History

Novels, Society and History

Question:

Explain briefly the history of Hindi novel. [CBSE. Sep 2010, 12]

Answer:

(i) Pioneer of modem Hindi literature : In the north, Bharatendu Harishchandra, the pioneer of modern Hindi literature, encouraged many members of his circle of poets and writers to recreate and translate novels from other languages. Many novels were actually translated and adapted from English and Bengali under his influence, but the first proper modem novel was written by Srinivas Das of Delhi.
(ii) Writings of Srinivas Das : Srinivas Das's novel, Published in 1882, reflected the inner and outer world of the newly emerging middle class.
(iii) Writings of Devaki Nandan Khatri : The writings of Devaki Nandan Khatri created a novel-reading public in Hindi. His best-seller, Chandrakanta – a romance with dazzling elements of fantasy – is believed to have contributed immensely in popularising the Hindi language and the Nagari script among the educated classes of those times.
Although it was apparently written purely for the ‘pleasure of reading', this novel also gives some interesting insights into the fears and desires of its reading public.
(iv) Munshi Premchand : It was with the writing of Premchand that the Hindi novel achieved excellence. He began writing in Urdu and then shifted to Hindi, remaining an immensely influential writer in both languages. He drew on the traditional art of kissa-goi (storytelling). Many critics think that his novel Sewasadan (The Abode of Service), published in 1916, lifted the Hindi novel from the realm of fantasy, moralising and simple entertainment to a serious reflection on the lives of ordinary people and social issues. Sewasadan deals mainly with the poor condition of women in society. Issues like child marriage and dowry.

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Novels, Society and History

Q 1.

Discuss some of the social changes in the nineteenth century Britain which Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens wrote about.

Q 2.

Which novel supplied the adventurous text for the young English population ? [CBSE 2014]

Q 3.

Who is the author of novel "Titash Ekti Nadir Naam"? Why is it considered a special novel ? Explain any four reasons.  [CBSE 2013, 2014]
Or .
Who is the author of novel "Titash Ekti Nadir Naam"? Describe the theme of this novel. [CBSE 2012]

Q 4.

In many novels written during the colonial period, the ideal person successfully deals with one of the central dilemmas faced by colonial subject'. What was the dilemma ?

Q 5.

Explain the following :
(a) Social changes in Britain which led to an increase in women readers.
(b) What actions of Robinson Crusoe make us see him as a typical coloniser ? [CBSE Sept. 2011]
Or
"Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe made the readers feel that they were part of a superior community". Support the statement. [CBSE 2013]
Or
What actions of Robinson Crusoe made him as a typical coloniser ? Explain. [CBSE 2013]
(c) After 1740, the readership of novels began to include poorer people.
(d) Novelists in colonial India wrote for a political cause.
Or
How does the novel Pariksha Guru reflect the inner and outer world of the newly emerging middle classes ? [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Q 6.

How did Charles Dickens focus on the life of the industrial workers and the terrible conditions of urban life in his novels ? Explain with examples. [CBSE 2008 (O)]
Or
Explain the themes and issues of the . novels of Charles Dickens with examples. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Elaborate upon the contribution of Charles Dickens in the field of novel writing.  [CBSE-2012]
Or
Novels of Charles Dickens deal with which changes of the 19th century Britain ? Mention any three such changes. [CBSE-2013]
Or
Which type of problems were highlighted by the novelist, Charles Dickens through his novel? Explain from any of his two novels. [CBSE-2013]
Or
Explain any three aspects highlighted by Charles Dickens in his novel "Hard Times". [CBSE-2012]

Q 7.

Who is the writer of the Novel Germinal ? What was the theme of the novel ?

Q 8.

During the 19th century, the early Bengali novelists lived in two worlds'. Explain.

Q 9.

What is a novel ?

Q 10.

Who formed the readership for the novels ?

Q 11.

Name a novelist who has written about terrible effects of industrialisation on people's lives and character.

Q 12.

Which social issues were included in the novels in India? Explain by giving examples. [CBSE 2014]
Or
Novels helped in creating a sense of social awareness in India.' Explain. [CBSE 2012]

Q 13.

What was the reason for the popularity of the novel?

