Page 57 - DENG202_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_III

Elective English—III Gowher Ahmad Naik, Lovely Professional University

Notes Unit 5: The Vendor of Sweets by R K Narayan

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction

5.1 About the Author
5.1.1 Turning Point
5.1.2 The Later Years

5.2 Summary of the Story
5.2.1 Settings
5.2.2 Point of View
5.2.3 Socio-cultural Matrix – The Western Influence
5.3 Analysis of ‘The Vendor of Sweets’

5.4 Main Themes
5.5 Gandhi “The Gita” and Gayatri in “The Vendor of Sweets”
5.6 Conflict between Spirituality and Materialism

5.7 Characters
5.7.1 Jagan
5.8 Summary
5.9 Keywords
5.10 Review Questions

5.11 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
Know about the life and works of R K Narayan
Understand the story ‘A Vendor of Sweets’

Critically analyse the major themes in the story ‘A Vendor of Sweets’

Introduction

R K Narayan’s art is a triumph of ironic transcendence. His irony is a rich compound of extensive
humour and sympathy, gentle contempt and amiable mockery. The method is ‘to mock at the
thing dearest to one’s heart,’ and, of course, irony is always compatible with the most intense
feelings. In irony, there is no scope either for the arid realms of dreary non-sentimental thinking
or for a lavish and hysterical sentimentality. Delicate irony is a measure of detached observation
and it light up the character of a person while exposing his weaknesses. It stimulates love in us
for the person whom the author intends to be loved and here R K Narayan succeeds marvellously.

52 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY