepers would not allow that, and in any case most did not have sufficient space or lighting. Those of us reading magazines would get to know about some books- for eg. Rajaji, even at the age of 80+, would read books and write about them in Swarajya! I remember he reviewed Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, and also mentioned Parkinson's Law. It is only through academic journals that we got to learn about new books.

The Reader's Digest was an excellent resource. Every issue would contain a book supplement. Articles would carry references to other books and sources. I used to buy it for  over 30 years-from 1960. I collected the book supplements , and other desired articles and got them bound. I preserved even the covers- the front cover would contain a nice painting, and the inside third cover would contain a very interesting piece about some celebrity's experience: in one, Toscanini, the famous Italian conductor related how once when he was playing the piano a flock of canaries came and sang in unison! At one stage, I had more than 150 bound volumes, but no place to keep! Also, in the 90s the Indian edition had made  changes which I did not like- I thought it had lost its "Universal" flavour;  margins on the left had become smaller which did not permit binding. Besides, our priorities do also change with the years. So, I stopped buying it in the 90s. Incidentally, there is a nice book on the changing priorities of life, titled "Repacking Your Bags" by Richard Leider! The Reader's Digest Condensed Books were another great resource! My God, how many books and authors and subjects we came to know through it! But back then in the late 50s, they were not easy to get!

The decision to read or buy a particular book on a subject is greatly facilitated by book review,or influenced by peer views or teacher's guidance. If you want to read say Shakespear's Macbeth or As You Like It ,which edition to get? Clarendon or Verity? Or any other? We needed advice. Those days we had classic novels like those of Dickens or Hardy as non-detailed reading; but once you got a taste, you could go ahead and get the others if available! The college libraries had many of them, but our Principal had given instructions that Hardy's 'Jude the Obscure' should not be issued to any student! There was always a senior who was a voracious reader and he would tell us about some books- though at times some were not so desirable, like those of Alberto Moravia. If we had to write an essay say on Macbeth's character, where would you get the material? The lecturer would direct you to the library. You would finally discover A.C.Bradley, and that would be a gold mine! It is like this in small steps that we got to know about books.

But how to know whether the book is good, to read or to buy? It depends on reviews in standard journals or newspapers by recognised names or authorities.  (D.Anjaneyulu, Prema Nandakumar, Prof.M.Siva
ramakrishna , for example) And the journal would depend on the subject. If you are interested in say religion or philosophy and such matters, Prabuddha Bharata or Mountain Path may help; but that depends on publishers giving them copies for review- and most publishers don't. Some times some articles in newspapers mention some books. I remember Swami Ranganathananda mentioned 'The Tao Of Physics' by Fritjof Capra in an article he wrote in the Indian Express in 1977 or 78. So we got to know about it.Once we got the book (it was a Bantam New Age Book), we got to know more books on allied subjects in the same series! Likewise, any one interested in Ramana Maharshi would have heard of Paul Brunton's book 'A Search in Secret India'. In the 60s, it was published by Arrow Books,London in their 'Mind and Matter' series. Once you got it, you would get to know other books in the series!  Scholarly books contain suggestions for further reading and notes contain references to many books.This is how we got to know about books. A good library is the place to get to know about books and read them.

In Madras, second hand books were available in the Moore Market, but we only searched for college books. In Bombay, there were mountains of books on the platform and in some shops specialising in second hand books. There , you had to take from what was available; for specific books  you had to go to a regular book shop.

We faced problems with poetry books too. Most of us read some good English poems in text books.Where to look for more? Palgrave's Golden Treasury was the only available anthology then, but it was without annotations, and we could not follow them.There were some like the one by Moles and Moon, but it contained only some long poems. Then came the Mentor Book of Major British Poets, but that too without notes. This problem persists.

Happily, the internet and the coming of online shopping has drastically changed things. All information you need is literally at your finger tips. On most books , you could get material on the net.After getting introduced to the net, I spent a full year on updating my old academic subjects. The amount of material available was mind boggling, and it would surely take a long time to read and digest that. Thank God, there was no internet 50 years ago- otherwise I would not have been able to write the exam!

But still, internet does not solve the problem of which book or edition to buy. I will give a concrete example. Suppose you are interested in acquiring standard material on English literature. You would come to know that there are good anthologies. But they are one too many! Almost every  famous university or publisher has his! And they are all expensive even for a book lover-upwards of Rs.5000! (per volume and they are multi-volume series!) So which one to choose?

