Page 127 - DENG203_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_IV

Elective English—IV

Notes

Notes An Astrologer’s Day Style – Point of View
The story adopts the traditional mode of third-person omniscience. In other words, the
author/ narrator relates the entire story to the reader, but since the entire plot is dependent
on the revelation taking place at the end, the narrator does not reveal all the aspects of
character at the beginning. While the narrator is forthcoming about all the peripheral
goings-on in the story, s/he is careful not to reveal to the reader anything more than
would be evident to any passerby. The reader sees the plot as it is being enacted, despite
the presence of the omniscient narrator. The use of dialogue throughout the story serves
the function of providing multiple points of view without altering the overall authority
of the narrator. Politics – Another aspect of Narayan’s work that has been consistently
pointed out in criticism is the author’s refusal to engage with the historical and political
events of the time. The author does not completely disregard politics, but that is always
less important than the ordinary lives of the people who live in Malgudi.

According to Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, Narayan’s short stories have the same
captivating feeling as his novels, with most of them less than ten pages long, and taking about
as many minutes to read. She adds that between the title sentence and the end, Narayan provides
the reader something novelists struggle to achieve in hundreds more pages: a complete insight
to the lives of his characters. These characteristics and abilities led Lahiri to classify him
as belonging to the pantheon of short-story geniuses that include O. Henry, Frank
O’Connor and Flannery O’Connor. Lahiri also compares him to Guy de Maupassant for their
ability to compress the narrative without losing the story, and the common themes of middle-
class life written with an unyielding and unpitying vision.

Critics have noted that Narayan’s writings tend to be more descriptive and less analytical; the
objective style, rooted in a detached spirit, providing for a more authentic and realistic
narration. His attitude, coupled with his perception of life, provided a unique ability to fuse
characters and actions, and an ability to use ordinary events to create a connection in the mind
of the reader. A significant contributor to his writing style was his creation of Malgudi, a
stereotypical small town, where the standard norms of superstition and tradition apply.
Narayan’s writing style was often compared to that of William Faulkner since both their works
brought out the humour and energy of ordinary life while displaying compassionate
humanism. The similarities also extended to their juxtaposing of the demands of society against
the confusions of individuality. Although their approach to subjects was similar, their methods
were different; Faulkner was rhetorical and illustrated his points with immense prose while
Narayan was very simple and realistic, capturing the elements all the same.

Did u know? Among Indian authors, Narayan has probably received the most attention.
Apart from a few essays that have expressed some reservation about Narayan’s refusal to
engage with political social realities, all others have been largely adulatory. Book-length
studies of his work have dealt with various aspects of his work, including myth, humour,
religion, identity, and so forth. Surprisingly, much more attention has been paid to the
novels than to the short stories, although Narayan has published several collections over
a career that spans more than six decades. It is to his credit that any major study of Indian
writing in English would include at least a chapter on the work of Narayan.

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