Exploration in Modern Indo-English Fiction

Literary trends do not emerge full-blown, like Minerva from Jupiter’s head, nor do they vanish suddenly and completely, leaving not a trace behind. Rather, while some old trends continue unabated, others, out of sheer exhaustion, or else in response to the changing social or literary situation, lose their energy, sometimes dying a natural death, but more often continuing in a muted form, leading a subterranean existence, or else appearing under new guises, or disguises. New trends, earlier anticipated, gradually gather strength, become vigorous, occupy the center of the stage for a while, until they too are pushed into the background. In literature it is thus a matter more of links and continuities with the past than of making a clean break with it.