It is here that online shopping helps you. A site like Junglee tells you which vendor is cheapest. But the cheapest may not have a review on his site. I have found that on most books Amazon has reviews by actual buyers. On academic books, well-read people and often the teachers and professors who teach the subject  themselves provide review- at times very detailed! In the end you realise that in some cases no edition is satisfactory. eg if you want to acquire an edition of the complete works of Shakespeare, you will find several editions. You will find that each edition is subjected to detailed review; every edition has compromised somewhere and no edition is fully satisfactory. If you read Harold Bloom, you will learn that the Oxford Shakespeare texts are the least satisfactory (See his magnificent book: Shakespeare-The Invention of the Human). So it is best to go in for individual volumes, with detailed annotations. Here too there are many editions. We choose depending upon the immediate interest. If we want to simply understand the work and then enjoy the poetry, 'No Fear Shakespeare' will do. It is a straight plan: it has the original on the one side, and a version in plain current English on the other, line by line! So we know what Shakespeare means, though we may not know the exact meaning of every word. If we are interested in deeper study of the plot, character, context of the play, background etc, we will have to go for annotated editions. But these days, many editions deal with the stage angle. They think that the plays were meant for acting and it is from that angle that it should be analysed. But we are more interested in it as literature - as poetry! So we have to focus on an edition that deals with the plays as literature, not a draft for theatre! Western audiences may be interested in watching the play; we have no such facility here, or even interest. We are satisfied with Shakespeare as the greatest poet. 

The net contains  the texts, analysis and explanation of most well-known poems and the quotations of Shakespeare. For most people used to the net, reading on line may be sufficient. But old timers like me feel that there is no substitute for actually taking the book in your hand, smelling it, feeling the paper and seeing print! Again, as Sahir Ludhianvi, the celebrated celluloid poet sang:

Jo baat tujh mein hain
Teri tasveer mein nahin!

(He sings of the beloved: that which is in you, is not there in your portrait!)
{ Incidentally, this is a wonderful love song and would neatly fit our love of books! If we don't love them, why should we buy them and hold them in our hand? And having loved, how can we part with them?} I wonder how any serious lover of good literature can settle for online reading!

 For us the reviews are invaluable, to help decide which book to read and which edition to buy. Review is evaluation- another name for critique or criticism. Literary criticism is a vital aspect of the overall literary activity.This we will see next.


Note:

Having mentioned English Literature anthologies, and Shakespeare, I would share the following.

1.There are many anthologies of English Literature.They are very expensive, but indispensable for proper understanding. Indian university courses are half-way houses and do not cover any subject adequately. I have found Norton Anthology to be very good and useful. There is an Oxford Anthology (now in two combined volumes) edited by Harold Bloom and others. This is even more expensive, but is very valuable, because it is not influenced by modern critical prejudices. Though they are expensive, they will obviate the need to buy many individual books later on and thus save us lot of money and time. They would surely provide a lifetime of reading pleasure.

2.As for Shakespeare, if we must own a volume of complete works, either as a matter of pride, or a mark of respect to the Bard, or just for the heck of it, the Royal Shakespeare Company sponsored edition seems to be the best option; a paperback edition is available for under Rs.2000. But this is just for show; for study we would need individual volumes. I have found 'No Fear Shakespeare' series to be helpful. Harold Bloom relies on the Arden editions. I have found the Evans Shakespeare series to be very helpful. It has a section containing material on the sources and contexts, from contemporaries and old authorities. And it has a section containing classic criticism, from Coleridge, William Hazlitt, Bradley, T.S.Eliot etc! And from modern scholars! The UK edition is expensive, but now Indian edition is available for some titles- almost for a song! (They do not have the colour plates.)

3. As for poetry, things are somewhat better. Complete works  of the major poets in durable editions are so expensive as to be not only beyond our reach, but even beyond our imagination. (Complete works of some poets are available in cheap paperback from Wordsworth Editions; they are without notes. A poet like Browning cannot at all be read without annotations.) Selected works are available in paperbacks in Oxford and Penguin editions.The print is small, the paper is not good, and the binding will not stand repeated handling.But they do carry valuable introduction and notes  by scholars. We do get bargains from online stores. Personally I have found Norton Critical Editions of individual poets to be very useful and absolutely delightful to read. The amount of material presented is simply enormous.In some cases Indian editions are available. (There are books by Dr.S.Sen ( Unique Publishers,Delhi) meant for Indian Universities.These contain very detailed annotations and are useful, if you do not mind the occasional howlers.)

4. Often we are tempted to buy books because they become best sellers, or they get some award,or are much talked about. But what happens to the best sellers  a year or two hence? Like Alvin Toffler's 'instant celebrities' they are here this moment, but are forgotten when the next candidate arrives! This best seller business seems to me  to be pure publicity gimmick. After all, we know how awards are got or given! We have to stick to enduring literature.

