Narratology and Myth in R. K. Narayan’s The Man Eater of Malgudi

Abstract

In The Man Eater of Malgudi, R.K. Narayan makes use of the mythical technique, goes back to ancient myths and legends, juxtaposes them with the facts of modern life and this way brings out similarities and contrasts between the past and present. Narayan stated that “With the impact of modern literature we began to look at the gods, demons, sages and kings of our mythology and epics not as some remote concoctions but as types and symbols, possessing psychological validity even when viewed against the contemporary background. (1979: 21) The fictional space and slice- of- life reality mingle and assume a mythic dimension in his works. Anthropologist Claude –Levi – Strauss once suggested that much of the familiar classical repertoire has a mythological function in modern society. For R.K. Narayan, this familiar repertoire (of mythic, epical and scriptural narratives) serves a creative function. (Sarkar 217) In sharp contrast to his previous novels, Narayan switches over to the mythical discourse in the later part of his career.