SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to assess the political and literary importance of Phakirmohana Senapati. The thesis falls into two parts, each of which consists of nine chapters. part I relates primarily to Phakirmohana's life and part II to his prose-fiction. The first chapter of part I describes the framework of the thesis and sets out the reasons for its adoption. The second chapter outlines the history of Oriya literature from its inception to roughly 1800. Chapters III, IV and V recount the history of the press and Journalism in 19th century Orissa, and describe an important controversy over the medium of instruction in Government schools. This controversy marks the beginning of the Oriya nationalist movement, chapters VI, VII, VIII and IX relate the life-story of Phakirmohana: his childhood in Balasore; his first career in the local salt and shipping industries; his second in teaching; his third as an administrator; and finally his retirement in Cuttack and Balasore. The first chapter of part II summarises Phakirmohana's four novels. The second examines the basic plot of Phakirmohana's fiction, his characterisation and the interrelations between these two aspects of his fiction and 'the assumptive world' of his childhood. Chapters II, III and IV study his three main themes, the history of Orissa in general and Balasore in particular, education in 19th century Orissa, and justice. The final three chapters draw the thesis together. chapter VII brings out the relationship between Phakirmohana's writing and his participation in the nationalist movement, chapter VIII elucidates the value system he was attempting to promulgate and the aims he hoped to achieve by doing so. Chapter ix falls into two parts: the first outlines the history of the nationalist movement in Orissa and assesses Phakirmohana's contribution to its development; and the second assesses Phakirmohana's literary achievement in contrast to his two eminent contemporaries, Madhusudana Rao and Radhanatha Raya.