Narration

Narration

            Narration refers to a speech. The word narration comes the Latin word ‘Narrat’ that means relating or telling something to somebody. Narration is of two types:

a) Direct Narration b) Indirect Narration

            a) Direct Narration: In Direct Narration, we just quote the exact words of a speaker without making any change in it. Here we use comma quotation for the Reported Speech.

Borney said, “I read the Holy Quran everyday.” (The Reported Speech)

Nancy said to me, “I am beautiful.” (The Reporting Verb)

Jennifer said, “I want a pen.”

Nancy said to Kona, “I must leave the place now.” (The Reported Verb)

            b) Indirect Narration: But in the Indirect Narration, we modify the speech of a speaker in our own way in order to report it to other person or people. Here we leave out the comma quotation (“….”) and use ‘that’ as conjunction and we must change the persons.

Borney said that she read the Holy Quran everyday.

Nancy told me that she was beautiful.

Jennifer said that she wanted a pen. 
Nancy told Kona that she had to leave the place then.

Note: The use of ‘that’ as conjunction after the Reporting Verb in the Reported Speech is optional.

Necessary Changes in Tenses

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Present Indefinite Tense	Past Indefinite  Tense
Present Continuous Tense	Past Continuous Tense
Present Perfect Tense	Past Perfect Tense
Present Perfect Continuous Tense	Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Indefinite Tense	Past Perfect Tense
Past Continuous Tense	Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Note: ‘Past Perfect Tense’ and ‘Past Perfect Continuous’ Tense in the Reported Speech do not undergo any change with the exception of persons.

Necessary Changes in Words

Direct	Indirect	Direct	Indirect
Can	Could	Ago	Before
May	Might	Thus	So/ that way
Shall	Should / Would	Here	There
Will	Would	Today	That day / Yesterday
Come	Go	Tomorrow	The next day
Next week/year	The following week/year	Yesterday	The previous day
Last week/year	The previous week/year	Last night	The previous night
A year ago	A year before/ the previous year	The day before yesterday	Two days before
This	That	The day after tomorrow	In two days of time
These	Those	Hence	Thence
Tonight	That night	Now	Then
Must	Had to / Must (Factual Truth)

He said, “I went to the theatre last night.”

 He said that he had gone to the theatre the night before.

He said, “I am having a party next weekend.”

 He said that he was having a party the next weekend.

He said, “I am staying here until next week.”

 He said that he was staying there until the following week.

Rony said, “I came over from London 3 years ago.”

 Rony said that he had come over from London 3 years before.

The teacher said, “Students must obey their parents.”

The teacher said that students must obey their parents. (The verb is not changed because it is a factual truth.)

Narration includes these sentences as following:

a) Assertive Sentence b) Interrogative Sentence c) Imperative Sentence d) Optative Sentence e) Exclamatory Sentence

Assertive Sentence

Rule 1: If the Reported Speech is Universal Truth / Scientific Truth / Natural Truth / Habitual Truth / Factual Truth, we don’t make any change in the Reported Speech rather we change the person only.

The teacher said, “God is one.”

The teacher said that God is one. (Universal Truth) 

He said, “Fire burns.”

He said that fire burns. (Scientific Truth)

Nancy said, “It is hot in the summer.”

Nancy said that it is hot in the summer. (Natural Truth)

The teacher said, “Physical exercise is good for health.”

The teacher said that physical exercise is good for health. (Habitual Truth)

Mamun said, “Farah is my cousin.”

Mamun said that Farah is his cousin. (Factual Truth)

Rule 2: If the Reporting Verb is in the Present Tense / the Future Tense / the Present Perfect Tense, they don’t undergo any change.

Borney says or will say, “I am right.”

Borney says or will say that she is right.

Kona has said to me, “I have just taken my breakfast.” (First Person)

Kona has told me that she has just taken her breakfast. (Here we changed the persons only.)

He said to me, “You are a liar.” (Second Person)

He told me that I was a liar.

Note: ‘Said to’ is changed into ‘told’ but ‘said’ remains unchanged.