Q 14.

How had the different novelists of the colonial period taken up the task of modernisation of the Indians ? Explain

Q 15.

What did the novels in the nineteenth- century India mean to :
(a) Women
(b) Children
Or
What was the attitude of people in India in the 19th century towards women reading ? How did women responded to this ? [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Q 16.

How did the vernacular novels help Britishers to expand their rule in India ?

Q 17.

Name any two novels written by Munshi Premchand. [CBSE 2014]

Q 18.

In what ways was the novel In colonial India useful for both the colonisers as well as the nationalists?

Q 19.

What is Epistolary?

Q 20.

What are major differences between a novel and a manuscript ?

Q 21.

How most of the novels of the 19th century represented the true picture of the community and the society ?

Q 22.

What was the theme of the novel Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte?

Q 23.

Who is the author of the novel "Robinson Crusoe ?

Q 24.

Name a novel which is about a secret Hindu militia that fights Muslims to establish a Hindu Kingdom. It was a novel that inspired many kinds of freedom fighters. ‘

Q 25.

Which was the first novel of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay ?

Q 26.

Who wrote Saraswativijayam ? [CBSE 2014]

Q 27.

What were the favourite themes to women novelists in India? Explain giving any three examples. [CBSE 2012]

Q 28.

Write a note on:
a) The Oriya novel
b) Jane Austen's portrayal of women
c) The picture of the new middle class which the novel Pariksha-Guru portrays.

Q 29.

What is meant by vernacular as a language?

Q 30.

Describe the earliest novels written in Bengali and Marathi. [CBSE 2013]

Q 31.

How did novels promote colonialism ? Explain with an example of a novel. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
What kind of novels were written for young boys in the 19th century ? Explain. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
How did novels make themselves relevant to young boys ? [CBSE Sept. 2011]
Or
Explain any five features of novels written for the young in the last stage of 19 th century. [CBSE 2012]

Q 32.

Who was Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer? Mention some features of his writing. [CBSE Sept. 2012]

Q 33.

Who is the writer of the novel Germinal ? What was the theme of the novel ?

Q 34.

Mention some important characteristics of novels which increased their popularity among the readers.

Q 35.

What was impact of serialisation of a novel ?

Q 36.

Who was the author of Pickwick Papers which was serialised in 1836 ? [CBSE 2014]

Q 37.

Who was the author of Mayor of Casterbridge ?

Q 38.

Which was the first proper modem Hindi novel? Who was its author ?

Q 39.

Which was the first historical novel written in Bengal ?

Q 40.

Why the novel Pariksha Guru could not win many readers ?

Q 41.

Summarise the concern in both nineteenth- century Europe and India about women reading novels. What does this suggest about how women were viewed ?

Q 42.

How did novel become a popular medium of entertainment among the middle class in India? Explain. [CBSE 2012]

Q 43.

Discuss how the issue of caste was included in the novels in India. [CBSE Sept. 2011]
Or
Describe, the theme of the novel . Saraswativijayam' written by Potheri Kunjambu.
Or
Who is the author of novel "Saraswati vijayam"? Describe the theme of it.
Or
How does Saraswativijayam' lay stress upon the importance of education for the upliftment of the lower castes ?  [CBSE 2012]
Or
How did authors from so called low castes gain recognition in the world of literature? Explain with examples of any two such authors. [CBSE 2012]

Q 44.

Explain the themes and issues of the novels of Thomas Hardy. [CBSE 2011]

Q 45.

Who was Charlotte Bronte ? How has she presented the picture of a woman in her novels ?
Or
Describe the depiction of women in the novels of Charlotte Bronte. [CBSE 2013]
Or
In which way was women depicted in Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre'? [CBSE 2011]

Q 46.

How did the early novels contribute to colonialism ?
Or
With the help of an example show how the early novels in Europe contributed to colonialism? [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Q 47.

"It is a truth universally accepted acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife". Name the novel and the author.

Q 48.

Name some important novelists who use to write for the young generation.
Or
Name some of the important novels for the young. [CBSE 2014]

Q 49.

How novels helped in popularising the sense of belonging to a common nation ?

Q 50.

What was the theme of Saraswativijayam ?