Technique as the Core of the Modern Novel:
There are artistic and narrative techniques in Indo-Anglian Fiction. In the modern novel, technique occupies a central place in the concerns of Western writers and is regarded as an essential element of fictional art. The achievement of a novel is determined more by its technical execution than by the mere choice of theme.
In his essay “Technique at Discovery,” Mark Schorer emphasizes this point by observing that when we discuss technique, we are in fact discussing almost everything. Technique, he explains, is the medium through which a writer’s experience—forming the subject matter—takes shape. It is the only instrument available to the novelist for discovering, examining, and shaping the subject, for communicating its significance, and ultimately for judging its value.
Consequently, some techniques function as more precise and effective tools than others, enabling deeper exploration. Writers who apply the most rigorous technical control to their subject matter, Schorer suggests, are likely to create works of richer substance—novels marked by depth, intensity, and resonance, and endowed with the fullest possible meaning.
Development of Technique in Indo-Anglian Fiction:
In its early stage, Indo-Anglian fiction showed a relatively weak command over technique. However, during the second and third phases of its growth, writers began to pay greater attention to technical aspects, and a noticeable maturity emerged. This progress was achieved through the use of diverse narrative methods, largely driven by a conscious search for new techniques.
The very awareness of technique itself indicates artistic development. Although Indo-Anglian fiction has not witnessed a large number of bold technical experiments, the limited techniques employed in the Indian novel clearly reflect a higher degree of technical refinement and creative ingenuity in the Indo-Anglian novel.
Use of First Person Narrative:
The first-person mode of storytelling stands out as the most significant narrative technique in Indo-Anglian fiction. It has been effectively employed in several notable novels, including Raja Rao’s The Serpent and the Rope, Manohar Malgonkar’s The Price, Nayantara Sahgal’s A Time to Be Happy, and K. Nagarajan’s The Chronicles of Kedaram, among others.
Third Person Narrative and the Omniscient Author:
Alongside this, many novels employ a third-person mode of narration, continuing the tradition of the omniscient author who presents the story in an objective manner. This narrative method is characteristically associated with Mulk Raj Anand and is clearly evident in works such as Untouchable and Coolie.
The same technique can also be observed in Ahmad Ali’s Twilight in Delhi and Ocean of Night, R. K. Narayan’s Waiting for the Mahatma, and Manohar Malgonkar’s A Bend in the Ganges, among others.
Mixed Narrative Techniques and the Minor Narrator:
In The Guide, R. K. Narayan skilfully fuses two narrative modes, blending the first-person voice with an objective perspective to achieve a remarkable artistic effect. In certain novels, the story is narrated by a secondary character, as seen in Raja Rao’s Kanthapura, where the tale is recounted by a simple, elderly woman.
A similar narrative strategy appears in Mulk Raj Anand’s The Private Life of an Indian Prince. Here, Anand adopts what may be considered the most secure approach both psychologically and artistically by allowing Dr. Shanker, the Prince’s physician and a marginal participant in the action, to recount the events of the tragic-comic drama.
Creative Use of Myth as a Structural Technique:
The imaginative employment of myth as a strong organizing principle is a notable feature of modern Western literature. In earlier periods, references to Biblical stories, characters, and Greco-Roman myths were largely decorative or used to expand meaning. In modern writing, however, myth has evolved into a deliberate artistic method, providing the very framework of literary works.
This approach is evident in texts such as Eliot’s The Waste Land, Joyce’s Ulysses, O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra, and John Updike’s The Centaur.
India possesses an abundant legacy of myths and legends, preserved in epics like The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. Indo-Anglian novelists have adapted this modern technique of myth-making in their fiction.
Raja Rao repeatedly draws upon the Radha-Krishna myth in The Serpent and the Rope, while R. K. Narayan employs mythic elements in The Man-Eater of Malgudi. Mulk Raj Anand, in The Old Woman and the Cow, integrates the myth of Sita’s trial by fire as a structural device.
Similarly, Sudhin Ghose’s The Cradle of the Clouds stands out for its effective use of myth. These examples clearly demonstrate that the Western method of using myth has been assimilated into Indian fiction and creatively applied with notable benefits.
Experiments with the English Language:
In matters relating to the use of the English language, both Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao have undertaken significant linguistic experimentation. Anand’s style of English, described by Khushwant Singh as “Mulkese,” is marked by a free and suggestive incorporation of Indian vocabulary, along with direct translations of Indian idioms and colloquial abuses.
Raja Rao, on the other hand, has infused English syntax with a distinctly Indian, Sanskritic rhythm. Khushwant Singh himself adopts Anand’s linguistic approach in certain respects.
Reflecting on this issue, Raja Rao observes that Indians cannot and should not write exactly like the English, nor can they write solely in a narrowly Indian manner. Having developed a global outlook, their mode of expression must evolve into a unique dialect—one that may eventually become as rich and recognisable as Irish or American English. Only time, he suggests, can validate this development.