Note: ‘First Person’ in the Reported Speech indicates the ‘Subject’ of the Reporting Verb and the ‘Second Person’ in the Reported Speech indicates the ‘Object’ of the Reporting Verb.

Rule 3: Sometimes, introductory portion of the Reported Speech may remain absent. In such a situation, we should guess the possible speaker.

“I shall do my duty.”

He says or will say that he will do his duty.

He said that he would do his duty.

Note: ‘Reporting Verb’ is not always more than one.

Note: Subjective Case converted into Subjective Case, Possessive Case changed into Possessive One and Objective Case transformed into Objective One. 

Rule 4: Sometimes, the Reporting Verb is mentioned after the Reported Speech and it is possible.  

 “I am happy now.” – said Nancy.

Nancy said that she was happy then.

Note: When we change any Direct Speech into Indirect Speech, it becomes an Assertive Sentence. No matter, whether it is an Assertive Sentence or Optative Sentence or Imperative Sentence or Exclamatory Sentence or Interrogative Sentence.

Rule 5: ‘Yes’ – replied in the affirmative, ‘No’- replied in the negative, ‘Please’ - kindly and ‘Sir’ / ‘Madam’ – politely / respectfully / with respect.

The student said to me, “I am sorry, Sir.”

The student told me politely that he was sorry.

“Yes, sir,” the student replied. I have done my duty.”

The student respectfully replied in the affirmative that he had done his duty.

The students said to the teacher, “Please, explain the matter again, Sir.”

The students requested the teacher politely to explain the matter again.

Rule 6: If there are two or more than two Past Tenses in the Direct Speech, they do not undergo any change but we only change the persons.

George said, “I came home, took bath and ate my meal.”

George said that he came home, took bath and ate his meal.

Rule 7: Students often change ‘it’ into ‘that’ but that is wrong. It remains unchanged in the Indirect Speech.

He said to me, “I know it well.”

He told me that he knew it well.

Rule 8: Changes in the tag questions:

He said to me, “You are going to the play ground, aren’t you?

He asked me whether it was true that I was going to the playground.

Rule 9: All 3^rd Person Pronouns will remain unchanged. 

He said, “She is busy with her toy”

He said that she was busy with her toy.

Rule 10: ‘So’ = that is why, ‘But’ = with dissatisfaction

He said to me, “I am unwell. So I shall not go to school.”

He told me that he was unwell and that is why he would not go to school.

The boy said, “I have come to chop your wood. “But you are too small to chop wood,” said the woman.

The boy said that he had come to chop her wood. With dissatisfaction, the woman told him that he was too small to chop the wood.

Rule 11: Assertive Sentence with question mark: (Use ‘Being surprised’ with the reporting verb and follow the rules of doing interrogative sentence.)

He said to me “You are angry with me?”

Being surprised he asked me if I was angry with him.

Rule 12: Well, you see (if used with in inverted comma) Omit them and do in general way.

The teacher said, “Well Raven, I shall reward you.”

The teacher told Raven that he would reward him.

Note: ‘Vocative Case’ in the Reported Speech becomes the ‘Object’ of the Reporting Verb in the Indirect Speech. 

Rule 13: If we find any Complex Sentence in the Direct Speech, we may change one Clause or both the Clauses in the Indirect Speech.

Mita said to me, “You were my good friend when you were a student of Saint Joseph” (Complex Sentence)

Mita told me I had been her good friend when I had been a student of Saint Joseph.

He said to Ratul, “You were a mere a boy when I saw you last.” (Complex Sentence)

He told Ratul he had been a mere boy when he had seen him last.

Rule 14: When we report something that is still true:

Emma said, “People in Africa are starving.” (The fact is still true.)

Emma said that people in Africa are starving.

Unreal Past Tense

Rule 15: Unreal Past Tense after ‘wish’, ‘would rather / sooner’, ‘had better’, ‘used to’, ‘ought to’, ‘would’, ‘could’, ‘might’, ‘must not’, ‘need not’ and ‘it is time’ don’t change rather we change the person in the Indirect Speech.

“We wish we did not have to take exams”, said the children.

