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The central character of Rangbhoomi was Surdas.He was a visually impaired beggar.

Explanation: The whole story revolves around the land issues of Surda's land. He belongs to an untouchable caste. The story focuses on the struggle of Surdas to get back his land which was taken away from him forcibly.

Chandrakanta, written by Devaki Nandan Khatri became the best seller.

It became popular because:

(i) His novel 'Chandrakanta' was a romantic novel with dazzling elements of fantasy.

(ii) It got immensely popularized as it had Hindi language and the Nagari script.

(iii) Written for the 'pleasure of reading' it gave insight into the fears and desires of the reader.

Writings of Devaki Nandan Khatri in Hindi made novel reading public. It was his novel named Chandrakanta which had an interesting subject of romance that created an interest among the readers and made the novel popular.

The first Hindi modern novel which was a bestseller was Chandrakanta by Devaki Nandan Khatri in the year 1888. It became so popular because it was a romantic novel.

Explanation: The novel had many magical and radiant elements of fantasy. People found pleasure in reading the novel which made it famous.

Premchand's novels are filled with all kinds of powerful characters drawn from all levels of society.

(i) His novels include characters such as aristocrats and landlords, middle-level peasants and landless labourers, etc. The women characters are strong individuals.

(ii) Drawn from various strata of society, his characters create a community based on democratic values. The central character of his novel 'Rangbhoomi', Surdas is a visually impaired beggar from a so-called' untouchable' caste.

(iii) Godan, Premchand's best-known work is an epic of Indian peasantry.

(i) Charlotte Bronte dealt with women who broke established norms of society before adjusting to them. Such stories allowed women readers to sympathise with rebellious actions.

(ii) In Charlotte Bronte's lane Eyre, published in 7874, young Jane is shown as independent and assertive. While girls of her time were expected to be quiet and well behaved, Jane at the age of ten protests against the hypocrisy of her elders with startling bluntness.

(iii) She tells her Aunt who is always unkind to her: 'People think you good women, but you are bad... You are deceitful! I will never call you aunt as long as you live.'

(i) Munshi Premchand drew tradition of Kissagoi storytelling. His novels are filled with all kinds of powerful characters, drawn from all levels of society.

(ii) His novels include characters such as aristocrats and landlords, middle-level peasants and landless labourers and women from margins of society. He focussed on social issues like child marriage, dowry, suppression of downtrodden classes by landlords.

(iii) The women characters are strong individuals coming from lower classes and are not modernized.

(iv) His novels look towards the future without forgetting the importance of the past.

(v) Drawn from various strata of society, his characters create a community-based in democratic values.

Examples:

(i) His novel 'Rangbhoomi' about Surdas makes the lives of the most oppressed section of society worthy of literary reflection.

(ii) 'Godan', his literary work is an epic on Indian peasantry through the story of Haria and Dhania.

(i) Novels written by Dhanpat Rai or Prem Chand were the clear picture of the reforms.

(ii) In the Kannada novel, Indirabai the heroine is given away in marriage very early, but her husband dies soon leaving her to struggle on her own against poverty and face indignities. Indirabai continues her education, remarries and this time gets a progressive, English educated man.

(iii) 'Indulekha'-shows the discrimination in the caste hierarchy.

(iv) Potheri Kunjambu's novel 'Saraswativijayam' was an attack on caste oppression.

The novels created space for the minorities in the society which may be seen from the facts given below:

(i) Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer who was one of the early Muslim writers gained wide popularity as a Malayalam novelist.

(ii) Vaikkom wrote about the lives of Muslim households.

(iii) He brought themes like poverty, insanity and life, in prison - the sufferings of the so-called 'minorities' in the society into the light.

(i) Bhartendu Harishchandra was the pioneer of modern Hindi literature but the first proper modern novel was written by Srinivas Das of Delhi.

(ii) The writings of Devkinandan Khatri created a novel with reading public in Hindi.

(iii) It was the writing of Premchand that the Hindi novel achieved excellence.

(i) His novel 'Chandrakanta' was a romantic novel with dazzling elements of fantasy.

(ii) It got immensely popularized as it had Hindi language and the Nagari script.

(iii) Written for the 'pleasure of reading' it gave insight into the fears and desires of the readers.

(i) In Bengal many historical novels were about Marathas and Rajputs, which produced a sense of a Pan-Indian belonging.

(ii) They imagined the nation to be a full of adventure, heroism, romance and sacrifice.

(iii) The imagined nation of the novel was so powerful that it could inspire actual political movements.

(i) Bhartendu Harishchandra was the pioneer of modern Hindi literature but the first proper modern novel was written by Srinivas Das of Delhi.

