Page:History of Bengali Literature in the Nineteenth Century.djvu/244

 220 BENGALI LITERATURE out of which is evolved modern prose—the plain style favoured by the European writers and their imitators, while the ornate style advocated by learned pundits of the orthodox school like Mrtyufjay. The language is correct and absolute- ly free from the taint of Persian, and Marshman’s eulogy Purity of diction. that the book is “written in the purest Bengalee’’ is perfectly justifiable; but when that learned missionary and scholar speaks of its Bengali as ‘fone of the most beautiful specimens” of prose style, it is obvious that he stretches his point too far. The harsh unrhythmical obscure Sanscrit-ridden style is far from the best that this period has to show in Bengali prose. The genius of Sanserit is not the same as that of Bengali: and it would bea mistake to suppose that Sanserit syntax should rule syntax in Bengali. Preponderance of Sanscrit The style Jabour- i i ed and pedantic for Words indeed gives strength and 8708 imitation of Variety to te prose as well as purity and correctness to the diction, but the sesquipedalian affectation of laboured style becomes wearisome in a short time. The use of long-drawn-out compound words, occurrence of unusual phrases, and extensive borrowing from Sanserit make it difficult sometimes for the uninitiated Its defects. to comprehend the sentences at the first glance. In the technical or philosophical portions again the style some- times assumes a peculiar stiffness and learned tone.! In some places, the sentences are so very lengthy and irregular in structure and arrangement that it becomes almost impossible to find out their meaning easily ; while in other places, the writer, anxious to exhibit a variety of style, has , See for instance AI স্তবক, তৃতীয় ও চতুর্থ কুহ্ছম। দ্বিতীয় স্তবক, AAA SRF |