1
Question
Why did some people fear the effect of easily available printed books? Choose one example from Europe and one from India.
OR
How did the colonial administrators find vernacular novels as a valuable source of information to native life and customs?
OR
How did the colonial administrators find vernacular novels as a valuable source of information to native life and customs?
Open in App
Solution
Not everyone welcomed printed books and those who did, also had fear about them. Many were of the opinion that printed words and the wider circulation of books, would have a negative impact on people's minds.
They feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read, then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might gain importance.
There was also fear in the minds of scholars that the authority of 'valuable' literature would be destroyed. The new print media was criticised by religious authorities and monarchs, as well as by writers and artists.
Examples:
(i) Martin Luther wrote Ninety Five Theses in 1517 and openly criticised many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther's writings were immediately reproduced in vast numbers and read widely. This led to a division within the church and to the beginning of the Protestant reformation.
(ii) In India, Vernacular Press Act provided the British Government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials published in newspapers and journals.
OR
Colonial administrators found 'vernacular' novels a valuable source of information on native life and customs as these novels often had descriptions of domestic life. They showed how people assessed their forms of religious worship, their beliefs and practices and so on. Some of these were translated into English, often by British administrators.
Indians used novel as a powerful medium to criticise what they considered defects in their society and suggest remedies. Writers like Viresalingam used the novel mainly to propagate their ideas about society amount a wider readership. Novels also helped in establishing a relationship with the past. Many of them told thrilling stories of adventures and intrigues set in the past.
Through glorified accounts of the past, these vernacular novels created a sense of national pride and collective belonging among their readers.
They feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read, then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might gain importance.
There was also fear in the minds of scholars that the authority of 'valuable' literature would be destroyed. The new print media was criticised by religious authorities and monarchs, as well as by writers and artists.
Examples:
(i) Martin Luther wrote Ninety Five Theses in 1517 and openly criticised many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther's writings were immediately reproduced in vast numbers and read widely. This led to a division within the church and to the beginning of the Protestant reformation.
(ii) In India, Vernacular Press Act provided the British Government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials published in newspapers and journals.
OR
Colonial administrators found 'vernacular' novels a valuable source of information on native life and customs as these novels often had descriptions of domestic life. They showed how people assessed their forms of religious worship, their beliefs and practices and so on. Some of these were translated into English, often by British administrators.
Indians used novel as a powerful medium to criticise what they considered defects in their society and suggest remedies. Writers like Viresalingam used the novel mainly to propagate their ideas about society amount a wider readership. Novels also helped in establishing a relationship with the past. Many of them told thrilling stories of adventures and intrigues set in the past.
Through glorified accounts of the past, these vernacular novels created a sense of national pride and collective belonging among their readers.
Suggest Corrections
0
Similar questions
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
Explore more
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
