Oral literature in the vernacular languages of India is of great antiquity, but it was not until about the 16th century that an extensive written literature appeared. Chief factors in this development were the intellectual and literary predominance of Sanskrit until then and the emergence of Hindu pietistic movements that sought to reach the people I their spoken languages. Among the Muslims classical Persian poetry was the fountainhead of a late growth in the Urdu literature produced for the Mughal court, and elaborate Urdu verse on set themes was produced in abundance. In the early 19th cent., with the establishment vernacular schools and the importation printing presses, a great impetus was given to popular prose, with Bengali writers perhaps taking the lead. Foreign, particularly English, literature was eagerly studied and to some extent assimilated to classical Indian modes and themes. This book is a scholarly account of literature of all Indian languages. |
