A Study of History through Imagination in Amitav Ghosh's The Shadow Lines

Abstract

E. H. Carr in What is History? defines history in this manner: “History means interpretation” (23). He further states that it is important to perceive “history as a continuous process of interaction between the historian and his facts, an unending dialogue between the present and the past” (30). It is this unending dialogue between the present and the past that paves way for literature to study and perceive these recorded events of history in a different way and from diverse points of view. Literature, which reflects the writer’s personal observation of life, makes interesting use of history. The writer interprets and decodes history to suit his objective and purpose of creativity. He is merely making an attempt to interpret history from a different point of view giving history a different perspective. His interpretation of history does not imply his questioning the credibility of any historical records nor does he fictionalise any historical event. To a certain extent he merely tries to perceive the past through the narratives contrary to the traditional reading of history.