Assignment Code: BEGC-134/TMA/2022-23

Course Code: BEGC-134

Assignment Name: Reading the Novel

Year: 2022-2023

Verification Status: Verified by Professor

Max. Marks: 100

Answer all questions.

Section A

1. Write short notes in about 100 words each: 4 × 5 = 20

(i) Narrative

Ans) A narrative is not just the storey itself, but also how and why the storey is told. In other words, a storey is just one part of a narrative, while a narrative is more than just a storey. But a story's plot is different from its storey. Just as the storey is only one part of the narrative, a narrative is only one of many ways to give a plot shape. So, narrative is an important tool a novelist can use to create, describe, or comment on situations, characters, or both.

The study of the different types of stories can be very helpful in many ways, such as:

1. It can help you see how a novel is different from a poem or a play.

2. It can also help you tell the difference between different kinds of books and, to a certain extent, understand what makes them different.

(ii) New Trends in Fiction Writing

Ans) Fiction writing focused on the morals and manners of the time and tried to teach the vast majority of readers what is now known as the right way to act. This type of fiction told the reader what was expected of him or her in his or her environment and how to get around problems that might come up on the way to happiness, fulfilment, salvation, or whatever you want to call it. In critical discussion, it's important to pay close attention to how a literary trend can be seen over a longer period of time. The "past" of the first ten years of the twentieth century had little to do with the modernist trend in fiction writing. Not only did the focus change in literature, but so did the way people thought and felt about things like mystery, uncertainty, not knowing, etc. In the new opinion, direct statements and first-person analyses of trends are given more weight. It gives the observer a chance to look back and think about how writing is done today.

(iii) Characterisation

Ans) Characterization is tied to both the character and the plot in a way that can't be broken. For a piece of literature to be believed by its readers, the characters must be convincing, and the reader should be able to picture them. The author could then either comment on the characters directly or indirectly, which would be direct characterisation, or she or he could use direct characterisation. Characterization is the study of the different ways a novelist can show a lot of different characters in a way that makes sense.

(iv) Theme

Ans) Themes come from how the different parts of a book work together, like the plot/setting, the characters, and sometimes the conflict and tone. The main idea of a storey or book is what it says about life and how people act. Less often than not, the point of a novel these days is not to teach a lesson. It's important to note here that a book's theme doesn't have to be the same as every idea it tries to show. A theme is an idea that keeps coming up in a novel in a way that shows the author was really interested in it. A novelist often shows how much he or she cares about a theme or set of themes in more than one way.

Section B

Answer the following in about 350 words each: 4 X 20 = 80

1. Examine the similarities/ points of contrast between Kate Chopin and Edna Pontellier in The Awakening.

Ans) Both Kate Chopin and Edna Pontilier wanted to live a free and independent life and were strong feminists. Kate Chopin was raised by strong, independent women who encouraged her to do what she wanted and not let anyone stop her. In The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier, a young married woman with two children, falls in love with Robert Lebrun, who is forty years old. The character of Edna is different from that of Madam Adele Ratignolle, who has five children and is the perfect wife. Adele Ratignolle is a perfect example of what a Victorian woman should be.

Edna Pontellier meets Adele Ratignolle and gets close to a flirtatious Robert Leburn while on vacation in one of the Leburn cottages at the famous Grand Isle resort. Later, when Robert isn't around, Edna gets close to Alcee Arobin, hangs out with him at racetracks, and starts having sexual relations with him. Edna is married and has two kids, but she doesn't want her husband to have any claim on her. Edna didn't want to just be known as a wife and mother. Edna doesn't like patriarchy, marriage, or the typical role of a mother or wife.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin is all about a young woman's freedom and sexual curiosity. Edna's storey speaks for thousands of women who sleep in the same bed as their husbands but live different lives. Friedan wrote in her book The Feminine Mystique about how frustrating it was for women to have almost no freedom, creativity, or opportunities in their lives and still be expected to be grateful. Edna's character and her decision to kill herself show how hidden female desires came out during and after the terrible times of the First World War.

Kate Chopin wants to show through Edna that it is a woman's right to question the stereotypical patriarchal structure she was forced to live in. Edna's discovery of her hidden power shows how tense and restless a passionate woman is to reach an impossible goal. Throughout the storey, Edna has a hard time figuring out what her heart wants and what society expects of her. Her inner turmoil makes her think about what it means to be a wife and mother in late 1800s society.

2. Do you think that Things Fall Apart also appeals to readers across national boundaries? Give reasons in support of your answer.

Ans) Yes, Things Fall Apart is about a proud man who loses his honour. The book is good for everyone. Nearly every culture's literature has told a storey that is similar to this one. It's the storey of an ordinary man who had to deal with extraordinary things, but in the end, he gave up because he was scared and angry.