5. How can we afford to buy books?  Well, life is based on choice, and sacrifice! We can't have all.I can only relate my experience.(in the hope it may help some one) I stopped seeing films in theatre 40 years ago; I did not go to expensive restaurants; usually I avoided coffee, along with snacks; I visited only sacred places and avoided 'tourist spotss'; I travel by public transport, and avoid autos, to the extent possible; I have deliberately avoided owning a car. These are the ways I saved money to buy books!

6. How do we find space to keep our books? Living in flats, this is real problem.It is really strange- the idiot box gets pride of place in the living space, while books are kept elsewhere! I keep books in box cots; some are kept in the attic. But once in a while, we do have to part with some old stuff, though with a pang, to make room for the new. I donate to old age homes or other institutions, but these days, even libraries do not want books! This means we have to be really choosy in acquiring new books! 

LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT. 24..NOVELS.

LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT

24. NOVELS

The novel is a literary form which has developed in the last three centuries. Not that there were no stories earlier- the epics and so called medieval romances were essentially stories, but they are not the long sustained narratives that modern novels are.Today it is the most popular aspect of literature, commanding an immensely wide readership all over the world. A popular English novel has really no boundaries. It is really amazing to think that most people in the world uniformly like a good novel, though some of them may have a specific locale or situation or incident as the background. Whatever the outward situation, the inner feelings evoked are the same. This may be the result of the present educational system, which is getting uniform across countries, and in its wake breeds some common attitudes and values; or due to innate human nature; whatever it is, it is a factor which unites humanity across cultures, continents and languages! We can easily think of single novels like 'Gone with the Wind' (Margaret Mitchell), 'To Kill a Mocking Bird' (Harper Lee) 'To Sir With Love' (Braithwaite) which have stormed the whole world apart from the works of Agatha Christie, Alistair Maclean, Arthur Hailey, Wodehouse, and the current rage,J.K.Rowling. This is quite apart from the standard authors.

Romance, social, historical- these are broadly three strands of popular novels. Adventure  and detective fiction form a distinct category, though it is doubtful how far they can be counted as truly literary.

Romances have survived in two incarnations: in the medieval period, they related to the royalty or nobles, and were more or less like fairy tales. But early in the 19th century some English writers took to it seriously, making the heroine, and not the hero, the centre of action and attraction. Jane Austen wrote 6 novels in this genre in about 8 years (1811-1818) and achieved great fame. These are still popular, though they are based on the mores of a specific class in early Victorian England. There is really something universal about the emotions dealt with. In fact it was mostly women writers who wrote these; at that time, it was felt that such stories were not truly literary, that it was too easy to read them and hence did not attract serious readers,or male writers. But once they became popular, men too took to it, developing women characters. They continue to be written today, but for a junior audience.

The social novel deals with family and social themes, while historical novel takes some actual historical incident and character and make them central to the story. Walter Scott's 'Ivanhoe' (1820) is the first historical novel in modern times and its popularity led to the growth of this genre. But really, a social novel may also have a historical grounding: the outstanding example is 'Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens  which takes place between London and Paris during the French Revolution; and 'Gone with the Wind' which takes place during the American Civil War and its aftermath. Even in the 'Barnaby Rudge' of Dickens there is an actual historical incident woven into it.

A novel can be considered historical even if has a general historical atmosphere, and not a specific incident or character.'A Farewell to Arms', Grapes of Wrath, 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' fall into this category.In the so called Westerns written by Louis L'Amour, the opening up and development of the great American West is captured in delightful prose narrative, where the language reaches poetic heights at times! He was himself a cowboy, and adventurer, had travelled to all the places mentioned and described, had even survived  in a desert; every place that he writes of exists; every mountain, hill, valley, waterhole,river and creek exists; he had done great research on some reported and recorded incidents and had drawn from their actual lives. And he writes with a great sense of historical responsibility- he knows he is dealing with a phase of a local culture, whose exact nature and even details and authenticity were questioned. To some extent, we may say he not only chronicled the West, but even helped create it! His descriptions of nature are outstanding and would stand comparison with the best in the recognised canon, say like  the works of Hardy. I must admit that I admire him, next only to Dickens and Hardy among the old writers, and Nevil Shute and A.J.Cronin among the more recent ones.

When we talk of research, I remember one more incident. Arthur Hailey became famous in the 70s for a series of high-drama novels: Airport, Wheels, Money Changers, Overload, Final Diagnosis, etc. In the 'Airport' he depicted the devious ways of the airline pilots-  how for instance they would resist the 'regulation shirt'- what we would call the uniform. In the 'Wheels', he wrote about how the employees in the car manufacturing plants were not quite attentive in their work on Fridays and Mondays- the former because they were eagerly awaiting the week-end get away, and the latter because of the hangover from the week-end exertions! After this, car buyers in the US started demanding that they be not supplied cars assembled on Fridays and Mondays! This observation of Hailey was correct. He would actually visit the factory or plant and do his research for some time before writing and he had done it in this case.Such observations were also made in the case of Final Diagnosis (hospitals) and  'Overload' (powerplants). His novels came to be called "faction" because they were based on facts, though it was fiction!

