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Unit 14: R.K. Narayan’s ‘‘Malgudi Days’’: Discussion on All Spheres of the Text and Questions

of how to write a memorable short story in five hundred words or less. There is a kind of Notes
elemental pleasure in reading these stories in close succession, and watching Narayan people
his world with tragic shopkeepers, ethical pickpockets, mean beggars, storytellers, anxious
college students, and of course, ‘The Talkative Man‘. For Narayan, storytelling is deeply concerned
with establishing a sense of community, of people completely involved in each other.

Style

R.K.N. craftily uses the flashback technique in these stories that gives you a feeling of watching
a fast and engaging film without any fuss. Another information about it is, Malgudi is an
unreal place its name probably being derived from two real places Mysore and Lalgudi,a
small railway station that provoked R.K.N.’s imagination. Nevertheless, it does not at all fail
to give you an authentic taste of South India.

Self Assessment

Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Malgudi Days is a collection of how many short stories
(a) 16 (b) 56

(c) 32 (d) 34
2. Malgudi Days is written by
(a) R.K. Narayan (b) Khushwant Singh
(c) Raja rao (d) none

3. Malgudi situated on the banks of river
(a) Yamuna (b) Sarayu
(c) Ganges (d) Kosi
4. The Mantapam was an ancient pillared
(a) structure (b) temple
(c) monastery (d) math

5. The Guide is written by
(a) R.K. Narayan (b) Khushwant Singh
(c) Raja rao (d) none
6. Malgudi is a small town in

(a) North India (b) South India
(c) East India (d) none
7. Attila is a small
(a) pup (b) cat
(c) horse (d) none

14.2 Summary

• ‘Malgudi Days‘ is a collection of short stories that comprises of three stories. ‘Swami and
Friends‘ is a story well loved by almost everyone.

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