Gone with the Wind is a classic. There are only a few novels which define the ethos of a Nation. They are so definitive or detailed that they become referential points about a period or an era in the history of that Nation. The half truths or generalizations of their narrative does not dilute the…
Bleak House heralds the prowess of Charles Dickens at his highest point. Woven around a lawsuit named Jarndyce Vs Jarndyce, the novel bears the distinctive stamp of the novelist, especially his powers of observation and characterization. The range of people who are present in a Dickens novel, makes him no less than a social historian…
A reflection on Thackeray’s world of ambition, appearance and moral compromise, and on the unforgettable contradictions of Becky Sharp.
Kafka, Kundera and Beckett become points of departure for thinking about narrative, memory, time, uncertainty and the modern human predicament.
There are a few books which do not fit into the confines of a genre. Although the tag of fiction does not entirely work for them, they have a mood and an aura which makes them look like a work of fiction. John Lang’s “Wanderings in Hindostan” written in 1860, belongs to such a category….
Adventure novels are a distinct category which needs a special mention in my series of posts about the novel. My first foray into the world of fiction as I have mentioned earlier was with the novel “Round the World in 80 days” by Jules Verne. A roller coaster ride about a meticulous person, Phileas Fogg,…
The journey of my engagement with fiction compels me to acknowledge some of the influences and other factors in that journey. On this account this post takes a little personal turn. Reading is an addictive habit. “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than…
This week’s post about the novel is about the Post modernist American novel by Ralph Ellison Invisible Man – A novel that examines several questions of the African-American identity and individuality from a perspective that was radically different from novels written until then, this novel has been regarded as the American picaresque novel which does…
What a delightful novel! What an astounding array of characters. It is remarkable how Dickens does not leave out even one strand unraveled or no character rounded off towards the end. When I finished the novel, I felt I had had a repast. Dickens is truly at the height of his powers; be it the…
Varanasi being in the news again, I went down memory lane and refreshed my visit to this eternal city in January 2013. This is more in the form of a travelogue and will be in varying tenses. “I’m travelling to Varanasi by the Ganga Kaveri express. Dry and deserted rural Maharashtra – Men in Dhotis and women too in Dhoti styled saris.