Which of these does Meenakshi Mukherjee propose as the possible target readership of early Indian English novel?

A. A pan-Indian readership
B. A localized Indian readership
C. A British readership
D. The colonial administrator in India

Correct option is C

Explanation:

Meenakshi Mukherjee, in her research on early Indian English novels, identified British readers and colonial administrators in India as the primary audiences.

Early Indian English novels were often tailored to cater to colonial officials and British readers to explain Indian society, culture, and traditions to a foreign audience.

These works were also intended to present an understanding of Indian life in English, the language of the colonizers, making British readership central to their purpose.

Information Booster:​

Writers like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Raja Rao used English to convey Indian realities to their colonial audience, ensuring acceptance and validation from British readers.

These novels were written in English to reach British readers and project Indian culture and society from the perspective of Indian authors.

Meenakshi Mukherjee’s analysis highlights how the colonial framework influenced the themes, style, and language of early Indian English novels.

This group comprised British officials stationed in India, who were a direct audience for these works.

Additional Knowledge:

Pan-Indian Readership (A):

Unlikely as these novels were written in English, limiting accessibility to a small elite population in India.
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A Localized Indian Readership (B):

Early Indian English literature did not primarily address this group as literacy in English was limited among the Indian population.