The children said they wished they did not have to take exams.

“It is time we began planning our holidays”, he said.

He said that it was time they began planning their holidays. 

They ought to widen this road”, I said. 

I said that they ought to widen the road.

He explained, “I know the place well because I used to live here.”

He explained that he knew the place well because he used to live there.

She said to her hubby, “You had better take warm water for gurgling.”

She told her bubby that he had better take warm water for gurgling.

He said, “You must not tell anyone.”

He said that she must not tell anyone.

(Alternatively): He told her not to tell anyone. 

He said, “You needn’t wait.”

He said that I needn’t wait.

He said to me, “I used to meet him in the afternoon.”

­He told me that he used to meet him in the afternoon. (With that)

He told me he used to meet him in the afternoon. (Without that)

Rule 16: The 2^nd and the 3^rd Conditional Sentences remain unchanged rather we change the persons. 

“If I had a permit, I could get a job”, he said.

 He said that if he had a permit, he could get a job. (The 2^nd Conditional Sentence)

“If she had loved Wilson”, he said, “She would not have left him.”

He said that if she had loved Wilson, she would not have left him. (The 3rd Conditional Sentence)

Rule 17: When there is uncertainty as to the particular person to whom the pronoun in the Indirect Speech refers, the name of the person should be mentioned in the brackets.

He said to the Ram, “You are wrong.”

He told Ram that he (Ram) was wrong

Harry sait to Jatin, “You will pass.”

Harry told Jatin that he (Jatin) would pass.

Interrogative Sentence (?)

Rule 1: We use ask(ed) / want(ed) to know / enquire(ed) in the Indirect Speech in the place of ‘said’ / ‘said to’ and we don’t change the Interrogative Pronouns / the Interrogative Adjectives / the Interrogative Adverbs for transformation. 

My mother said to me, “How are you now?”

My mother asked me how I was then.

“Where are you staying next week?”, my friend said to me.

My friend wanted to know where I was staying the following week.

Note: Who, where, which, when, how, why, what, whom, whose and the rest are the Interrogative Pronouns / Interrogative Adjectives / Interrogative Adverbs.   

Rule 2: If any Interrogative Sentence commences with just an Auxiliary Verb rather than the Interrogative Pronouns / Adjectives / Adverbs, we use if / whether.

My teacher said to me, “Are you making a noise?”

My teacher asked me if or whether I was making a noise.

The noble man said to the poor man, “Have you taken anything for lunch?”

The noble man asked the poor man if he had taken anything for lunch.

Borney said to me, “Do you want to help me?”

Borney asked me if I wanted to help her.

Note: ‘Whether’ is more formal than ‘If’. Either of them can be used but ‘whether’ is preferable when there is a matter of choice.

Note: ‘Do’, ‘Does’ and ‘Did’ are removed in the Indirect Speech if they are used as Auxiliary.

Rule 3: If there is a Present participle phrase with the reporting verb, it will come in front of the reporting verb in doing the indirect speech. But if it is not present participle phrase then the position of it will remain unchanged.

“Are you brothers?” asked the mistress of the house turning to the Dervishes.

Turning to the Dervishes the Mistress of the house asked if they were brothers.

Note: Here in it, we don’t use that in the Indirect Speech when we leave out comma quotations.

Imperative Sentence

We use tell, beg, implore (to ask sb to do sth in an anxious way because you want or need it very much), entreat (formal) : to ask sb to do sth in a serious and often emotional way), encourage, forbid, recommend, remind, urge, warn, ask, told and the rest in the place of ‘said’ or ‘said to’ in the Indirect Speech in the sentence.

Rule 1: We use the Infinitive (to + verb present form)

The teacher said to his boys, “Do it at once.”

The teacher advised his boys to do it at once. (The Infinitive)

Khona said to her teacher, “Grant me my prayer, Sir.”

Khona politely requested her teacher to grant her prayer.

He said, “Lie down, Tom.”  

He told Tom to lie down.

She said, “You had better hurry, Bill.”

She advised Bill to hurry.

