THE STUDY OF NOVELS AND ITS VALUE

Novel owes its birth, origin and existence to the interest which men and women everywhere and at all times have taken in the great panorama of human passions and actions.
Novel is in fact the expression of our common interest in human life. Its popularity is primarily due to the fact that it deals with events and actions, with things which are suffered and done by the common people in their ordinary course of life. Moreover, as it represents a certain view of life and deals with the problems of life, even a reader with moderate learning to his credit finds it a happy pastime as well as food for his mind.
However, since the appearance of the novel, there has been a difference of opinion as to whether it should be read or not. There are some who regard the reading of novel not only a wasteful indul­gence of the youth but harmful also. They say that most of them deal with either romantic or unrealistic pictures of passions. The reading of such books poisons the minds of the young and is more injurious to those who do not have sufficient experience of life. It is argued that novel reading is not actually meant for the young. They must be read only when one has gained stability of character and has acquired sufficient knowledge to judge their worth. It is also believed that the habit of reading novels gives distaste for serious studies aod destroys that concentration of the mind which is essentially required in the young.
The first and the most obvious thing of novel reading is amusement or recreation. Life is not only about work. Labor and rest are the order of nature. Recreation is the vital necessity to man. Novel reading gives this recreation to the tired brain and a jaded body. The scholar absorbed in research work or busy with the knotty problem, turns from his serious occupation to some light reading and finds much needed relaxation. Novel reading amuses without taxing the brain. It provides the variety and relaxation which refreshes and strengthens the mind to go on with serious occupations of life.
Indeed novel reading is not merely a pastime. It has certainly a higher use than only recreation. It widens our sympathies and enlarges our knowledge of men and life. Man by nature is conservative his talks and his views are all determined by his way of life. An office going man would talk only of his office and a professor would talk of his college or university. From this narrowness the reading of the novel provides an escape. On its broad canvas are painted different characters and situations, which normally in the course of life we remain unacquainted with. If we had not read them in the novels, we should perhaps have had no idea about them at all. We see the infinite variety of characters,the strange situations in which men may be placed and find the various motives which lead them to act. Thus we come to know different facets of human nature. In this way novel reading gives us the understanding and the know­ledge of men and affairs which helps us in life.
Indeed novel reading is not merely a pastime, It has certainly a higher use than only recreation. It widens our sympathies and enlarges our hnowledge of men and life Man by nature is conser­vative. His talks and his views are all determined by his way of life. An office going man would talk only of his office and a professor would talk of his college or university. From this narrowness the reading of the novel provides an escape. On its broad canvas are painted different characters and situations, which normally in the course of life we remain unacquainted with. If we had not read them in the novels, we should perhaps have had no idea about them at all. We see the infinite variety of characters, read of the strange situations in which men may be placed and find the various motives which lead them to act. Thus we come to know different facets of human nature. In this way novel reading gives us the understanding and the know­ledge of men and affairs which helps us in life.
If a bad novel injures us, a good novel warns us against the pitfalls of life. Dry and abstract moralising novel becomes unpalatable. However, when the temptations and dangers of life are put vividly through living beings, the warning becomes more scute. The similar circumstances which the character or a set of characters face in the novel, may be similar to our present circumstances also. The manner in which they fight them out have a thrilling interest for us. The lessons thus learnt may be ultimately applied to the solution of our real problems.
The complexity and seriousness of contemporary life also finds effective medium of expression in the novel. Though they may not have the completeness of life yet they serve to expose social, political or religious abuses. The reading of such novels awakens and stimu­lates our moral and intellectual curiosity. For example in the novels of Thomas Hardy and for that purpose even of Munshi Prem Chand we get pictures of the social and economic tangle of modern times and the deepest workings of human mind. They provide a psycho­logical insight of the working of human mind. There are even contemporary novelists who have purposefully exposed modern facets of life in Hindi and other regional languages.
Novel is the handmaiden to history. It illuminates dry history and makes it clear, intelligible and interesting. What is a mere jumble of dates and facts in the pages of history, becomes often vivid and living in a novel. Historical novels thus assist us in making history graphic. Only we must not treat historical novels as a piece of true history. The important novelists in Hindi in this respect are Kishori Das Goswami and Brindavan Lal Varma. The novels of Charles Dickens afford a pleasant reading.
The novel is a delightful form of artistic creation and is a reflection of the age to which it belongs. However care should always be taken to choose  good novels but not make novel reading the sole business of our life. It must be read thoughtfully and critically if we are to profit by it. We should always keep in mind that reading is a healthy pastime and can be safe mode recreation for young and old alike.