Umuofia is almost like a big village that stays together because the clan follows its religion and laws very strictly. Its people are united by their pride. Achebe talks about how colonisation broke up this ancient culture and made its people feel different and alone in a way that is both powerful and simple. Almost every group has a strong set of religious and cultural traditions. Umuofia is no different. All of the villages in Umuofia get together to celebrate holidays and other events. People come from far away to be with their relatives. They also talk about different losses together. Umuofia is different from other towns because of this. All of its villages work the same way because they all follow the same old rules.

We see how proud Okonkwo and the rest of his clan are of Umuofia. In fact, pride is the trait that most men show the most. In order for his friends to respect him, he has to take on a number of titles. People respect the traditions of Umuofia because they are afraid of gods that they don't know or can't understand. Umuofia is a society that is mostly run by men. Men can get married more than once. But the way the clan sets up marriages is degrading to women, and the men know that beating a woman is the only way to make her submit.

Even though there are differences, people still believe in the laws that their ancestors wrote. The society doesn't start to fall apart for good until after Umuofia is colonised. It starts when a lot of people start to believe in Christianity instead of their own gods. It makes people question their own traditions, which makes them feel less proud of them. This is the final blow, and the whole clan of Umuofia will fall because of it.

3.Write a critical note on the significance of songs in Paraja.

Ans) Mohanty puts songs about the Paraja tribe into his book Paraja because songs are an important part of tribal life and culture. The songs talk about all parts of life in a tribe. These songs show how deeply the tribal person is connected to his or her environment, rituals, customs, Gods, and otherworldly forces. These songs show how simple they are, and these speeches show what they were trying to say.

The songs are an inseparable part of the text, and to understand the theoretical issues they bring up, you have to be able to listen to and understand them. These songs show how the different characters in the book feel and how their lives are. They contribute to the mood of the book. There are love songs, ritual songs, holiday songs, work songs, seasonal songs, and other kinds of songs in the book. The songs show the ras and bhava, or deepest feelings, like love, fear, hope, hatred, anguish, pain, and ecstasy, whether at work or in a relationship, at the altar of God, at the change of seasons, or at a festival.

Songs aren't just a part of the Paraja community; people all over the world, in tribes and outside of tribes, use them to show how they feel in different situations. Songs are an outward sign of hidden, unsaid feelings. The words show how thoughts flow.

The author doesn't explain these songs because they explain themselves, but he or she does say that they are an important part of the people. We know what the song means in its current context, but not what it means in its history or background. People who know the Paraja culture and language and are used to their way of life will be able to understand these songs better. It's hard for the translator to translate songs because some phrases and words just can't be put into another language. The hardest thing is to translate poetry, songs, or music. When a song is translated, the rhythm, intensity, and sometimes even the meaning is lost. Still, the translator did his best to turn these Paraja songs from their original language, Oriya, into English so that more people could read them.

4. Would you agree that Things Fall Apart is just a simple story of the rise and fall of one man? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans) Things Fall Apart looks like a simple storey about how a stubborn, short-tempered, and impatient man named Okonkwo rises and falls. Okonkwo was stubborn because he insisted on taking part in the killing of Ikemefuna, whom he had cared for like a son for many years. The book doesn't seem to be very complicated, either in terms of how it shows characters or how it tells a storey. Okonkwo's character seems to be shown through a few events, like when he wins a wrestling match, kills Ikemefuma, beats one of his wives, accidentally kills his friend Obierika's son, and cuts off the head of the white man's messenger. It is said that there is no attempt to dig deep into Okonkwo's mind to find out if he has any doubts and dilemmas, hopes and fears, regrets and joys about some of these things he has done.

In short, it seems like the author didn't give Okonkwo any depth on a psychological level. As for the other characters, they are just in the background and don't play a big part in any of the events or things that happen. People have also said that Things Fall Apart is mostly told in simple ways with few words. But in the case of Things Fall Apart, this simple quality is a bit of a trick. It is not the storey of the rise and fall of a single person, Okonkwo, as some people have said. It is, in fact, the storey of an entire clan, society, and way of life that comes to a tragic end at a turning point in history. Things Fall Apart's "real hero" is the Ibo society on the eve of colonial takeover. Because of this, Achebe has included a number of events that have nothing to do with Okonkwo's personality but are very important for showing how the Ibo society at Umuofia works.

Okonkwo is strong, works hard, is impatient, has a short temper, acts in the "right" way, cares about how he looks to the public, and is set in his beliefs. This makes him a pretty complicated person. Achebe, on the other hand, builds characters in a different way. Achebe doesn't go into detail about each of these qualities. Instead, he shows them through brief mentions of certain events. Things Fall Apart gives off the impression of being simple, but the text is actually very complicated, which is one of the book's best qualities.