He said to his friends, “Please wait for me till I return.”

He requested his friend kindly to wait for him till he returned.

Rule 2: If the Reported Speech starts with ‘Do not / Never’, we use ‘not to + verb’ in the Indirect Speech in the time of leaving out the comma quotations.

My father said to me, “Do not run in the sun.”

My father advised me not to run in the sun.

My father forbade me to run in the sun.  

My teacher said, “Never tell a lie.”

My teacher advised me not to tell a lie.

Rule 3: The Modals must, would and could are not normally changed in the Indirect Speech. You should also note that some sentences with would and could are Interrogative in form but Imperative in nature.

He said to me, “You must leave the place.”

He told me I must leave the place. (Assertive Sentence)

He said to me, “Would you help me to do the sum?”

He requested me to help him to do the sum. (Imperative Sentence)

I said to her, “Could you give me a cup of tea?”                                

I requested her to give me a cup of tea. (Imperative Sentence)   

Rule 4: Calling in the name of person (The name will be added as object of reporting verb)

He said, “Raven, don’t misbehave with anyone.”

He advised Raven not to misbehave with anyone.

Rule 5: Calling in the name of relations

The student said, “Sir, please forgive me.” (Addressing as brother/sister/friend/sir)

Addressing as sir the student requested kindly to forgive him.

Rule 6: By Allah/by God/by Jove/by my love/by my life (Swearing by Allah/God/Jove/Life/Love)

“By Allah,” she replied, “I will not forget you.”

Swearing by Allah, she replied that she would not forget me.

Rule 7: Imperative sentence with tag question

He told me, “Shut the door, will you?” (Tag question will be omitted and rules of imperative sentence will be followed.)

He asked/requested me to shut the door.

Rule 8: When ‘let’ denotes a proposal, the Reporting Verb should be changed in to ‘propose’ or ‘suggest’ and ‘let’ be replaced by ‘should’.

Borney said, “Let’s have a walk.”

Borney proposed that we should have a walk.

He said to me, “Let’s go home.”

He suggested to me that we should go home.

Rule 9: But when ‘Let’ does not express a proposal, the Reporting Verb does not change, only ‘let’ is changed into ‘may’ or ‘might’ or ‘might be allowed’ or any other verb as per the relevant meaning.

He said, “Let me have a glass of milk.”

He wished that he might have a class of milk.

Rule 10: It is often safer for the students to use ‘tell’ in the Indirect Speech, when there be any doubt about the proper word to introduce the Reported Speech.

I said to him angrily, “Leave me alone.”

I told him angrily to leave me alone. 

Optative Sentence

We use ‘wish’ or ‘pray’ in the Optative Sentence in the place of ‘said to’ or ‘said’.

My grandfather said, “May you live long.”

My grandfather wished that I might live long. 

The teacher said to the boy, “God bless you.” (Optative Sentence without May)

The teacher prayed for the boy that God might bless him.

He said, “Would that I were here.”

He wished that he had been there.

They said,” O that! We had won the match.”

They wished that they had won the match.
Note:  “Would that” and “O that” are removed in the Indirect Speech.

Exclamatory Sentence (!)

We use hurrah - exclaim with joy, alas - exclaim with sorrow, fie - exclaim with shame, wow - exclaimed with wonder/surprise, cry out, ‘wish’ or ‘pray’ in the place of ‘said’ / ‘said to’

The boy said, “What a piece of good news it is!”

The boy exclaimed with joy that it was a piece of very good news.

She said, “Had I the wings of a bird!”

She strongly wished that she had the wings of a bird.

Farhad said, “Good-bye, my friends!”

Farhad said good-bye to his friends.

Farhad bade his friends good-bye.

The poor boy cried, “Alas! I am undone.”

The poor boy exclaimed with sorrow that he was done.

The maidservant said, “By Allah! I know nothing about the stolen purse.”

The maidservant swore by Allah that she knew nothing about the stolen purse.

I said to them,” Bravo! You played very well.”

I applauded them that they had played very well. (Bravo – applauded)

My friend said to me, “Thanks! / Congratulations!”