(ii) The writings of Devkinandan Khatri created a novel with reading public in Hindi.

(iii) It was the writing of Premchand that the Hindi novel achieved excellence.

(i) Novels began to appears in South Indian language during colonial rule.

(ii) Chandu Menon wrote ‘Indulekha’, the first modern novel in Malayalam.

(iii) ‘Kundukuri Viresalingam’ novel in Telugu was written by Rajasekhara Caritamu’.

The novel in India attempted to create a sense of pan-Indian belonging by imagining the country to be full of adventure, heroism, romance and sacrifice—characteristics that could not be found in the offices and streets of the nineteenth century world. It also gave the colonised people a chance to give shape to their desires. For example, the Bengali historical novels of this time, dealing with Marathas and Rajputs, served this purpose.
Another way in which the sense of belonging to a common nation was popularised was by including various classes in the novel so that they could be seen to belong to a shared world. The novels of Premchand, populated by powerful characters belonging to almost all levels of society, exemplify this.

The growth of the novel in South India: 

(i) Novels began appearing in south Indian languages during the period of colonial rule. Quite a few early novels came out of attempts to translate English novels into Indian languages. 

(ii) For example, O. Chandu Menon, a subjudge from Malabar, tried to translate an English novel called Henrietta Temple written by Benjamin Disraeli into Malayalam. Later he gave up this idea and wrote instead a story in Malayalam in the ‘manner of English novel books’. 

(iii) This delightful novel called Indulekha, published in 1889, was the first modern novel in Malayalam. 

(iv) The case of Andhra Pradesh was strikingly similar. Kandukuri Viresalingam began translating Oliver Goldsmith’s Vicar of Wakefield into Telugu. 

(v) He abandoned this plan for similar reasons and instead wrote an original Telugu novel called Rajasekhara Caritamu in 1878.

(i) Novels began to appears in South Indian language during colonial rule.

(ii) Chandu Menon wrote ‘Indulekha’, the first modern novel in Malayalam.

(iii) Rajasekhara Caritamu novel in Telugu was written by Kundukuri Viresalingam.

The novel in colonial India was useful for both the colonisers as well as the nationalists on account of a variety of reasons. Colonial rulers found “vernacular” novels illuminating for the information they provided on native customs and life. It was useful in the governance of this diverse country. Indian nationalists used the form of the novel to criticise colonial rule and instill a sense of national pride and unity amongst the people.

(i) Colonial administrators found 'vernacular novels' a valuable source of information on native life and customs, i.e.,:

(a) how people were dressed

(b) their religious worship

(c) beliefs and practices

(d) about domestic life

Such information was valuable to them in order to govern the Indian society which had a wide cultural variety. The novels contains the well-described domestic life which helped the British administrators to understand the beliefs and practices.

(ii) The nationalists used novels as a powerful medium to criticize the defects of the society and suggested remedies. Many novels established links with the past. Glorified account of the past created a sense of material pride. Novels created a feeling of collective belongingness among the people from different walks of life speaking the same language.

Some early English novels were translated into the Indian language, but soon it was realized that the readers are unfamiliar with the English culture of characters in the novel, for instance, their clothes, style of speaking language, manners. So novels were written in Malayalam in the manner of English novel books.

A few early novels were a translation of English novels into Indian languages. Later many writers like Chandu Menon and others started to write novels in their own language. Chandu Menon, a sub judge from Malabar tried to translate an English novel called Henrietta Temple written by Benjamin Disraeli in Kerala were not familiar with the characters of English novels and so he gave up this idea and wrote a story in Malayalam in the manner of English novel books. It was published in 1889 and was the first modern novel in Malayalam.

(i) Colonial administrators found 'vernacular novels' a valuable source of information on native life and customs, i.e.,:

(a) how people were dressed

(b) their religious worship

(c) beliefs and practices

(d) about domestic life

Such information was valuable to them in order to govern the Indian society which had a wide cultural variety. The novels contains the well-described domestic life which helped the British administrators to understand the beliefs and practices.

(ii) The nationalists used novels as a powerful medium to criticize the defects of the society and suggested remedies. Many novels established links with the past. Glorified account of the past created a sense of material pride. Novels created a feeling of collective belongingness among the people from different walks of life speaking the same language.

(i) Colonial administrators found Vernacular novels to be a valuable, available source of information on native life and customs.

(ii) As outsiders, the British knew little about life inside Indian households,

(iii) Novel helped the colonists understand Indian way of dressing forms of worship, their beliefs and Practices.

(iv) Many novels reflected social customs, divisions based on caste and class.

(v) These novels helped the British to understand the social divisions and used them to their advantage to create further divisions. Lord Bentinck helped the Indian reformers in their mission to get rid of the practices like 'Sati' and passed legislation favouring remarriage of widows.

