Epistolary novels date back to the 15th century. It was a popular genre in the 18th century. In the past two decades also, fictional works with epistolary style/ technique have appeared. From Letters and Diary entries to emails and blog posts the source has changed, the narrative has also evolved.
First person point of view, the voices of characters heard more intimately, immediacy and authenticity are its attributes. The narrator can hold back certain details and the narrative may also tend to be a monologue at some points. The reading experience may also vary: of a non- fiction piece or of containing enough of intense emotions.
"There are commentaries on changing routines of the ordinary people around... The author has lifted the narrative to another level of inclusiveness when he brings into focus two of his pen pals, or say digital friends into his journal... Through his personal narrative, he has done well in bringing into focus comprehensively the overall situation in the world of the present times.
We live in difficult times. It is to live by chance. It is not only the discriminations and inequalities that society has created that one has to live with, one is at the mercy of the mysterious Nature. Even the hard core non-believers tend to believe in their good fortune in surviving the devastation of the Corona Virus and look for solace in their faith in Science which itself is in self-doubt. Not that the Nature has always been kind to the living species but there is always certain pattern in its fury, whether it is the floods or the drought or any such force majeures which are now perceived as the consequences of human greed and self-destructive syndromes. They are no more mysteries of nature. But the Corona virus, though is also sometimes credited to a human hand for its spread and the uneven responses, remains to be a mystery and challenge to the hubris of man. In a way it has united the human species at the global level to articulate their common fear of the unknown in a world of deep divisions on the basis of class, race, colour, religious faith etc. It has deeply tested the health infrastructure, competence of Governments, Economic Institutions, Social orders and the cultural strength of human societies. At the individual level, it has brought to the brink the sustainability of human relations with others, whether it is in Man woman relationship or within the family or with friends or with the general public at large.
These issues in general, the spread of Coronavirus and its consequential impact on the social and personal life of individuals in the last one year has obviously drawn a critical response from Manjunath. Being a versatile Freelance Journalist who writes on various subjects of contemporary concern and culture with focus on cinema and a creative writer it is natural that he has a lot of things to say in this regard. He is a quintessential optimist and a critic of modern societies and has extensively critiqued and documented on wide range of topics that include Globalization and its impact on individuals, Liberalization of Economy, Privatization of Banking and Financial sector, Corporatization of Retail trade in India and such other contemporary social issues. His response to Corona virus is in the form of a narrative which he claims to be a fictional one but for the reader it is a chronicle of an individual camouflaged as fiction. Nonetheless it is a creative response to our times.
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