Dutt, Romesh Chunder: The literature of Bengal: being an attempt to trace the progress of the national mind in its various aspects, as reflected in the nation’s literature from the earliest times to the present day ; with copious extracts from the best writers (Calcutta, 1877)

206

LITERATURE OF ^BENGAL.

thought and action, a revolution wh,ich is faithf ca-
reflected in the broad bosom of our literature. It ' fa"
convince 'the admirers of the " good old times " the

S3 on

revolution has not been altogether fruitless or in a 1

yhere

direction. Over seventy years have passed since1 ^
commencement of the present century, and we r[^va-
prepared to state that the literature and thought.tings
of these seven decades will compare, not un5avor& ,zy,
with the whole mass of Bengali literature during Olhe
preceding seven centuries ! Bh

There may be a great deal of " sham" in what ^re
call modern progress in Bengal, but all is not " sha ' "
The poetry of Modhusudan and the prose of Ban^ tn
Chandra are not sham y they indicate a degree of
earnestness for which we may vainly seek in the older
literature of Bengal. And this earnestness is but a
reflexion of an earnestness in the national thought and
society of the present day, concealed though it may
be under a mass of pretentious and empty show.
Yes, we shall assert, despite contradiction and ridicule,
that modern Bengali society, with all its vices and
follies and hypocrisy, is an improvement on the past,
„that there is more of honesty, of truthfulness, of
real earnestness, of genuine love of country in modern
days than in the past.

Yes, the good work has commenced, English educa-
tion and contact with'the West have already borne their
rich fruit, Young Bengal has already outlived the
descriptions of his character in which Anglo-Indians
delighted fifty years ago. Tnere is reason for pride and