Conceptualising Tradition : A Study of Raja Rao R K Narayan and Mulk Raj Anand

Contents: Preface. Acknowledgement. 1. Introduction: conceptualising and critiquing tradition. 2. Raja Rao: the upholder. 3. R.K. Narayan: the supporter. 4. Mulk Raj Anand: the interrogator. 5. Conclusion. Select bibliography.

"The book is a serious engagement with how "Tradition is conceptualized" in socio-cultural realms, and how it is re-presented in literature. This book probes the autonomous and objective status of the fictional world. It evaluates how ancient religions text to modern thinkers like, Vivekananda have looked at tradition, and more so the tradition of caste. It tries to locate the discourse that produced the dominant tradition, and examines the role played by the three big creative writers, Raja Rao, R.K. Narayan and Mulk Raj Anand. The book attempts to put the discourse on tradition of caste in wider perspective, and tries to unravel the hidden caste discourse of the there big writers." (jacket)