A Comparative Study of R. K. Narayan and Arundhati Roy: Linguistic and Literary Aspects
Description:... Broadly speaking, Indian English (IE) is that variety of English used by a large number of educated Indians as a second language. Kachru (1983) used the term ‘Indian English’ for the variety of English used generally in the South Asian countries. David Crystal (2003) observes that in India the numbers of English speakers outrank the combined number of speakers in USA and UK. A considerable body of creative writing is also produced in English and is increasing steadily. Writers like Mulk Raj Anand, R.K. Narayan, and Raja Rao, and Arundhati Roy, have become part of India’s literary tradition and they may continue to hold their status in world literature too. The use of Indian English in different domains in interaction with other regional languages has resulted in its development and recognition as a distinct variety in its own right. It is an attempt to study the styles of two of the prominent writers of Indian English, namely R.K. Narayan and Arundhati Roy by examining the different linguistic and literary aspects as reflected in their selected fictions—R.K. Narayan’s “Swami and Friends” (SF) and “The Guide” (TG) and Arundhati Roy’s “The God of Small Things” (GST). An examination of selected fictions of the two writers of this study has shown that stylistic analysis can be a rich field of enquiry in Indian English. Studies of the present kind can be used as a source material for applied linguistics. They can be extended for a comparative study of stylistic traits of Indian writers and non-Indian writers. The study suggests the possibility of further research in comparative stylistic studies in Indian English fiction, on the one hand, and American, British, or Australian fiction, on the other. Our comparison of the two writers, one of the colonial period and the other belonging to the post-colonial period, suggests that a more extensive stylistic study of Indian writing in English is called for to understand the changing phases of English in the socio-cultural ethos of the Indian society. The book is organized as follows: Chapter-I is an introduction to Indian English, its importance and the objective of the research. Chapter-II deals with review of literature on Indian English as well as stylistic studies in Indian English fiction. Chapter-III is concerned with a brief introduction to the texts chosen for study. Chapter-IV discusses the methodology adopted in the study. Chapter-V deals with the results of the study and makes a comparison between the two authors’ styles. Chapter-VI consists of a summary of the research and concludes with suggestions regarding further research needs.
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