English Literature GCE A/L Made easy-novel - R.K. Narayan's The
English Teacher
Author
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanaswami; popular by the name R.K.
Narayan was born during the British Colonial days in India. "He created
a town in South India and called it Malgudi".
He employed characters harmless though sometimes refractory,
fastidious, deceiving, yet they could be accepted as true.

In his thirty four novels and the series of short stories he often
made mention of Malgudi Days, portraying "India's rural and industrial
aspects that prevailed then and the persons or his concepts in his
creative faculty of the mind and the persons capricious in behaviour or
appearance.
All these characters existed in his imaginary world". Narayan
(October 1, 1906 - May 13, 2001) seems to be the most popular Indian
Novelist writing in English (His first novel "Swami and Friends" (1935).
Sometimes compared to the United States writer William Falkner. Narayan
wrote about fifteen novels, five volumes of short stories, a number of
Travelogues, and a collection of nonfiction, English Translation of
Indian Epics and the memoirs "My days".
Narayan's novels:
In most of Narayan's novels colonial rule takes a prominent role. 'In
the English Teacher'. The title of the book itself "Signifies the
influence of the unwelcome British ruler" and how certain elements of
life are subject to the influence of British rule and how they
influenced Krishna's life. Thus the plot in the story is undeniably
different.
Writing style:
Narayan's novels seem to be influenced by "Chekhovian simplicity and
gentle humour". Most of his characters are ordinary folk following a
simple lifestyle. "Swami and friends" paved way for his writing career.
Green, an admirer of his books helped him in his publication. Most of
his novels seem to be set in Malgudi a fictional place.
Being "a sensitive and prolific writer" his works invite the reader's
attention. His books dealing with mythology "Gods, Demons and others"
(1965) The Ramayan (1972) and The Maha Bharatha (1972) attract much
attention of the reader. Mr. Narayan could be compared with Chekhov.
He is gifted with the ability "extra ordinary ordinariness of human
happiness". Jane Austen and Chekhov bring out Elizebeth Bowen's remarks
"an idyll as delicious as anything I have met in modern Literature for a
long time. The atmosphere and texture of happiness and above all its
elusiveness have seldom been so perfectly transcribe".
This novel is rather autobiographical and dedicated to his wife Rajan
who died after contracting typhoid; having had spent a very short period
of five years before she parted for ever. Narayan loved his wife dearly
and experienced a period of darkness which inspired him to communicate
with her quite different from the "Love that is ascertained in real life
or through the media".
Mrs. C. Ekanayake, Retd. Specialist Teacher Eng.
Lit., St. Anne's College, Kurunegala. |