Novel as Criticism of Life II Novelist's Criticism of Life

NOVEL AS CRITICISM OF LIFE

INTRODUCTION:

“Novel is a fictitious prose narrative of considerable length in which realistic characters and events are presented in a complex plot.”

Novel as a form of literature is concerned directly with life, with men and women, with the real joys and sorrow, with the people’s ambitions and aspirations, rise and fall etc. Novel deals with life in the most realistic manner. It reflects life as it is and represents the darker and lighter sides of human life. A true novelist is one who observes life in its truest colors and represents it in its real form and shape.

Matthew Arnold once commented, “Literature is the criticism of life.” Great novelists are great thinkers of life and they give their own view of the world. Hence, all great novels possess some moral significance. 

पातुं तिक्तंइवौषधं मधुयुतं हृद्यं कथं स्यादिति।।१८.६३।।

‘Saundarnand’ by Ashwaghosh

Novels are just like capsules. When a patient needs to be given some bitter medicine which ultimately cures the patient, it is given with a sweet coating. In the same manner, the job of a novelist ultimately is to reform the society, to eradicate the social evils from the society. This is done by him indirectly through his works. Aacharya Mammat too in his ‘Kavya Prakash’ has discussed the concept of ‘Kanta Sammit Updesh’.

TRUTH IN NOVEL:

Truth in a novel is different from the truth of science. Plato was wrong in calling the poets as liars. Aristotle rightly said that all great works of imagination have a poetic truth of their own. Truth leads to the literature of knowledge whereas poetic truth leads to the literature of power. The literature of knowledge is full of facts and figures whereas the literature of power deals with human impulses and passions. Human passions and impulses never change and hence true literature of power never becomes old or stale. They are as fresh and appealing as when they were written. Homer’s ‘Iliad’, Vyasa’s ‘Mahabharata’ etc are the true works literatures which continue to appeal the modern man. There is much truth in this overstatement said by someone:

“In fiction everything is true except names and dates; in history nothing is true except names and dates.”

REALISM IN NOVEL:

Many critics want the novelists to go direct to actual life and give a slice of life in their novels with photographic realism. But this kind of realism is opposed by some true novelists. Extreme sort of realism leads to scientific truth and there will not be much difference between novel and history. A German thinker and writer has rightly said:

“The artist’s work is real in so far as it is always true; ideal, in that it is never actual.”

This idea leads novel to realism with romance.  Realism gives us the actual feeling of life and romance adds color to make it delightful. John Dryden too said, “Drama is a just and lively image of human nature.”

MORALITY IN FICTION:

No novel becomes immortal unless it presents some moral or ethical elements. Sir Philip Sidney has rightly compared poetry with history and philosophy and said that poetry is one step ahead of both history and philosophy. What poetry does (realistic presentation of life and teaching moral values) is not done by history and philosophy. However, it must be remembered that direct didacticism leads to failure as a novelist. True novelist preaches and teaches in an indirect manner. Earnest Hemingway in his very famous novel ‘Old Man and the Sea’ has projected the moral message artistically and successfully:

“Man is not made for defeat; man can be destroyed, but not defeated.”

CONCLUSION:

All in all we may say that morality in fiction lies in the whole interpretation of life. The novelist is an observer of life and society and an artist who knows very well how to present his observations with realism and romance. He infuses his own view of life, his own criticism of life, his thoughts and comments and presents life and lessons of life in the form of a capsule. Direct preaching makes one a philosopher, but indirect criticism of life presented in an artistic manner makes one a true novelist. Art is vitality connected with morality. W. H. Hudson rightly commented:

“Art grows out of life; it is fed by life; it reacts upon life.” 

Hence, no artist can afford to stand outside the field of ethics. The real greatness of a work depends upon the artist’s moral power and insight and upon the tendency of his philosophy of life.

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