My friend thanked/congratulated me.

The girl said, “Help! Help!”- The girl cried out for help. 
      Note: When you are trying to change any Direct Speech into an Indirect One, you must remember some tips necessary. They are:

First: Try to identify the Sentence in the Reported Speech.

Secondly: Try to identify the Tense in the Reported Speech and the Reporting Verb

Thirdly: You must change the Persons in the Reported Speech.

Fourthly: You must change the Time / Place Adverbs in the Reported Speech. 

  Passage Narration

            “We would like to go on an excursion. Can we have your permission, Sir?” said the students. “Yes, you can arrange it after the examination is over. And you should choose a historical place for that.” replied the headmaster. “Thank you, sir.” - Answer: The students told the headmaster that they would like to go on an excursion. Then the students asked him politely if they could have his permission. The headmaster approved it and said that they could arrange it after the examination was over and also added that they should choose a historical place for that. Finally, the students thanked him respectfully.

 Note: First, you should find out the 1^st speaker of the passage and the 2^nd speaker because like sentence narration it is not always easy to find out the speaker and the person spoken to. So in order to find out them, you must read the whole passage carefully.      

            2. The teacher said to the boy, “Do you think that honesty is the best policy?” The boy said, “Yes sir, I think so.” “Then learn to be honest from your boyhood,” said the teacher. “Thank you sir,” said the boy. “May Allah grant you a long life,” said the teacher. - Answer: The teacher asked the boy if he thought that honesty is the best policy. The boy replied in the affirmative with respect that he thought so. Then the teacher advised him to learn to be honest from his boyhood. The boy thanked him politely. The teacher prayed for the boy that Allah might grant him a long life.  

Rule 1: If the speaker frequently uses same type of sentence then the rule is:

For Assertive Sentence	For Interrogative Sentence
Said that And added that And further added that And moreover added that And again added that	Asked if And further asked if And more asked if And again asked if

Md. Saiful Alam

B. A. Honours and M. A. in English

Lecturer of English

Queen’s College, Dhaka

E-mail: suman64924@gmail.com

My affectionate Readers,

Please, never hesitate to comment and any correction or suggestion regarding my writings will be largely appreciated and valued and you can ask me any grammatical questions regarding English. I promise I would try my level best to assist you, all. Thank you very much.
  
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com 

Knowledge by Eleanor Farjeon

“Knowledge”

by Eleanor Farjeon

Your mind is a meadow

To plant for your needs;
You are the farmer
With knowledge for seeds,

Don't leave your meadow
  Unplanned and bare,
Sow it with knowledge
And tend it with care.

Who'd be a know-nothing
When he might grow
The seeds of knowledge
Of stars and snow;

The science of numbers,
The stories of time,
The magic of music,
The secrets of rhyme?

Don't be a know-nothing!
Plant in the spring,
And see what harvest
The summer will bring. 

About Poet:

Eleanor Farjeon (13 February 1881- 5 June 1965) was born in London, England. She was a small timid child, who had poor eyesight and suffered from ill-health throughout her childhood. She was a
gifted writer. She wrote countless plays, poems and stories for children, many of which achieved international recognition. She died in Hampstead, London.  

Summary: In the poem knowledge, the poet compares the human mind with a meadow and with a farmer. A farmer likes to sow seeds and plant things and look after it with care. A good farmer doesn’t like to see bare land.

The poet wants to convey the message that we should not keep our minds empty. Like a good farmer, we should plant the seeds of knowledge in our minds, which will grow and develop like the seeds and plants in a farmer’s meadow. The seeds of knowledge can be about nature or science, history, math, music and literature. If we keep our minds busy through reading we are sure to gain wisdom and knowledge, like a farmer harvesting his crops in the summer.

Md. Saiful Alam

BA Honours (English), MA (English) and BEd (1st Class)

Assistant Teacher of English 

Machkhol Secodnary School, Satkhira Sadar, Satkhira

E-mail: suman64924@gmail.com

 My affectionate Readers,

Please, never hesitate to comment because your comment inspired me much. Moreover, any correction or suggestion regarding my writings will be largely appreciated and valued and you can ask me any grammatical questions regarding English. I promise I would try my level best to assist you, all. Thank you very much.

