Twilight in Delhi as an Elegy
Topic: Ahmed Ali’s Twilight in Delhi as an Elegy
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
2
Ahmed Ali earned for himself international fame and acclaim on the publication of his magnum opus, Twilight in Delhi. In this novel, he has portrayed the decay and demise of indigenous culture of the Muslims of Delhi and the ruin and demolition of old Delhi. Critics have analyzed Twilight in Delhi as a social chronicle. They have also examined it as a novel written on the theme of Imperialism, but very few analysts have focused on this novel as an elegy. It would be quite interesting and illuminating to the readers and to the reviewers to analyze this novel from a new angle: as an elegiac novel. Hence, the prime purpose and drive of this study is to prove, with the help of textual evidence, that Twilight in Delhi is a multi-dimensional elegy in narrative form, far removed from classical elegy written in poetic form. In Twilight in Delhi, Ahmed Ali’s prime emphasis is on the depiction of the demise and decline of Muslim culture in Delhi. Although Hindus and Muslims lived together in Delhi, yet Ahmed Ali laid emphasis on the customs and rites of Muslims in Delhi. In this novel, death, marriage and birth are the basic concepts that are expounded by Ahmed Ali. He has given a detailed description of all these aspects of society. He has put forth the moments of merriment and sorrow side by side in Twilight in Delhi, which is a deviation from the modus operandi of the classical elegy. It’s a peculiar distinction of this Muslim author hailing from India/Pakistan.
Society plays a role of backbone in
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
2
Ahmed Ali earned for himself international fame and acclaim on the publication of his magnum opus, Twilight in Delhi. In this novel, he has portrayed the decay and demise of indigenous culture of the Muslims of Delhi and the ruin and demolition of old Delhi. Critics have analyzed Twilight in Delhi as a social chronicle. They have also examined it as a novel written on the theme of Imperialism, but very few analysts have focused on this novel as an elegy. It would be quite interesting and illuminating to the readers and to the reviewers to analyze this novel from a new angle: as an elegiac novel. Hence, the prime purpose and drive of this study is to prove, with the help of textual evidence, that Twilight in Delhi is a multi-dimensional elegy in narrative form, far removed from classical elegy written in poetic form. In Twilight in Delhi, Ahmed Ali’s prime emphasis is on the depiction of the demise and decline of Muslim culture in Delhi. Although Hindus and Muslims lived together in Delhi, yet Ahmed Ali laid emphasis on the customs and rites of Muslims in Delhi. In this novel, death, marriage and birth are the basic concepts that are expounded by Ahmed Ali. He has given a detailed description of all these aspects of society. He has put forth the moments of merriment and sorrow side by side in Twilight in Delhi, which is a deviation from the modus operandi of the classical elegy. It’s a peculiar distinction of this Muslim author hailing from India/Pakistan.
Society plays a role of backbone in
Cited: Ali, Ahmed. Twilight in Delhi, 1940, Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1991. Gokak, Vinayak Krishna. The Concept of Indian Literature, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 1979. Mukherjee, Meenakshi. The Perishable Empire: Essays on Indian Writing in English. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2000. Raizada, Harish. “Ahmed Ali”. Indian English Novelists: An Anthology of Critical Essays. Ed. Madhusudan Prasad. New Delhi, Bangalore, Jullundur: Sterling Publishers’ Private Ltd., 1982. 1-22. Satchidanandan, K. Indian Literature: Positions and Propositions. Delhi : Pencraft International, 1999.Twilight in Delhi : Decay of a city and a family