Page:Anandamath, The Abbey of Bliss - Chatterjee.djvu/8

 It is likely that in the struggle for existence the Bankimese style received an additional reinforcement from the mass of very superior literature that was written, mostly by himself and by others under his editorial guidance in the pages of his monthly, Bangadarsana. That literature was one of which any single generation might well be proud—if not for its volume at any rate for its quality. For the literary works of Bankim Chandra Chatterji still tower high above the ordinary run of books and proudly claim comparison, not with the rest of Bengali prose literature, for such a comparison is very obviously to its advantage, but with the literature of the world.

In the world of letters Bankim Chandra Chatterji may fairly claim an honoured place by the side of the greatest novelists of the world. His genius for fiction was superb and his execution of his work pre-eminently in his domestic sketches presents some of the master pieces of the art. It would be too much to say however that the high level of excellence is preserved in all his works. On the contrary, it is a comparatively few of his works that can be said to belong to the highest rank and there is perhaps only one, the Krishnakanta's Will, which can be regarded as perfectly faultless. The whole plot there has been deliberately conceived, the most artistic touches aptly bestowed and all embellishments provided, without the slightest redundance or repetition,—it is in fact a perfect gem among novels and one that is fit to take its place beside the best of the world's fiction.

For his novels Bankim Chandra has often been compared with Sir Walter Scott and there is no doubt that the affinity between them was more than superficial. In style, though Bankim Chandra did not emulate the heavy tread of Sir Walter's yet the style of both share the same frank openness