This is one genre in which India, and Tamil Nad does not lag behind- in fact we excel. In this we have followed the English model: great writers reaching out to big readership through periodical magazines. Kalki and Devan became our foremost novelists in Tamilin the 40s and 50s. If Dickens's novels ran for months, Kalki's ran for years! He became the master of the historical novel, having three big serials to his credit.These are being rerun periodically even now, after 60 years! His social novel "Alai Osai" can also be considered historical as it has the fredom movement as the backdrop. Devan's novels capture the ethos of the educated middle class with great wit and wisdom and sensitivity. After Kalki, there has been no writer of historical novels of comparable calibre; some people mention Sandilyan , Vikraman, Kovi Manisekaran; personally, I feel  their works lack genuine literary merit /quality and a certain finesse or refinement and I would not take their names along with Kalki's.. Readership number is not the real yardstick. Today, there are more readers than in Kalki's days and the standard of assessment was much higher then.

About standards of assessment, I know an incident in the music world. Govt. of India used to extend scholarships for junior/budding Carnatic musicians to pursue intensive studies and training under a senior Vidwan. A committee of musicians used to select them. In one year Palghat Mani Iyer was on the committee. After examining all the candidates, he felt no one was suitable and said so. The authorities pleaded with him that he might select one among the lot, for they feared that if the selection was not made and the grant availed of that year, it might not be offered  the next year and it might lapse. But Mani Iyer said that he was there to  judge and pick the suitable one and in his judgement no one was suitable and so he would not select any one! Such were the standards observed by our elders those days! Today they will pick some one just because the grant had to be availed of! We see how the quality of our Phds has declined once it became a regular requirement under UGC! As in music, so in literature!

In the area of social novels, we have been extremely fortunate. There has been an almost unbroken line of good novelists: from the old stalwarts like Lakshmi, Rajam Krishnan, Anuthama, Mayavi, Na.Parthasarathi Jayakanthan, Akilan,Indira Parthasarathi, Ra.Ki.Rangarajan, Aarvi, A.S.P, etc.  (There are of course many others, but I feel most of them write without restraint or a sense of social responsibility, especially in writing for mass circulation. Some of their themes and treatment appear to cross the bounds of good taste- at least my taste.)

India is extremely lucky in the variety of its languages and their richness in literary matters. There are great novelists and writers in all languages. But because of the bane of linguistic states, there is no flow of material across states. Even the most well-known writers in a language are not known outside their states. In the 50s and 60s we used to have a Tamil magazine named 'Manjari'. It used to mainly carry articles of academic interest but each issue would contain a  translation ( condensation, like in the Readers' Digest) of novels from other Indian languages: I remember reading the stories of V.Sa.Khandekar (Marathi), Masti Venkatesa Iyengar (Kannada) Vaikom Mohammad Basheer (Malayalam) and Hindi and other writers. I do not know whether the magazine is still published and it does carry such translations. In the absence of such arrangements, I wonder how many would have heard of even a Munshi Premchand or Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. (An earlier generation would know: Munshi Premchand's novel "Sevasadan" was made into a Tamil film "Sevasadanam" in 1938 under the direction of the legendary K.Subramaniam; it was the first film of M.S.Subbulakshmi, and starred a mainly Brahmin cast, though it was against orthodoxy! Similarly, Sarat Chandra's novel Devadas was made into a very popular tear jerker in the early 50; some other stories of his were also filmed; so he was more widely known. Whether cinema led to greater awareness and readership of literature is a different matter.At least the names of the writers were known.

 The linguistic division of states has actully proved a strong though invisible barrier to the free flow of literature across states. The booksellers in Bengaluru are reluctant to display Tamil books or magazines prominently; the names of even Tamil films are prominently displayed in Kannada! But I find the publishers are now churning out translations of English novels. (I could not find a good translation of Purandaradasa's songs, but I found translations of Bhyrappa's books! These local language enthusiasts do not understand a simple fact: the world appreciates good work and it needs to be translated into English and other languages. Can we think of Gitanjali getting the Nobel Prize if it had not been translated into English?) There are some good anthologies of English translations of short stories  from Indian languages, though we cannot be sure to what extent they reflect the correct trends, as selections in anthologies depend on the editor's and publisher's taste and prejudices or preferences. Eye on rewards and consequently political correctness are important considerations.

Whatever it may be, we can surely be proud of our record in respect of novels, in almost all Indian languages. That is something to cheer about.