Nation and it's Narration: A Re-reading of R. K. Narayan's Novels

R. K. Narayan is one of the over worked but important authors in India. However, his idea of nation has remained unexplored hitherto though he comes of a generation which saw the emergence of modern India in nationalistic terms. It is in this background that the present book has been designed. The book is divided into six chapters. The first chapter discusses the issue of nation as finds a reflection in contemporary theory. The next one highlights the impact of idea of nation in Indian writing. The third chapter investigates the underlying motif of religion and education that are unifying forces in giving an identity to nation in Narayan's novels. The fourth one discusses Narayan's pre-independence novels in the light of social and nationalistic issues. The next chapter deals with the novels published after 1947. The last chapter draws logical conclusions that Narayan is deeply entrenched in the nation and nationhood which is rendered clearer once one witnesses the originality of the texts, the attitude of characters, the ideals of the protagonists or the reactions of the Malgudians in a particular situation or a context.