(i) Colonial administrators found 'vernacular' novels a valuable source of information on native life and customs. Such information was useful for them in governing Indian society, with its large variety of communities and castes.

(ii) As outsiders, the British knew tittle about life inside Indian households. The new novels in Indian languages often had descriptions of domestic life.

(iii) They showed how people dressed, their forms of religious worship, their beliefs and practices.

Vernacular novels had many advantages. Firstly, they were written in the
language which was easily understood by a common man. People used to
read them individually as well as in groups too.

These novels were written in different styles of languages. The authors wrote
them in classical languages and combined them with the language of the
street to make them readable by everyone.

Pride and Prejudice was a novel written by Jane Austen. The novel helped women by introducing the ideas of powerful and independent thinking. It gave women a new identity and helped in recognizing their strengths.

Explanation: The main theme of the novel was of marriage and money. It depicted how women have to always look presentable and good in order to find a good match for marriage. It focused on finding a wealthy husband with good status and reputation.
 

(i) Munshi Premchand drew tradition of Kissagoi storytelling. His novels are filled with all kinds of powerful characters, drawn from all levels of society.

(ii) His novels include characters such as aristocrats and landlords, middle-level peasants and landless labourers and women from margins of society. He focussed on social issues like child marriage, dowry, suppression of downtrodden classes by landlords.

(iii) The women characters are strong individuals coming from lower classes and are not modernized.

(iv) His novels look towards the future without forgetting the importance of the past.

(v) Drawn from various strata of society, his characters create a community-based in democratic values.

Examples:

(i) His novel 'Rangbhoomi' about Surdas makes the lives of the most oppressed section of society worthy of literary reflection.

(ii) 'Godan', his literary work is an epic on Indian peasantry through the story of Haria and Dhania.

Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist in the year 1838 that described a poor orphan who lived in a world full of petty criminals and beggars.

Explanation: This novel focussed on the terrible condition of urban life under the industrial capitalism.

Robinson Crusoe’s actions that make us see him as a typical coloniser are many. Shipwrecked on an island inhabited by coloured people, Crusoe treats them as inferior beings. He is portrayed as “rescuing” a native and then making him a slave. He gives him the name Friday, without even caring to ask for his name. Colonised people were seen as barbaric and primitive, and colonialism became their self-professed civiliser. Crusoe was a direct representation of this ideology of colonisers.

As the middle classes became more affluent, women got more leisure time to read and write novels. Also, novels began to explore the world of women, their emotions, identities, experiences and problems. Domestic life became an essential subject of novels—a field women had an authority to speak about.

(i) Charles Dickens wrote about the industrial labourers in big cities in his novel 'Hard Times'.

(ii) His novels discussed the terrible effects of industrialization on people's lives and character in the fictitious town of Coketown.

(iii) The town was full of machinery, smoking chimneys, polluted rivers and workers known as 'hands'.

(iv) He criticized the greed of profit which had reduced humans into instruments who were used for production.

(v) His novel 'Oliver Twist' focussed on the terrible conditions of life under capitalism. Oliver lived in the world of petty criminals and beggars and was brought up in a cruel workhouse.

The first novel written in Bengal was Durgeshnandini by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the year 1865. The novel was written in a different tone with a new maturity.

Epistolary novels were written in the form of a series of letters. It used a private and personal form of letters to tell its story. Samuel Richardson wrote in this style.

Serialized novels followed a format in which the story was published in installments, each part in a new issue of a journal. Charles Dicken’s Pickwick Papers written in 1836 was a serialized novel.

(i) He wrote about the terrible effects of industrialization.

(ii) He wrote about the pollution that the industrialization caused.

(iii) Dickens criticized the greed for profits.

(iv) He criticized the idea that human beings were treated as simple instruments of production.

(v) He talked about the terrible conditions of urban life.

(iv) He discussed about the exploitation of children orphans in 'Oliver Twist’.

Dickens wrote about:

(i) Europe in the industrial age.

(ii) Terrible effects of industrialization on the lives and character of people.

(iii) Terrible conditions under industrial capitalism.

(i) C.A. Henry's historical adventure novels for boys were widely popular during the height of British empire.

(ii) They created excitement and adventure of conquering strange lands. His stories were set in Mexico, Alexandria and Siberia and many other countries.

(iii) His novels were always about young boys who witnessed grand historical events gets involved in some military action and show what they called the 'English' Courage.

During the period of 18th-century women also participated in reading the novels. The readership among women increased rapidly. This happened because the middle class society became stable and women had leisure time which they started utilising by reading novels.

