LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 16:4 April 2016
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Where the Mind Is Without Fear: Tracing Elements of
Psychological Realism in Selected Works of Tagore

Srija Sanyal

Abstract

An eminent literary figure who reshaped the Bengali literature, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was probably the first literary persona to have used the psychological realism in his works in a most fascinating yet intellectual way. The products of such an experiment were some of the most beautiful and memorable characters such as Fatik from The Homecoming (Chooti), Uma from The Exercise Book (Khaata), Charulata from his novella The Broken Nest (Nashtanirh) and most notably, Binodini, from Eyesore (Chokher Bali). Be it that of children's psychology or the complexities of a woman's mind, Tagore has been successful in recognizing, analyzing and portraying them in the most apt yet subtle manner. Consequently, what is conceived is a beautiful array of characters that stand with fearless mind and with their head held high. The paper seeks to analyze such a journey in Tagore's works where psychological realism has been used in a most naive yet concrete manner thus giving a new meaning to the term altogether. Four characters from Tagore’s selected works: Fatik from Chooti, Uma from Khaata, Charulata from Nashtanirh and Binodini from Chokher Bali, will be analyzed in this context tracing the significance of their individual psyche in the respective stories.

Keywords: psychological realism, Renaissance, Indian literature, realism, individuality, psyche

1. Introduction

Psychological realism in simple terms can be put as literature of inward human thoughts, emotions, feelings and personality. Starting arbitrarily somewhere in late 19th century the first use of psychological realism is credited to the works of Henry James (1843-1946). Considered as a faithful and consistent depiction of human thoughts and feelings, psychological realism is mainly concerned with the analysis and characterization of the psyche of the characters in the story rather than the development of plot. Known as psychological novels, texts having elements of psychological realism often have less or no plot development at all; rather all the focus is bestowed upon what is going on within - within the mind of the characters. Since it is a departure from the previous traits of a story or a novel psychological realism is widely associated with the era of Modernism with a number of texts coming up during the time having elements of or completely dealing with the theme. Seeking deep and precise truths about human condition writers from Henry James to Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) reflected the extensive use of psychological realism in their works.
Henry James is considered the father of the realistic psychological novel. His characters are defined by the world in which they live and the social requirements of their society. James’s brand of realism explores the psyches of characters grappling with complex social and ethical situations (Realism and Henry James).

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Srija Sanyal
Post-Graduate Student
Department of English
University of Delhi
Delhi
India
srija.sanyal@gmail.com
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