 

The Symbols in “Anna Karenina”

Question: Write a note on the symbols in “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy

            Answer: “Anna Karenina” is the Russian novel in English composed by Leo Tolstoy, a distinguished Russian novelist. A symbol is usually something concrete – an object, a place, a character, an action – that suggests something abstract and universal. In other words, a symbol stands for something else in literature. Here in the novel, the novelist uses symbols in a dynamic way. He uses them to convey his expected meaning to his readers. Here in the novel, the major symbols he uses are: Vronsky's racehorse, Levin and Kitty's marriage, trains, the sale of the forest by Oblonsky and so on.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy!

            Vronsky's racing horse is one of the most important symbols in “Anna Karenina”. The expensive horse is a clear symbol for the relationship between Anna and Vronsky. The horse appears in the novel just shortly after the relationship between Anna and Vronsky has become serious. However, learning about the dangers in the officer's race, Vronsky decides to continue the race despite the death of several horses and riders in the event. Vronsky's willingness to confront the dangers creates another connection between the horse and Anna. The horse also represents Anna's strength and courage while showing that she is under Vronsky's control. Although Vronsky faces the dangers by entering the horse in the race and continuing his affair with Anna, both the horse and Anna face a greater threat because they would die soon. In the end, the horse dies and the unfair death of the horse foreshadows and symbolises Anna's tragic death.

            Levin's courtship and marriage to Kitty is of paramount importance to Anna Karenina. Tolstoy frames the marriage as a stubborn individualist's commitment to another human being with all the philosophical and religious meaning. Levin is an alienated man throughout the early part of the novel. His views alienate him from noblemen and peasantry alike. He is frustrated by Russian culture and unable to feel comfortable with European ways. He suffers from an inferiority complex, as it is seen in his self-doubts in proposing to Kitty. Devastated by Kitty's rejection of his marriage proposal, Levin retreats to his country estate and renounces all dreams of family life. We wonder whether he will remain an eccentric isolationist for the rest of his days, without family or nearby friends laboring over a theory of Russian agriculture. But when the flame of Levin's and Kitty's love suddenly rekindles leading to marriage, it represents more than a mere engagement. Rather, the marriage is an affirmation of Levin's connection with others and his participation in something larger than himself and he attains the cornerstone of the religious faith after marriage. Although he is cynical toward religious dogma, during his confession, the priest asks him a set of questions that lead him through a crisis and then to spiritual regeneration. So it is his marriage with Kitty that regenerates him.

            Trains are the most important symbols in the story of “Anna Karenina” due to their prominence in the Anna or Vronsky story line. More specifically, trains are a destructive element throughout the novel. Vronsky and Anna first meet at a train station where a drunken guard is crushed to death. So Anna calls the death an omen of evil because her first encounter with Vronsky is thus overlaid with the specter of death. Again, Vronsky too uses a train as the engine of his death as it carries him to a war which will bring him death. Thus the train is shown in a negative light in the novel. The train also symbolises not only the destruction of Anna and Vronsky, but Russia's old way of life in favour of an industrial capitalist system. It is symbolic as transportation too, which takes Anna away from her duties and responsibilities as Madame Karenina.

            The hasty sale of the forest in the novel by Oblonsky is symbolic too. He inherits it during his marriage with Dolly. Oblonsky is a sensuous man in the novel who is caught red handed by his wife involved in love making with a French governess. After the incident, he is planning to sell the forest but cannot without the consent of his wife, Dolly. Later on he decides to sell it. The sale of the forest symbolises the loss of emotion, love and respect for the most valuable gifts or property left by their forefathers but the gifts have no value to the Oblonsky as he does not feel any longing for it.

Md. Saiful Alam

B. A. Honours and M. A. in English

Lecturer of English

Queen’s College, Dhaka

E-mail: suman64924@gmail.com

My affectionate Readers,

Please, never hesitate to comment and any correction or suggestion regarding my writings will be largely appreciated and valued and you can ask me any grammatical questions regarding English. I promise I would try my level best to assist you, all. Thank you very much.