Explanation: Following are the three examples:

a) Jane Austen wrote a novel that encourages women to be independent. By
reading such novels, they thought highly of them and became more confident.

b) Charlotte Bronte too was an English writer whose novels had a message
describing women who broke establishing norms of society before adjusting
to them.

c) Women with their own experiences wrote about their domestic family life
and their emotions. They also described and thought about their Identities,
experience and problems. They became more vocal and expressive.

(i) Children would get carried away from their real surroundings into an imaginary world.

(ii) It was feared that children would stray away from normal, disciplined life and would become rebels.

(iii) The novel would have immoral influences on children and they would become corrupt.

There are many examples to prove that stories and prose were not new to India. Banbhatta's Kadambri novel was written in Sanskrit in the 7th century. The stories of Panchatantra are also one example that shows that the art of writing stories and prose is an ancient one. In Indian novels, many words were taken from Urdu languages and stories. Many English language words were written in the same language without translating it into the English language.

(i) Writing of novels and colonizing the world started simultaneously in Europe.

(ii) These novels glorified colonialism. For example, the hero of Daniel Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe' is an adventurer and slave trader. Shipwrecked on an island, he treats the coloured people as inferior. He rescues a native and renames him as 'Friday' and tries to change him culturally. His behaviour was not seen as unacceptable.

(iii) Most of the writers and readers believed that the colonized people were primitive and barbaric and the colonial rule was essential to civilize them.

Banabhatta was a writer in Sanskrit in the 7^th century. He was the Asthana Kavi in the court of King Harsha Vardhana. Some of his important works include Kadambari, Harshcharita, etc.

(i) The Oriya novel 'Chaa Mana Atha Guntha' written by noted novelist Fakir Mohan Senapati dealt with the question of land and its possession.

(ii) This path-breaking work showed that the novel could make the rural issues an important part of urban preoccupations.

Social novelists faced the dilemma of accepting modernism without affecting traditional values. They, therefore, created characters like Indulekha as a woman of breathtaking beauty, high intellectual abilities, artistic talent, and with an education in English and Sanskrit and Madhavan, who used to dress in Western clothes, but, at the same time, kept a long tuft of hair, according to the Nayar custom. These characters showed readers how Indian and foreign lifestyles could be brought together in an ideal combination

She was known for writing with a different purpose. Her novel "Sultan's dream" is a novel whose story is a convoluted place where both the genders switch places men take the role of women and women to take the role of men.

Explanation: Her theme of novels revolved around women that they should speak against the injustice done to them. The women should be strong and independent and always think to be as capable as men.

Novels played an important role in promoting colonialism in Europe. They depicted the knowledge of social customs.

Explanation: It helped the Britishers to learn about the divisions based on castes and class. All of this proved to be beneficial in promoting Colonialism.

Novels written in the eighteenth century dealt with various aspects of society. It described social problems, various political and cultural aspects. The three main values associated were:

Explanation: 

a) Firstly, novels written were focussed on the freedom for women.

b) It described the exploitation of common people and the need to stop it.

c) The novels aroused the need to understand the relationship between love and marriage and the proper conduct for men and women.

The effects of the Industrial Revolution were strongly depicted in the novels. When the face of Industrialization started, many factories were established. The businesses earned profits, but eventually, all this became a problem for the workers. They were overworked and unpaid.

Explanation: Cities expanded themselves in an unregulated way. Deeply moved by all this Charles Dickens wrote about the devastating effects of industrialization. In his novels, he criticized peoples need for profits and also depicting the use of humans as being selfish and an instrument for producing.The novel of Charles Dickens 'Hard Times' describes an imaginary industrial town as a gloomy town polluted with soles from chimneys. His novel 'Oliver Twist' tells a story of a poor orphan not who lived in a world full of beggars and criminals.

(i) In India, novels became a popular medium of entertainment among the middle class.

(ii) The circulation of printed books allowed people to amuse themselves in new ways.

(iii) Picture books were translated into other languages.

(iv) Popular songs composed on contemporary events.

(v) Stories in newspaper and magazine offered new forms of entertainment.

The serialisation of novels increased the popularity of novels and magazines as it was cheap and affordable.

Explanation: People started discussing them on the day to day basis. People found joy in reading them and visualising them. They started living with the characters for months.

(i) Potheri Kunjambu, a lower caste writer, wrote ‘Saraswati Vijayam’ a novel portraying an untouchable boy who converts to Christianity. This novel stressed on the importance of education in the upliftment of lower castes.

(ii) (a) Advaita Mallah Burman belonging to a community of fisher folks wrote 'Titash Eki Nadir Naam'. This novel talks about lives of Mallah family.

(b) Vaikkom Basheer a Malayalam novelist also wrote about underprivileged classes and Muslim households in general.