The Charisma of Epistolary Novels

Victor Hugo: "?" Publisher: "!"

Letter writing has become obsolete. Blogs have replaced diaries. Pamela

; or, Virtue Rewarded is an epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson in 1740. Epistolary novels is a novel written as a series of documents. The documents may be letters, diary entries, newspaper clipping, doctor’s note, ship’s Log, telegrams or e-documents such as messages, emails, blogs, graphics, emoticons etc.

Third person omniscient point of view narration in which the narrator knows everything like God, the future course of events and even what is going on in the mind of every character. The narrator has the option to be objective or subjective. If he chooses to comment and evaluate the action and motives of the character, he is an intrusive narrator. This form has remained popular amongst all the great novelists such as Fielding, Austen, Dickens, Hardy and Dostoevsky.

Even before Samuel Richardson published Pamela, Aphra Behn a British Playwright published three volumes of “Love Letters Between a Nobleman and his Sister” in the year 1685. It was based on a scandalous affair between Lord Ford and his Sister in Law, Henrietta.

Epistolary became a popular genre all over Europe during 18 Century. Henry Fielding wrote a pamphlet anonymously “An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews” (1741) to ridicule the Pamela. His most famous work “The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams” begins as burlesque, but soon takes a form of “comic epic poem in prose”. This is supposed to be first authentic novel of English, despite the work of Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift and Richardson. Walter Scott called Henry Fielding the “Father of The English Novels” due to the theories given by Fielding in the forward of his novels Joseph Andrews, Tom Jones and Amelia.

Samuel Richardson learned the art of epistolary in his boyhood. He was often employed by less educated working girls to write love letters for them. Richardson had a natural talent of letter writing, and heard the sentiments of cupid stricken girls with great awe and admiration. The experience helped him in writing first famous book “Pamela”. It became so popular in England that this novel was found in the bag of every school and college going girl to pose that they too are virtuous like Pamela, have high morals and do not come under temptation.

Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker in their novels “Frankstein” and “Dracula” have made successful use of the epistolary form with wider applicability.

“The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank was published posthumously, by her father. It is not a work of imagination. It is the true story of the sufferings of Anne Frank a Jewish girl victim of holocaust.

Saul Bellow’s “Herzog” and Stephan Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a wallflower” are most admired modern fiction. In “Color Purple” Alice Walker and “, The White Tiger” by Arvind Adiga are highly acclaimed by critics.

Epistolary has a history of glorious three hundred years. It seems that this genre would never be obsolete in literature lovers.

It is a unique experience of direct, intimate relationship between reader and protagonist. The faith and trust generated by bondage help the protagonist in revealing 'step by step' the inner most secret thoughts. Reader devour it like a 'stolen apple' since the letters are mostly not addressed to him. He finds pleasure in peeping into other’s lives. The diary is also a personal document where a writer can take full liberty in expressing his views creating an illusion of realism. The reader is tickled by a curiosity which is an impure form of imagination.

Since the authority of the author is lacking due to his choice of remaining unintrusive, the reader is free to make his own interpretation of the situation and action taking place in the novel. The moral conclusion, if any are to be drawn by the reader himself.

It is not necessary that letters would be posted. They may be a tool to keep the memories alive of a deceased person, or a past relationship. One could be honest and introspective in such letters. If letters are to be delivered to the person they are addressed, the narration may camouflage the emotions and events. Letters are expanded communication, to say something which you primarily could not communicate.

If the diary writer observed a chronology and on many days, nothing worth mention happened, later when publishing the diary comes to know about something happened during that time, or when publishing wants to retrospectively comment on the occurrence of events on a particular date has a poetic liberty to do so. Read Maya's Diary.

Letter 1 

Letter 2

Letter 3

Letter 4

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©  Vipin Behari Goyal

Simplicity Personified in Literature

                  Simplicity is not Stupidity

One of the side effects of rapid advancement and consumerism is the extinction of simplicity from society. The youth is sapiosexual and is aroused  by intelligence only. It is also taken for granted that all successful people are intelligent or vice versa.

The qualities like an opportunist, cunnings, street smart, hypocrite, snobbery which were once looked down upon by the society are now being appreciated. Some rich people act modestly and people take a note of it, but for too small of a man, modesty is in vain.

The word simpleton has originated from simple which means a foolish or gullible person. Homer describes a combination of socialist and simpleton as 'knowing many things, but knowing them all badly'.

The Idiot by Feodor Dostoyevsky is said to be an autobiographical novel. Prince Myshkin had spent time in mental sanatorium. He is subjected to many disasters just because he is a simple man. Author confirm the view that sanatorium is the only secure place for stoic saints who do not believe in the power of money and sex.

How bad it is to be innocent in this corrupted world? The command  'Let child be thy father' is in the praise of innocence and purity of heart. No child is born crook, we make him so. We don't want to take responsibility so we say he is born like that. The age of innocence of children is also thinning out fast. The time is not far when only a nascent child would be innocent.

Michael K in J. M. Coetzee's book "Life and Times of Michael K"  is such a person. He is a pure soul untouched by perils of the world and fails to understand why anybody would harm him when he does not want to harm anybody. Actually, this innocently simple man is a depiction of our inward journey that wants to take its dead mother (conscience) back to its rural home (purity).

Harper Lee in "To kill a mocking bird" suggests to kill a mockingbird could be a sin because mockingbirds simply provide pleasure with their songs, saying, "They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us."

 To kill a mocking bird is to kill someone simple and harmless. What was once prohibited is now a treasured game of rich and affluent. The coming generation (not youth, but middle aged neo rich) is haunted  by the ruthless savagery of cut throat competition and has already put all values at stake to win the race. Simple people happily provide their shoulders to aid them in climbing the stairs of success.

William Barrett in his book "Irrational Man" writes about a story by Kierkegaard. The story is told of the absent minded man so abstracted from his own life that he hardly knows he exists until, one fine morning, he wakes up to find himself dead.

 The whole civilization is that absent minded man, busy in creating a weapon of its own end. Would you call it smart or simple?

Kalidas is an Indian Scholar who created literature in Sanskrit was simple to the extent that he cut the same branch of the tree he was sitting on, thus he would fall as soon as he cut the branch.

The modern society does not dare to be philosophical. 

Milan Kundera, who claims that Nietzsche's hugging of the abused horse to be a symbolic gesture against the dominance, the arrogance of the human mind over nature, against the blind worship of progress.

The cycle of comprehension goes like this. Simple to Complex to Simple. The initial Simplicity is of ignorance. When learning starts the things become complex, but with the dawn of ultimate knowledge the simplicity reoccurs. That is the Wisdom.

It is easy to be complex. In fact, everyone around us is complex. We have forgotten the taste of simplicity. A simple man is queer, incomprehensible and easily rejectable. His humble acceptance of rejection  proves our theory that he deserved to be condemned.

Authors tend to appreciate simplicity in their text. They want to save the world from the madness of so called progress.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said "In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity."

© Vipin Behari Goyal

Author is also Advocate at Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur

Read more at: http://vipinbeharigoyal.blogspot.in/