 

The Themes in the novel “Anna Karenina”

Question: ( 2 ) : Describe the themes in the novel “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy

             Answer: Theme that lies in a text is one of the most important issues in a literary composition that convey some universal ideas and truth. Here in the novel titled “Anna Karenina”, written by a Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy, exposes several dominating themes as social change in 19th Russia, the blessing of family life, the role and position of women in society, marriage and philosophical value of farming. However, they have been described below one after another in brief.

            In the Russia of “Anna Karenina”, a battle rages between the old patriarchal values sustaining the landowning aristocracy and the new, liberal—often called “libre penseur” or the followers of the Westernises. The conservatives believe in traditions like serfdom and authoritarian government, while the liberals believe in technology, rationalism, and democracy. For example, we see Levin’s clash with his peasants when he ties to introduce Western agricultural innovations that his peasants refuse to accept. They are scared that new innovations will make them jobless as it will replace human beings. Moreover, the guests at Stiva’s dinner party raise the question of women’s rights—clearly a hot topic of the day, and one that shows the influence of Western social progress on Russia. The Russian tradition of arranged marriages is going out of fashion, though Kitty’s parents are not sure at the prospect of allowing Kitty to choose her partner.

            Tolstoy’s intention to write “Anna Karenina” is to recognise this novel in the genre family novels popular in Russia although this type of novels is out of fashion by the 1870s. The Russian family novel often portrays the benefits and comforts of family togetherness and domestic bliss in a much idealised way. Tolstoy has written “Anna Karenina” in the past as his personal statement of family debate. The first section of the novel concerning the happiness and unhappiness of families underscores the centrality of this idea. The novelist takes a pro-family position in the novel that is candid the difficulties of family life. A family limits the freedom of the individual yet despite the resections on personal liberty, Tolstoy portrays family life as a source of comfort and happiness and philosophical transcendence. Anna destroys her family and dies in misery whereas Levin and lives happily creating a family.

            In “Anna Karenina” Tolstoy brings out the position of women in the society where Anna’s marriage to Karenin is arranged by her relatives following the social custom although there is no passion with Karenin but she is bound to live with her husband. Love that Anna needed and desired is never a factor in this match. Anna’s emotional delicacy that has suffered and frustrated her in her marriage is bound to transform her love for her son although Anna finds this marriage hypocritical but there is no other solution for her as women do not possess any voice in society. According to Tolstoy, the role of women is to make a family by giving birth and raising children but not for personal pleasure but Anna refuses her social role and elopes and lives with Vronsky.

            Tolstoy presents portraits of marriage that are astonishing for their lack of romance. Although these women are princesses, baronesses and countesses, there are no fairy-tale endings in “Anna Karenina”. Instead, marriage is portrayed with all of its faults and problems, from jealousy to lack of passion to abandonment. Tolstoy does not advocate the ending of marriage as a social institution at all indeed, he believes it is the glue that holds societies together, but he is realistic about how it works. The only fully successful marriage in Anna Karenina is between Levin and Kitty, and it only becomes that way when they understand that a man and a woman occupy separate social roles, and that it is necessary for a couple to give each other space.

            Tolstoy brings the parallel plot of Levin and Kitty through which he presents his ideal society. Through his spokesman Levin shows that he is a devoted farmer who achieves a clear vision of faith and happiness. Levin in his farm establishes a social structure that is very close to socialist government. However, he distributes his lands among his peasants and worked equally hard along with them. He also establishes schools to educate the peasants’ children and takes other initiatives that establish other fundamental rights and privileges for the peasants.

Md. Saiful Alam

B. A. Honours and M. A. in English

Lecturer of English

Queen’s College, Dhaka

E-mail: suman64924@gmail.com

My affectionate Readers,

Please, never hesitate to comment and any correction or suggestion regarding my writings will be largely appreciated and valued and you can ask me any grammatical questions regarding English. I promise I would try my level best to assist you, all. Thank you very much.