The ‘first’ is always interesting, special and indelible. In one of the stories of my debut book Undergraduate Stories, I reiterated the same.
Today, we’re going to talk about another first thing. Can you make a guess? Hint: I am talking in context to Indian Literature.
And here is it…..
Title: Rajmohan’s Wife
Author: Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay
Publisher: Penguin Classics (Introduction by Meenakshi Mukherjee)
Genre: Fiction (Novella)
Pages: 154
Price: MRP 250/- but you can get it around 150/- during sales. Click here for the best deal on Amazon.
Rajmohan’s Wife by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, written roughly around 1864 in serialised form (21 chapters excluding conclusion) is credited as the first novel in Indian English. It was the debut novel of Chattopadhyay and you’ll be surprised to know that he didn’t write anything in English after it. He switched to his native language for obvious reasons. Back then, English was considered the language of the coloniser. Hence, the novel was soon forgotten after its publication. Moreover, we don’t find any references by the contemporary author of that time.
Coming to Rajmohan’s Wife, it’s evident that it’s an ‘attempt’ at writing a novel in English. The narrative corresponds to a beginner who is starting to write in English. While reading, it feels that the sentences are first thought in a regional language and then translated into English. The text has several regional words which had been kept intact due absence of appropriate equivalents in English. Moreover, the context of words has changed a lot since Rajmohan’s wife was written. Hence, many words do not fit in the context in which they had been used in the novel. The sentence structure is also not appropriate if viewed from today’s time. Despite this novel is crucial for several reasons.
Recall the texts in Old and Middle English while reading the history of English Literature. Doesn’t it delineate how the language evolved over time? Similarly, Rajmohan’s wife is a record of the dichotomies associated with reading and writing English during colonial rule. The novel can be called some first attempt at nativising the English language. The theme of the novel is quite earthly and deals with intricate relations in society. Though in fragments, the theme has been woven in such a way that it binds the reader (the mystery it includes) and pushes them further towards the next chapter. Contrary to that age, the author has portrayed Matangani as a strong woman character who is ready to transgress the boundaries for the well-being of her childhood love.
Notes and critical essays toward the end of the book have been provided to help the readers with the text. Thus, in my opinion, Rajmohan’s wife is a must-read novel for a better understanding of Indian literature and language.
– Shashank
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