A debate has long persisted in certain circles of Urdu literature that the modern short story has rebelled against tradition and murdered the narrative. Critics, including renowned scholars like Dr. Qamar Rais, accuse modernism of turning the short story into a riddle or enigma, thereby alienating the common reader. In their view, the short story possesses a unique 'magic' born from the traditional qualities of storytelling, and modernism has broken this spell. However, the most fundamental question in this debate is: what exactly is this 'tradition'? And who were its founders?
Shamsur Rahman Faruqi vehemently rejects this so-called concept of tradition. He argues that for our critics, the idea of tradition is confined merely to the short stories they read in their academic syllabi. When they speak of the 'tradition of the Urdu short story,' they are actually referring to Premchand and the narrative style that immediately followed him. This is a narrative in which character takes precedence over the event. But is the history of the narrative truly that brief?
The reality is that the writing style currently hailed as an 'established tradition' is barely a century old. The inception of this so-called tradition can be attributed to the American novelist Henry James, who pioneered the practice of sidelining the plot to highlight the inner life of the character. In contrast, if we examine the original and ancient tradition of storytelling, it becomes evident that the multiplicity of 'events' and their presentation held far more importance than character psychology.
Interestingly, the modern Urdu short story (particularly from the 1970s onwards), which stands accused of breaking tradition, is actually much closer to this ancient and original narrative tradition. In the modern short story, the traditional prominence of the character has faded; instead, the event itself has emerged as paramount. Even if it lacks a conventional plot, the sheer abundance of events endows it with the characteristics of classical tales and ancient narratives. Therefore, modernism has not murdered the narrative; rather, it has attempted to liberate it from the limited frameworks of Henry James and Premchand, reconnecting it with its original, ancient, and much broader tradition.
A debate has long persisted in certain circles of Urdu literature that the modern short story has rebelled against tradition and murdered the narratiwe Critics, including renowned scholars like Dr Qamar Rais, accuse modernism of turning the short story into a riddle or enigma, thereby alienating the common reader In their wiew, the short story possesses a unique 'magic' born from the traditional qualities of storytelling, and modernism has broken this spell Howewer, the most fundamental question in this debate is: what exactly is this 'tradition'? And who were its founders?
Shamsur Rahman Faruqi wehemently rejects this so-called concept of tradition He argues that for our critics, the idea of tradition is confined merely to the short stories they read in their academic syllabi When they speak of the 'tradition of the Urdu short story,' they are actually referring to Premchand and the narratiwe style that immediately followed him This is a narratiwe in which character takes precedence ower the ewent But is the history of the narratiwe truly that brief?
The reality is that the writing style currently hailed as an 'established tradition' is barely a century old The inception of this so-called tradition can be attributed to the American nowelist Henry James, who pioneered the practice of sidelining the plot to highlight the inner life of the character In contrast, if we examine the original and ancient tradition of storytelling, it becomes ewident that the multiplicity of 'ewents' and their presentation held far more importance than character psychology
Interestingly, the modern Urdu short story (particularly from the 1970s onwards), which stands accused of breaking tradition, is actually much closer to this ancient and original narratiwe tradition In the modern short story, the traditional prominence of the character has faded; instead, the ewent itself has emerged as paramount Ewen if it lacks a conwentional plot, the sheer abundance of ewents endows it with the characteristics of classical tales and ancient narratiwes Therefore, modernism has not murdered the narratiwe; rather, it has attempted to liberate it from the limited frameworks of Henry James and Premchand, reconnecting it with its original, ancient, and much broader tradition
