SOAS Research Online

Abstract

In the introductory chapter the general importance of a study of Mir Masarraf Hosen's works is discussed. It is stated that all his prose works have not been examined and the reasons for the selection are given. Chapter II consists of a brief account of his life. It summarises all the available biographical information and makes particular use of Masarraf's own autobiography. Chapters III, IV and V contain a detailed examination of those of his works which have been selected for special study. The works are taken in chronological order beginning with his earliest known work, Ratnabati. In addition to the analysis of the contents of these works some examination is made of Masarraf's Bengali style and of the qualities which justify his being regarded as an important figure in 19th century Bengali literature. Chapter's VI, VIII and VIII consist of critical analyses of various aspects of Masarraf's works. Chapter VI deals with his style and diction. Chapter VII summarises what he has to say about the condition of Bengali society at the time, including popular beliefs and superstitions, orthodox codes of behaviour, the education system, the status of women and unrest among the peasants, particularly those who worked on indigo plantations. More general consideration of his own mental outlook and attitude to contemporary life and society is given in Chapter VIII, which also attempts an analysis of his attitude towards, and his opinions about, the British government in India and the British people with whom he had come into contact. Chapter IX looks at the reception of Masarraf's works by readers of his own and subsequent generations. It presents a historical summary of the principal reviews of his works. Contemporary reviews are examined in fairly close detail and later reviews more generally. The concluding chapter summarises briefly his achievements as a dramatist and as a prose writer, his status in the history of Bengali literature and his influence on later Muslim writers.